Restaurants: prime cost control

Independent restaurants win on weekly discipline, not quarterly surprises. Prime Cost—COGS plus labor—must be tracked weekly from POS exports, vendor invoices, and timesheets.

Recipe costing, waste tracking, and vendor price checks protect margins. Menu engineering lifts contribution per plate without sacrificing guest experience.

Payroll, tip credit, and sales tax filings stay on schedule. Store-level P&Ls, a tight close checklist, and actionable variance notes help managers correct course by the next shift.