- Unit 25, 42 Bundall Road, Bundall QLD 4217
- | Mon to Fri 8:30am to 5:00pm
- hello@elev8ba.com.au
- 0425 609 720
Specialist accounting, tax, and advisory services for construction and property professionals.
Understand where your money is going and what is driving profit or loss across labour, food, beverage, and overheads.
Improve rostering, reduce unnecessary overtime, and align staffing levels with actual trading demand.
Review menu pricing, product margins, and supplier costs to ensure your pricing structure supports sustainable profit.
Make informed decisions around trading hours, expansion, staffing levels, and operational changes with clear financial insight.
Financial statements, tax returns, BAS, payroll reporting, STP, payroll tax, FBT, QBCC MFR reporting, and superannuation.
Preparation and lodgement of Fringe Benefits Tax returns where required.
For most cafés and casual dining venues, labour costs sitting between 30–38% of revenue is a reasonable target – though this varies by service model, hours of operation, and whether you’re owner-operated. Fast food and takeaway operations typically run lower; full-service restaurants often push higher. What matters more than the percentage itself is tracking it consistently week to week, because labour is the cost most likely to blow out unnoticed through poor rostering, overtime, or over-staffing during quiet periods.
At a minimum, whenever your key input costs change – which in the current environment means at least every six months. Many hospitality operators set prices once and leave them far too long, absorbing rising food and labour costs into margin rather than adjusting pricing. A menu engineering review looks at the profitability and popularity of each item and identifies where pricing adjustments or substitutions make the most sense.
Cash flow problems in hospitality are usually tied to one of three things: poor margin on food and beverage, labour costs that aren’t matched to revenue, or high fixed costs relative to revenue. We start with a clear picture of where money is going, then identify the specific levers available – which might include tighter stock management, revised supplier terms, adjusted trading hours, or pricing changes.
At minimum: daily sales records, supplier invoices, payroll records including timesheets and superannuation payments, bank statements, and records of all cash handling. The ATO requires records to be kept for five years. For businesses using a POS system, retaining daily Z-reports and ensuring they reconcile to bank deposits is important. Payroll records are particularly scrutinised in hospitality – accurate timesheets and award compliance documentation are essential.