POS, payroll, scheduling, and accounting tools built for food service.
Choose a POS first — everything else integrates around it. A restaurant POS handles orders, tips, and kitchen display; the right one connects natively to your payroll and accounting software so labor costs and food costs flow without manual entry. Lenders reviewing a restaurant loan look at food cost percentage, labor-to-revenue ratio, and clean monthly P&Ls — your tools need to produce those automatically.
Purpose-built for restaurants: table management, kitchen display, online ordering, and tip distribution all native. Integrates with payroll and accounting to reduce manual data entry.
Tip distribution, FICA tip credit tracking, and automated state payroll filings — all the food service nuances handled. Integrates natively with Toast and QuickBooks.
Built specifically for restaurants: drag-and-drop scheduling, labor cost forecasting against projected sales, and manager logbook. Connects to your POS for real-time sales vs. labor data.
Cost-of-goods-sold tracking by category, vendor bill management, and food cost reporting. The format lenders want when you apply for working capital or equipment loans.
General liability + commercial property quotes in minutes online. The landlord insurance certificate your lease requires, issued without a broker call.
No monthly fee, no minimum balance, unlimited transactions — and up to 2.0% APY on the cash sitting between payroll runs and vendor payments.
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Toast POS is the most widely adopted POS among independent full-service restaurants for its native kitchen display, tip distribution, online ordering, and payroll integrations. Square for Restaurants is common for quick-service and counter-service formats due to its low upfront cost and free tier.
Restaurants are required to report employee tip income to the IRS. Payroll software like Gusto handles FICA tip credit tracking — the IRS Form 8846 credit that lets employers offset the FICA taxes they pay on tip income. This can significantly reduce payroll tax liability for tip-heavy restaurants.
Restaurant lenders typically require 12 months of business bank statements, 2 years of tax returns, a profit and loss statement showing food cost and labor cost percentages, and current POS sales reports. Accounting software like QuickBooks Online automatically generates the P&L format most lenders request.
Yes. Mixing restaurant revenue with personal accounts makes it impossible for a lender to underwrite your cash flow. A separate business checking account — with no transaction fees, since restaurants process high daily volumes — is a prerequisite for any SBA loan or working capital application.
The SBA's guidance on licenses and permits required for food service businesses, including health permits and food handler certification.