Sector Specialisation

Full-Service Hospitality & Restaurant Accounting

Inventory controls, daily POS integration, Sectoral Determination 14 payroll, and delivery platform reconciliations for South African restaurants, cafes, and hotels.

Book an Industry Consultation Explore Deliverables

4.9 / 5.0

Verified Google Reviews • South Africa's Top Online Accounting & Tax Practice

Tailored Financial Management for Hospitality, Restaurants & Bars

The South African hospitality and food service industry is characterised by high transaction volumes, perishable inventory, tight operational gross margins, and complex labour shift arrangements. A fractional variance in food cost percentages, unmonitored bar shrinkage, or inaccurate accounting for third-party delivery platforms like UberEats and Mr D Food can quickly turn a bustling restaurant into a loss-making enterprise. At My Accountant, we provide specialised accounting built specifically for restaurant owners, franchise operators, and boutique hospitality venues. We connect directly with leading Point-of-Sale (POS) systems (Pilot, GAAP, Lightspeed, Yoco) to automate daily sales reconciliations, audit cash-ups, track Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), and enforce strict compliance with BCEA Sectoral Determination 14 for restaurant staff. We ensure your food and beverage business maintains healthy cash flows and spotless statutory standing with SARS and municipal liquor boards.

Statutory & Regulatory Compliance Framework

Navigating South Africa's industry-specific legislation requires specialised accounting standards and continuous regulatory vigilance.

Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997

BCEA Sectoral Determination 14 (Hospitality Sector)

Mandates minimum wages, night shift allowances (10% premium between 18:00 and 06:00), uniform allowances, maximum ordinary working hours, and statutory remuneration rules for work performed on Sundays and public holidays across all restaurant and hotel personnel.

Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995

Bargaining Council for the Restaurant & Catering Trades

Mandatory employer registration in designated provincial jurisdictions, enforcing compliance with collective bargaining agreements, employee provident fund contributions, funeral benefit schemes, and dispute resolution levies.

National Liquor Act 59 of 2003 & Provincial Liquor Acts

Liquor Licensing & Municipal Health Compliance

Annual liquor license renewal fees, Section 19/23 licence transfers, and compliance with municipal Certificate of Acceptability (CoA) standards under Department of Health Regulation R638 governing food hygiene.

Value-Added Tax Act 89 of 1991

VAT on Delivery Platforms & Gratuities

Accounting for delivery platform commissions (UberEats, Mr D Food), promotional discount splits, and ensuring that staff gratuities and tips are handled in full alignment with SARS PAYE and VAT regulations.

Industry Challenges & Financial Pitfalls

Hospitality operators face relentless margin pressures. Food and beverage cost percentages must typically be kept between 28% and 34% of gross revenue, while labour costs must remain under 30%. Failing to capture daily inventory waste, supplier price changes, portion creep, or staff meal deductions causes invisible cash leakage that devastates profitability. Furthermore, delivery platform statements are notoriously convoluted. Platforms deduct commission fees, marketing charges, customer refunds, and driver delivery fees before disbursing net sales, creating massive accounting reconciliation traps for generic bookkeepers. We automate these platform reconciliations to ensure your gross sales and input VAT deductions are 100% accurate.

Our Specialized Sector Deliverables

Purpose-built accounting, tax, and reporting instruments tailored to the exact requirements of your industry.

Daily POS Sales & Merchant Settlement Reconciliations

Direct ingestion of sales data from Pilot, GAAP, Yoco, or Lightspeed, reconciling daily till cash-ups, credit card card-machine settlements, and merchant clearing accounts.

Food & Beverage Cost of Sales (COGS) Audits

Weekly and monthly gross margin tracking, recipe costing, inventory wastage analysis, and bar shrinkage reports to maintain optimal food cost percentages.

Sectoral Determination 14 Payroll & Shift Management

Automated payroll calculating variable shift hours, night shift premiums, Sunday work overtime, and Bargaining Council levy deductions.

Delivery Platform Statement Reconciliations

Deconstructing monthly UberEats and Mr D Food statements, correctly separating gross sales, delivery platform commission fees, and VAT201 input claims.

Turnover-Based Rental Statements for Landlords

Compiling certified monthly turnover statements required by shopping centre landlords for turnover-linked rental lease agreements.

Core Industry Benefits

Daily sales and merchant card reconciliation eliminating till discrepancies and cash theft
Granular food and beverage cost tracking to protect restaurant gross profit margins
Full compliance with Sectoral Determination 14 protecting against CCMA labor disputes
Accurate VAT accounting on delivery platform commissions and staff service charges
Automated inventory control highlighting supplier price increases and shrinkage

Niche Advisory Capabilities

Recipe costing and menu engineering to maximize gross margin contributions
Periodic physical inventory count auditing and stock variance investigations
Turnover rental certificate compilation for commercial lease agreements
Liquor license renewal financial packs and municipal Certificate of Acceptability support

Frequently Asked Questions

Expert answers to common tax, accounting, and compliance queries in the Hospitality, Restaurants & Bars sector.

Voluntary tips paid directly to staff or through credit card machines and distributed in full to employees are generally exempt from VAT, but constitute taxable remuneration subject to PAYE withholding if administered through the employer’s payroll. Mandatory service charges added to the customer bill, however, constitute gross income of the restaurant and are subject to standard 15% VAT.

Gross customer orders processed through delivery platforms must be recorded as standard-rated taxable sales. The platform commission fees (typically 20% to 30%) deducted by UberEats or Mr D represent a deductible business expense containing claimable 15% input VAT, provided valid tax invoices are issued by the platform.

Sectoral Determination 14 governs restaurant and hotel workers. It establishes prescribed minimum wages, mandates a 10% night shift allowance for work between 18:00 and 06:00, requires 1.5x normal wage for Sunday work (unless Sunday is an ordinary working day), and dictates paid annual, sick, and family leave.

Most retail and mall restaurant leases require a base rent plus a percentage of monthly turnover (e.g. 7% to 10% of gross sales). Landlords mandate certified monthly turnover certificates signed by an independent accounting officer to verify accurate rent calculations.

Ready to Accelerate Your Hospitality, Restaurants & Bars Business?

Our accredited accounting team understands the operational realities and statutory demands of your sector. Schedule a consultation today.

Book a Consultation Browse All Services