BistroLedger

1. Value Proposition

BistroLedger provides specialized accounting, bookkeeping, and tax compliance for Canadian restaurants and cafés, helping owners:

  • Maintain clean, up-to-date books without hiring a full-time accountant.

  • Understand key hospitality metrics (food cost, labour %, prime cost, cash flow) in simple language.

  • Avoid CRA penalties and late filings (GST/HST, PST/QST, payroll remittances).

  • Make better decisions about pricing, staffing, and expansion based on real numbers.

Core promise:

“We take the accounting off your plate, so you can focus on guests, staff, and growth.”

2. Target Customer Segments

  1. Independent cafés & coffee shops

    • 1 location, small team

    • Low to medium sales volume

    • Owner often does the books themselves or uses a generalist bookkeeper.

  2. Full-service restaurants & bistros

    • 1–2 locations, FOH + BOH teams

    • More complex operations (alcohol, delivery, events, catering)

    • Need better control over food/labour cost and profitability.

  3. Multi-location groups & growing concepts

    • 3+ locations or franchise-type models

    • Require consolidated reporting and location-level comparisons

    • May already have a CPA but need robust bookkeeping and monthly management reporting.

  4. New/opening restaurants

    • Pre-launch or first year of operation

    • Need setup, systems, and a predictable back-office from day one.

3. Service Offering

Core Services (Subscription-Based)

  • Monthly bookkeeping & reconciliations

  • POS and bank integrations

  • Restaurant-focused financial statements

  • GST/HST (and PST/QST where relevant) filings

  • Payroll coordination, tip tracking support

  • Basic email support and scheduled review calls

Premium / Add-On Services

  • Historical cleanup / catch-up bookkeeping projects

  • Budgeting and forecasting (seasonality, new locations)

  • Cash-flow planning and scenario analysis

  • Year-end preparation for external tax accountants

  • Support during financing, lease negotiations, or investor reporting

4. Revenue Model

1. Recurring Monthly Subscription

Plans based on complexity and volume, e.g.:

  • Starter – small cafés

    • Fixed monthly fee (e.g., ~$350 CAD)

    • 1 location, simple POS, limited sales volume.

  • Growth – busier restaurants

    • Higher monthly fee (e.g., ~$650 CAD)

    • 1–2 locations, multiple systems (POS, delivery apps)

    • More detailed reporting and tax support.

  • Multi-Location – restaurant groups

    • Custom pricing starting from a higher base (e.g., $1,100+ CAD per month)

    • Consolidated and location-level reporting, advanced analysis.

Pricing is transparent and fixed per month, with clear limits (number of locations, sales volume, integrations, and services included).

2. One-Time Project Fees

  • Cleanup / catch-up projects (e.g., 6–24 months of backlog)

  • System setup (chart of accounts, POS mapping, integrations)

  • Diagnostic reviews (one-time financial health check, margin review)

These are billed as flat project fees or scoped estimates, paid upfront or 50/50 (deposit + completion).

3. Future Upsell/Partner Revenue (Optional)

  • Referral fee or revenue share from partner services (payroll providers, POS systems, lending partners, or CPAs), where compliant and transparent to clients.

  • Premium advisory packages (e.g., monthly strategy calls for groups).

5. Channels & Customer Acquisition

  • Website (bistroledger.com) as the primary lead-generation channel

    • SEO for keywords like “restaurant bookkeeping Canada”, “cafe accounting”, “restaurant accountant [city]”.

    • Content marketing: blog posts, guides, checklists (“Restaurant Opening Financial Checklist”, “How to Read Your Restaurant P&L”).

  • Referrals & Partnerships

    • Local CPAs who don’t want to handle monthly bookkeeping.

    • POS vendors, hospitality consultants, and payroll providers who refer clients.

    • Restaurant associations, culinary schools, incubators.

  • Social & Communities

    • LinkedIn and Instagram content targeting owners and GMs.

    • Participation in restaurant owner Facebook groups / forums.

    • Webinars or workshops on “Understanding Your Restaurant Numbers”.

  • Direct Outreach

    • Targeted outreach to promising concepts and groups.

    • Email campaigns to restaurant lists in specific cities/provinces.

6. Key Activities

  • Delivering monthly bookkeeping and reconciliations.

  • Importing and mapping POS data to accounting systems.

  • Preparing, reviewing, and sending management reports.

  • Filing GST/HST and other relevant sales taxes.

  • Coordinating payroll and tip reporting.

  • Communicating with clients: monthly reviews, Q&A, guidance.

  • Improving workflows, templates, and automations to increase efficiency.

  • Marketing and sales (content creation, calls, demos).

7. Key Resources

  • Specialized staff: bookkeepers and accountants who understand hospitality.

  • Accounting & tech stack:

    • Cloud accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks Online, Xero)

    • POS integrations and connectors

    • Payroll platforms

    • Task management and CRM tools.

  • Playbooks & templates:

    • Standard chart of accounts for restaurants

    • Onboarding checklists

    • Monthly reporting templates (P&L, labour/food cost dashboards)

    • Scripts and email templates for client communication.

  • Brand & reputation in the niche: case studies, testimonials, word-of-mouth.

8. Key Partners

  • Tax accountants / CPA firms

    • BistroLedger handles ongoing bookkeeping and sales tax

    • CPAs handle corporate tax, reviews, and advanced advisory.

  • POS and tech vendors

    • Integration partners that make data flows smoother.

    • Co-marketing and referral relationships.

  • Payroll providers

    • Shared clients, integrated workflows, potential referral agreements.

  • Restaurant consultants / coaches / trainers

    • Cross-referrals: consultancy sends clients to BistroLedger for accounting, BistroLedger sends clients needing operational consulting.

9. Cost Structure

  • Salaries and contractor fees for bookkeepers and accountants.

  • Software subscriptions (accounting, POS connectors, payroll coordination, project management, CRM, communication tools).

  • Marketing & advertising (SEO, content creation, paid ads, design).

  • Professional fees (legal, tax, compliance).

  • General overhead (office tools, insurance, training, etc.).

The model is highly scalable: once processes and templates are standardized, one team can manage multiple clients, improving margins over time.

10. Growth & Scaling Strategy

  • Start with a few focused Canadian cities (e.g., Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal) and build deep expertise and references.

  • Productize service levels (clear tiers, clear deliverables) to reduce custom work.

  • Invest in automation and integrations to lower manual bookkeeping time.

  • Build niche authority through guides, webinars, and partnerships with restaurant communities.

  • Gradually expand to more provinces and higher-value segments (groups, franchises, multi-location brands).