Hospitality finance, explained.
Hospitality Accounts · 8 min read
Do You Need a Bookkeeper for Your Restaurant, and What Should They Do?
What a restaurant bookkeeper actually does, how the role differs from an accountant, and a weekly bookkeeping checklist for takings, stock, tips and VAT.
Hospitality Accounts · 11 min read
EPOS Reconciliation for Hospitality: Matching Till Takings to Bank and Books
A step-by-step guide to reconciling daily EPOS takings to your bank, cards, cash and delivery-app payouts, and splitting them correctly for VAT.
Hospitality Accounts · 8 min read
Hospitality Consultant vs Accountant: Which Do You Actually Need?
Consultant or accountant for your restaurant, pub or hotel? A clear split of who fixes ops, menus and margins versus VAT, tips, payroll and forecasting.
Hospitality Accounts · 11 min read
Hotel Finance and Revenue Management: the Numbers Behind Occupancy
Run the numbers behind occupancy: ADR, RevPAR, departmental P&L, plus the VAT, TOMS and capital allowance rules every hotel and guesthouse should know.
Hospitality VAT · 7 min read
VAT on Soft Drinks and Food: The Rate for Every Item on a Hospitality Menu
Which food and drinks are zero-rated and which are always 20%? Soft drinks, confectionery, snacks and ice cream explained, with a free VAT checker.
Licensed Trade · 5 min read
AWRS Checks: Who Must Register, and How to Verify a Wholesaler's URN
Buying alcohol for resale? You must verify your wholesaler holds HMRC AWRS approval. Step-by-step URN check, record-keeping guide, and due-diligence checklist.
Hospitality VAT · 6 min read
B&B and Guest House vs the Rent-a-Room Scheme: Which Applies to You?
Rent-a-Room gives up to £7,500 tax-free, but only if you live there. Full guest houses are a trade. How to tell which side of the line you are on.
Hospitality Accounts · 6 min read
Cash Basis vs Accruals for Hospitality: Why Stock Changes the Answer
Cash basis is the default for sole traders from April 2024, but stock-heavy hospitality businesses usually benefit from electing accruals. Here is why.
Payroll and Employment · 9 min read
Casual and Zero-Hours Staff: Employment Status, Minimum Wage and Holiday Pay
Casual and zero-hours staff are almost always employees for PAYE. NMW rates from April 2026, holiday pay for irregular hours, and the HMRC audit risk.
Licensed Trade · 6 min read
Draught Relief Explained: Lower Alcohol Duty on Cask and Keg
Draught relief cuts alcohol duty on qualifying cask and keg products. See the current rate table, a worked GP% example, and what qualifies.
Hospitality Accounts · 9 min read
Gross Profit and Menu Pricing: How to Set Prices That Actually Make Money
Learn how to price a menu using GP%, food cost % and worked dish examples. Covers VAT interaction, wet vs dry margins and the levers when profit slips.
Capital Allowances · 8 min read
Kitchen and Restaurant Fit-Out: Capital Allowances, AIA and the FA 2026 Changes Explained
How AIA, the new 40% FYA and the 14% WDA cut (FA 2026) affect your restaurant or kitchen refit. Sequencing guide, worked example and what does not qualify.
Licensed Trade · 6 min read
Machine Games Duty for Pubs: Register Before Play, Not After
Cash-prize gaming machines need Machine Games Duty registration before play. Who is liable, how returns work, and the prizes-below-cost exemption.
Making Tax Digital · 8 min read
MTD for Income Tax: What Sole-Trader Hospitality Operators Must Do and When
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies to sole-trader cafes, takeaways and pubs from April 2026. Thresholds, quarterly duties and what to do now.
Business Rates · 6 min read
Small Business Rates Relief for Cafes: Do You Qualify and How Much?
Small Business Rates Relief gives cafes 100% off up to £12,000 rateable value, tapering to zero at £15,000. Many who qualify never claim. England.
Tips and Tronc · 6 min read
The Tips Act 2023: What Hospitality Employers Must Do
The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 has been in force since 1 October 2024. Here is what hospitality employers must do to stay compliant.
Hospitality VAT · 9 min read
VAT on Takeaway Food: Hot vs Cold, Eat-In vs Takeaway, and Delivery (2026 Rules)
Hot takeaway food is 20% VAT. Cold takeaway food is usually zero-rated. Full guide: the five hot-food tests, eat-in rules, carve-outs and delivery (2026).