Hospitality is the highest-stakes accounting sector in Ireland — thin margins, heavy cash use, complex VAT, and a workforce that turns over twice a year. The businesses that survive and thrive are the ones with disciplined daily numbers and a sector-fluent accountant who knows where the money quietly leaks.
We act for Dublin-area bars, gastropubs, cafés, takeaways, restaurants, small hotels and event caterers. Most clients come to us when their previous accountant couldn't explain their gross margin or got the tronc treatment wrong.
Hospitality-specific issues we handle
VAT (9%, 13.5% and 23%)
A single coffee with a pastry sold for in-store consumption can involve two VAT rates, and the rules around hot vs cold food, takeaway vs eat-in, alcohol vs non-alcohol and accommodation vs ancillaries change regularly. We map your menu correctly and configure your POS so VAT3 returns are accurate without monthly forensics.
Tronc and the Payment of Tips Act 2022
Since December 2022, employers can no longer use service charges/tips to make up minimum wage, and electronic tips must be distributed fairly with clear policies. Tronc arrangements (separate tip pool, often with PRSI/USC implications) require careful documentation. We help draft policy, run tronc payroll and minimise PRSI exposure for staff.
Cash controls and the Revenue audit risk
Hospitality is the single most-audited Irish sector. Daily Z-readings, till variances, cash banking logs and stock-loss tracking aren't admin — they're your defence. We work with operators to set up controls that satisfy a Revenue auditor at first contact.
Food and beverage margin analysis
If you don't know your GP% by category (wet vs dry, food vs drinks, by menu item), you can't price properly. Our hospitality clients get monthly category-level margin reports as standard — usually the single biggest profit lever we add.
Stock and wastage
Stocktakes every period (weekly for bars, monthly for restaurants) tracked against till sales reveal shrinkage, theft and waste before they sink the business. We design the cadence and produce variance reports that flag issues automatically.
Why hospitality clients choose us
Operations we serve
- Independent restaurants and gastropubs
- Cafés and specialty coffee shops
- Takeaways and delivery-first kitchens
- Wet-led bars and traditional pubs
- Small hotels and serviced accommodation (Airbnb at scale)
- Event caterers and pop-ups
Related reading
Worried about a Revenue audit?
Pre-audit health checks are confidential and usually pay for themselves in week one.
Book Health Check All Services