A Sample Restaurant Chart of Accounts that any Business Owner, Bookkeeper or Accountant Can Use

For those of you who know anything about the restaurant industry, you understand “Mise En Place” – a French culinary phrase which means “putting in place” or “everything in its place.” A proper Chart of Accounts functions the same way as an organized restaurant station. Everything has its proper place, everything is conveniently located and it will add value to your business if set up properly.

Most accounting software comes preloaded with a few different chart of account templates. You will be asked what industry you operate within, and then you will be given a preset chart of accounts. The offerings may have too many accounts and subaccounts, on the other hand, it may have too few. So feel free to use the chart of accounts provided.

Below we will give you a complete restaurant chart of accounts and a quick cheat sheet to help you understand the basics of your chart of accounts. This will lead you down the path of generating the best chart of accounts for your business. Let’s be real, at the end of the day, the chart of accounts in QuickBooks is here to serve you.

Below is a quick cheat sheet to help you structure your chart of accounts.

Chart of Accounts Cheat Sheet

1000 – 1999 Assets

2000 – 2999 Liabilities

3000 – 3999 Equity

4000 – 4999 Income or Revenue

5000 – 5999 Cost of Goods Sold

6000 – 6999 Expenses

7000 – 7999 Other Income

8000 – 8999 Other Expenses

Detailed Chart of Accounts

1000	Cash On Hand	Bank
1010	Bank Account 1	Bank
1020	Bank Account 2	Bank
1030	Bank Account 3	Bank
1100	Accounts Receivable (A/R)	Accounts receivable (A/R)
1150	Credit Card Receivable	Other Current Assets
1200	Inventory	Other Current Assets
1210	Inventory:Food Inventory	Other Current Assets
1220	Inventory:Beverage Inventory	Other Current Assets
1230	Inventory:Bar & Consumable Inventory	Other Current Assets
1400	Prepaid Expenses	Other Current Assets
1500	Fixed Asset Computers	Fixed Assets
1530	Furniture & Fixtures	Fixed Assets
1540	Leasehold Improvements	Fixed Assets
1600	Accumulated Depreciation	Fixed Assets
1700	Capitalized Start Up Expenses	Fixed Assets
1800	Security Deposits	Other Assets
2000	Accounts Payable (A/P)	Accounts payable (A/P)
2110	Credit Card 1	Credit Card
2120	Credit Card 3	Credit Card
2130	Credit Card 3	Credit Card
2210	Sales Tax Expense	Other Current Liabilities
2220	Payroll Clearing New	Other Current Liabilities
2230	Accrued Expenses	Other Current Liabilities
2250	Payroll Liabilities	Other Current Liabilities
2280	Tips Payable	Other Current Liabilities
2281	Employee Tips Payable	Other Current Liabilities
2300	Gift Cards Outstanding	Other Current Liabilities
2400	Notes Payable	Other Current Liabilities
3000	Capital Contribution	Equity
3010	Capital Contribution:Member A	Equity
3020	Capital Contribution:Member B	Equity
3030	Capital Contribution:Member C	Equity
3040	Capital Contribution:Member D	Equity
3300	Retained Earnings	Equity
4100	Food Sales	Income
4110	Food Sales:Lunch Sales	Income
4120	Food Sales:Dinner Sales	Income
4130	Food Sales:Food Comps	Income
4140	Food Sales:Food Discounts	Income
4300	Beverage Sales	Income
4310	Beverage Sales:N/A Beverage	Income
4320	Beverage Sales:Liquor Sales	Income
4330	Beverage Sales:Beer Sales	Income
4350	Beverage Sales:Wine Sales	Income
4360	Beverage Sales:Beverage Comps	Income
4370	Beverage Sales:Beverage Discounts	Income
4400	Service/Fee Income	Income
4500	Merchandise Sales	Income
4600	Catering & contracts	Income
5200	Food Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5210	Food Cost:Meat Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5220	Food Cost:Poultry Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5230	Food Cost:Seafood Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5240	Food Cost:Dairy Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5250	Food Cost:Produce Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5260	Food Cost:Frozen Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5280	Food Cost:Grocery Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5300	Beverage Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5310	Beverage Cost:N/A Beverage Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5320	Beverage Cost:Liquor Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5330	Beverage Cost:Beer Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5340	Beverage Cost:Wine Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5400	Merchandise Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
6000	Payroll Expenses	Expenses
6100	Payroll Expenses:FOH Wages	Expenses
6110	Payroll Expenses:FOH Wages:FOH Management	Expenses
6120	Payroll Expenses:FOH Wages:FOH Hourly	Expenses
6200	Payroll Expenses:BOH Wages	Expenses
6210	Payroll Expenses:BOH Wages:BOH Management	Expenses
6220	Payroll Expenses:BOH Wages:BOH Hourly	Expenses
6300	Payroll Expenses:Administrative Wages	Expenses
6500	Payroll Expenses:Employee Benefits	Expenses
6550	Payroll Expenses:Employee Meals	Expenses
6600	Payroll Expenses:Workmans Comp	Expenses
6700	Payroll Expenses:Employers Payroll Taxes	Expenses
6800	Payroll Expenses:Payroll Processing Fee	Expenses
6900	Payroll Expenses:Contract Labor	Expenses
7100	Direct Operating Expenses	Expenses
7110	Direct Operating Expenses:China – Glassware – Flatware	Expenses
7120	Direct Operating Expenses:Restaurant & Kitchen Supply	Expenses
7130	Direct Operating Expenses:Cleaning Supply	Expenses
7140	Direct Operating Expenses:Decoration & Guest Supply	Expenses
7150	Direct Operating Expenses:Linen Services	Expenses
7160	Direct Operating Expenses:Permit & License	Expenses
7200	Cleaning Services	Expenses
7300	Marketing Expenses	Expenses
7310	Advertising and Promotion	Expenses
7400	Travel	Expenses
7450	Automobile Expenses	Expenses
7600	Meals & Entertainment	Expenses
7700	POS Fee	Expenses
7750	Telephone and Internet	Expenses
7800	General and Administrative	Expenses
7810	General and Administrative:Bad Debts – Over/Short	Expenses
7820	General and Administrative:Bank Fees	Expenses
7821	General and Administrative:Bank Fees:Bank Fees – Sub	Expenses
7822	General and Administrative:Bank Fees:Merchant Account Fees	Expenses
7830	General and Administrative:Insurance Expense	Expenses
7850	Legal & Professional Services	Expenses
7851	Legal & Professional Services:Accounting	Expenses
7852	Legal & Professional Services:Bookkeeping	Expenses
7853	Legal & Professional Services:Consulting Fees	Expenses
7854	Legal & Professional Services:Legal Fees	Expenses
7890	General and Administrative:Office Expenses	Expenses
7891	General and Administrative:Office Expenses:Dues & subscriptions	Expenses
7892	General and Administrative:Office Expenses:Office Supplies	Expenses
8100	Facilities	Expenses
8110	Facilities:Rent & Lease	Expenses
8120	Facilities:Utilities	Expenses
8130	Facilities:Garbage Removal	Expenses
8140	Facilities:Pest Control	Expenses
8150	Facilities:Repairs and Maintenance	Expenses
8200	Equipment Rental	Expenses
8600	Sales Tax Expense	Expenses
9999	Ask My Accountant	Expenses
9900	Interest Earned	Other Income
9901	Other Miscellaneous Income	Other Income
9000	Taxes and Fees	Other Expense

Final Thoughts on the Restaurant Chart of Accounts

After a first review the restaurant chart of accounts can be quite overwhelming, but don’t fret! Remember that the goal is to keep the income statement on one page so you can quickly review the financial performance of your business.

Another key takeaway is to understand that the above can be manipulated to serve your particular business. The Chart of Accounts is fluid and should help you better manage your business, rather than your business running you.

There are many different ways to tackle the world of restaurant accounting as well as many ways to set up your chart of accounts. Focus on the key items that work for your business and ensure you are tracking all your important margins highlighted in the above, like labor, food cost, discounts, and food/beverage comps.

Download the above sample Chart of Accounts by clicking here.

Looking for More Awesome Restaurant Accounting and Finance-Related Content?

I (Zachary Weiner) recently launched RestaurantAccounting.net with the goal of helping restaurant owners better understand their finances. It answers all your questions on restaurant accounting, finance, working capital, margins, and business success.