Restaurant CFO: food cost, labour and profit, every month
Restaurant CFO is Finvo's fractional CFO service for restaurants in BC and Alberta. Each month a senior manager works out your prime cost against your own target, shows profit by menu and location, checks labour against sales, forecasts cash through the slow months, and meets with you to agree a plan. By video or in person.
What your restaurant CFO looks at
The same monthly CFO work as our fractional CFO service, shaped around how a restaurant makes and spends money.
Prime cost against your target
Food, drink and labour as a share of sales, each shown on its own and together, compared with the target you set and with last month.
How the target is setMenu and location profit
Which dishes, categories and locations earn the most after food cost, and which ones look busy but leave little behind.
Food cost and menu pricingLabour scheduling against sales
Labour by day and shift set beside sales for the same hours, so you can see where the schedule runs ahead of the room.
Tips and payrollCash forecast with the seasons
A 13-week cash forecast and a 12-month view built on your own busy and slow months, so a quiet January is planned for.
About cash flowGST, PST and payroll timing
GST/HST, BC PST and payroll remittance dates built into the forecast, so the money is set aside before each one is due.
GST, PST and liquorA monthly planning meeting
One meeting a month with a senior manager to go through the numbers and agree a short list of actions, then check them next month.
A month, step by stepA prime cost target that fits your restaurant
Prime cost is your cost of goods sold plus your total labour, including employer payroll costs, as a share of net sales. Many full-service restaurants aim for prime cost around 60–65% of sales. That's a starting point, not a standard.
A more useful target is worked out backwards from the profit you want. High rent leaves less room for food and labour; owning the building leaves more. We set the target with you, then report against it every month, with food and labour shown separately so you can see which one moved.
Want to see where you stand today? The free profit check works out your food cost, labour and prime cost from last month's numbers.
Working the target backwards: an example
Illustrative figures for a sample restaurant, not client data. Your own overheads and profit goal give your own target.
A month with Restaurant CFO
The same four steps every month, so the numbers can be trusted and each month's plan gets checked.
Clean books first
Every account reconciled, inventory counts posted, tips and delivery-app payouts matched, and GST/HST and payroll filings done.
A report in plain language
Sales, food cost, labour, prime cost, profit and cash, with short notes on what moved and why.
The planning meeting
We go through the report with you, compare options for any big decision, and agree a short action plan.
Follow-up
Next month starts with last month's actions: what changed in the numbers, what didn't, and what comes next.
Three ways to work with your CFO
Every option includes monthly bookkeeping, GST/HST and payroll filings, the monthly report and analysis, a forecast and a monthly meeting.
Virtual
For restaurant operators happy to meet by video, anywhere in BC and Alberta.
Includes:
- Monthly bookkeeping, GST/HST and payroll filings
- Monthly report with prime cost against your target
- 13-week cash flow and 12-month forecast
- One video meeting a month
- An extra call between meetings when needed
In person
For restaurant operators who want us in the restaurant, looking at how it runs.
Everything in Virtual, plus:
- One visit a month at your restaurant or our office
- Walk-through of operations and paperwork
- Surrey, Edmonton and Courtenay areas
Custom
Any combination of services and meetings, for groups and busier restaurants.
Can include:
- Corporate and personal tax returns
- Payroll for larger teams
- Weekly or fortnightly meetings
- More visits, several locations
How pricing works
Pricing is explained on the Fractional CFO and business membership pages. We confirm your price before any work starts. Not ready for a CFO? Start with the business full suite.
Start with last month's numbers
The free profit check works out your food cost, labour, prime cost and profit in your browser. Nothing you type is stored or sent.
Restaurant CFO, answered
What does a restaurant CFO do?
A restaurant CFO reads your numbers every month and helps you decide what to change. That means prime cost against your target, profit by menu item and location, labour against sales, a cash forecast for the slow months, and a planning meeting where you agree a short list of actions.
How much does Restaurant CFO cost?
Your price depends on locations, transactions, employees and how often we meet. Every option includes monthly bookkeeping, GST/HST and payroll filings, the monthly report, a forecast and a monthly meeting. We confirm your price before any work starts. Prices are on the Fractional CFO page.
What prime cost should my restaurant aim for?
Many full-service restaurants aim for prime cost around 60–65% of sales. Your own target is better worked out backwards: start from 100% of sales, take off your rent and other overheads and the profit you want, and what is left is what you can spend on food, drink and labour.
Do my books need to be in good shape first?
The analysis is only as good as the books under it, so monthly bookkeeping is part of Restaurant CFO. If your books are behind, we bring them up to date first. Catch-up work is quoted separately after a free call.
Is it worth it for a restaurant with one location?
It can be. With one location, prime cost, the schedule and cash through the slow months still decide whether a busy month makes money. Try the free profit check with last month's numbers first, then book a call and we'll tell you honestly whether the business full suite or Restaurant CFO fits better.
Can we meet in person?
Yes. The in-person option adds one visit a month at your restaurant or our office, with a walk-through of operations and paperwork, in the Surrey, Edmonton and Courtenay areas. The virtual option works anywhere in British Columbia and Alberta.
Sources, checked 27 Oct 2026. The food cost, prime cost and profit formulas on this page are standard management-accounting methods, not government rules, and the 60–65% prime cost range is a common industry rule of thumb, not an official figure. Official sources are listed only for the tax and payroll facts. Rules have exceptions and can change. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice for your situation.
- Excise Tax Act, s. 169 (laws-lois.justice.gc.ca): input tax credits for registrants on GST/HST paid on business purchases.
- Government of BC, Provincial sales tax (last updated 21 Sep 2026), gov.bc.ca: 7% general rate; the planned PST on accounting and other professional services is paused. Alberta has no PST.
- Government of BC, Food and beverage service providers and retail liquor sellers, gov.bc.ca: 10% PST on liquor.
- CRA, Employers' Guide, Payroll Deductions and Remittances (T4001), canada.ca: deduct income tax, CPP and EI, add the employer share of CPP and EI, remit to CRA, and issue T4 slips.
- WorkSafeBC, Who does and doesn't need coverage?, worksafebc.com: employers that hire workers or unregistered subcontractors need coverage unless exempt.
- WCB-Alberta, Worker coverage, wcb.ab.ca: employers in mandatory industries open an account within 15 days of hiring a first worker; contract workers count unless they keep their own WCB account.
Talk to us about your restaurant's numbers
Book a free 15-minute call by video or phone. Tell us how many locations you run and how your books are kept today, and we'll tell you whether Restaurant CFO fits now and what it would cost.
Which office?
Book a free 15-minute call15-minute calls every weekday at 10 am and 2 pm Pacific (11 am and 3 pm Mountain), except holidays.
Typical next slots, confirmed when you book:
Call (236) 300-3322Email contact@finvo.caMon–Fri, 9 am – 5 pm PT/MT5.0 on Google · 92 reviews