Best Restaurant Accounting Software (Food Trucks & Bars Inc)

If you own a business that prepares food, manages inventory, and processes transactions, you’ll need one of the best restaurant accounting software to make managing your restaurant business easier and your bookkeeping more accurate. 

Today, restaurant accounting software is used by restaurants of every type — from a small local bar and corner food trucks to mom-and-pop restaurants and high-end Michelin-starred establishments. 

If you’re ready to enter the restaurant bookkeeping software industry and find the best solution for your business, we’ve identified and listed the 10 best restaurant accounting software for 2023.

Best software for restaurant accounting comparison (top 10 highest rated systems)

According to restaurant accounting software reviews and our own extensive research, these are the top 10 voted accounting software for restaurant use: 

What is the best restaurant accounting software? Here’s our top 10 list:

Whether you’re a large restaurant with multiple locations, a local bar, or a neighborhood food truck, there’s an ideal bookkeeping solution for your needs out there. In the following section, we’ll go over the top 10 best restaurant accounting software that can help you track yout finances. 

Some of the solutions on the list are general bookkeeping software like QuickBooks, while others are a dedicated restaurant accounting software. Both types of software solutions have their own pros and cons and come with pre-built features like integration options with POS systems, online payments, and inventory management. 
 

1. Restaurant365 (best restaurant accounting software overall)

Restaurant365 is a dedicated restaurant accounting software that caters to small businesses, multi-location restaurants, and enterprises. It combines bookkeeping with restaurant management tools like invoicing, ordering, and staff scheduling. 

Although it doesn’t provide payroll services, you can integrate the software with the payroll company ADT. Trusted by more than 30,000 restaurants, restaurant owners and managers can use it to stay on top of accounting, inventory tracking, scheduling, and sales. 

One of the best perks of the software is that it integrates with over 90 other popular POS systems, such as Toast, Square, Clover, and Revel, as well as many financial institutions for automated banking reconciliation. 

The Core Accounting plan, which is the cheapest plan, comes with essential features like Inventory, Accounting, AP Automation, and POS Connect. You can upgrade to the Essential plan if you want to add more advanced features like employee scheduling and real-time recipe costing. 

Pros:

• Cloud-based software solution designed specifically for restaurant owners

• Meets the needs of restaurants of all sizes

• Suitable for beginners and experienced bookkeepers

• Integrates with 90+ POS systems 

• Restaurant-specific features 

• Fully-functional mobile app

Cons:

• Expensive monthly plans 

• Not suitable for restaurants with tight budgets

Pricing:

• Core Accounting, $289/month, per location billed annually

• Core Operations, $289 per month, per location billed annually 

• Essential, $399/month, per location, billed annually or $444 billed quarterly

• Professional, $489/month per location, billed annually or $539 billed quarterly

• Enterprise, custom pricing 

Visit Restaurant365
 

2. Quickbooks Online (best small restaurant accounting software)

QuickBooks Online might not be a restaurant-specific software, but it’s one of the best accounting software for small restaurant use and is trusted by hundreds of thousands of users. It’s also very versatile, which means it can be fine-tuned to be used by small restaurant owners and their accountants. 

The good thing about this software is that it’s very user-friendly, even for beginners, so you can expect a quick onboarding process. You can do in QuickBooks Online what you can do in any powerful accounting software, like track inventory, automate bill payment, create and send invoices, run profit and loss reports, and more. 

If you’re a small startup restaurant, QuickBooks can be a great starting point; once your business grows, you can scale up to a restaurant-specific option like Restaurant365 or integrate the software with a tool like MarginEdge. 

Pros:

• A few monthly plans to choose from

• You can upgrade as you scale up your business

• Integrates with other QuickBooks products

• 50% discount on the first three months 

• Accountant access 

• Mobile app for work on the go

• Comprehensive reporting tools

Cons:

• The Simple Start plan is limited to only one user 

• Lacks restaurant-specific features like employee scheduling and recipe management

• Not suitable for restaurants with complex operations 

Pricing:

• Simple Start: $30 /month

• Essentials: $55 /month 

• Plus: $85 /month

• Advanced: $200 /month 

• Self-employed for freelancers: $15/month

QuickBooks Online review

Visit QuickBooks Online
 

3. Xero (top accounting software for pubs)

Xero is another tried and trusted accounting software that’s very scalable, which makes it a top pick for simple and more complex accounting needs. One of the perks of the software is that it integrates with TouchBistro, one of the leanest restaurant management POS systems out there. 

In addition to an integration with TouchBistro, Xero has many other things working in its favor, including recurring invoices, advanced purchase order management, bank reconciliation, purchase and expense tracking, inventory management, and more. 

It integrates with Gusto for payroll processing, as well as with 800+ third-party apps. In fact, the App Marketplace is where you can find a range of restaurant-specific add-ons.

Pros:

• User-friendly and intuitive

• Extensive knowledge base with resources

• Affordable monthly plans 

• Unlimited users for each plan

• 30-day free trial

• 800+ integrations 

Cons:

• Payroll is only available as an add-on

• Not restaurant-specific 

Pricing:

• Early: $12/month

• Growing: $34/month

• Established: $65/month

Xero review

Visit Xero 
 

4. Freshbooks (top bar accounting software)

Similar to QuickBooks Online and Xero, FreshBooks is another versatile software that can also be found on our list of the best hotel accounting software. We named it the best accounting software for bars as it’s a very affordable option, but at the same time very user-friendly and packed with all the essential features for running .

The software will take care of the accounting aspect of your business and free bar managers to work on bar-related stuff. Some of its features include payment reminders, expense tracking, receipt capture, inventory management, cash flow monitoring, and more. 

FreshBooks offers seamless integration options so you can merge your restaurant POS data with your accounting software. Other integrations include Gusto, Hubspot CRM, Zapier, Slack, and Gmail. 

Pros:

• Intuitive interface

• All plans include time tracking and unlimited invoices 

• 10% discount for an annual subscription

• Supports all leading payment methods

• Affordable 

• Staff payroll management

• Expense tracking for restaurant costs

Cons:

• No free plan

• Not suitable for restaurants with complex operations  

• All plans support one user

• Adding additional users is expensive ($10/user/month)

Pricing:

• Lite: $13.50 /month billed annually 

• Plus: $22.50 /month billed annually 

• Premium: $45 /month billed annually 

• Select: contact vendor for pricing

Freshbooks review

Visit Freshbooks 
 

5. ZipBooks (best payroll and accounting software for a restaurant on a budget)

If you’re a small restaurant owner who needs a budget-friendly accounting software, ZipBooks might be a good pick. Although not a restaurant-specific solution, you can customize it to work for your specific business. This software comes with a free plan packed with basic features every small restaurant startup needs, like unlimited invoices and customers, digital payments, and basic reports. 

The cheapest paid plan costs only $15/month and includes all the features from the free plan, plus recurring invoices, automated reminders, multiple bank accounts, time tracking, and more. On the plus side, the software integrates with POS systems, as well as payroll services and financial institutions.

Pros:

• Free forever plan

• Suitable for beginners 

• Affordable monthly plans

• Expense tracking and financial reporting

• Integrates with POS systems 

Cons:

• Lacks mobile app for iOS and Android

• Some features are only available in North America

Pricing:

• Free

• Smarter: $15 /month

• Sophisticated: $35 /month

• Accountant: Contact vendor

ZipBooks review

Visit ZipBooks
 

6. MarginEdge (best bookkeeping software for restaurants in need of advanced solutions)

MarginEdge is a software platform for restaurant people, by restaurant people that lets you manage your food costs and automate back-office operations all in one place. The software comes with powerful features like automated invoice processing that lets you upload your invoices and have the software categorize them in a way that works for you and your team. 

MarginEdge integrates with 60+ POS systems and pulls your sales and labor data every day at the end of the day automatically; P&L reports are updated in real-time. Another cool feature is the recipe management functionality that calculates plate costs and updates ingredient prices. You’ll be able to see food cost percentages by a recipe that update as costs change. 

The only downside is that Margin Edge isn’t a complete accounting solution; it can better serve you if you use it as an add-on for your accounting software. If you’re a startup restaurant, you may start with a simple solution like QuickBooks Online and then add MarginEdge when your business grows to use some of its more advanced features. 

Pros:

• Advanced features like recipe management and automated invoice processing

• Straightforward pricing

• Integrates with accounting software like QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Sage Intacct

• User-friendly 

• Daily profit and loss reports 

Cons:

• Not a complete accounting solution 

• Employee scheduling is not available

Pricing:

• $300 per location per month

Visit MarginEdge
 

7. TouchBistro (good food truck accounting software)

TouchBistro is an iPad-based POS system that aims to make managing your restaurant easier. It’s one of the best accounting systems for restaurants and food trucks with features such as staff, menu, and inventory management so that you can make more money and deliver a positive experience to your customers. 

One fantastic feature is tableside ordering, which lets customers order via an iPad instead of waiting for a server, greatly reducing the wait time and letting restaurants serve more customers. TouchBistro can be especially useful for food truck businesses as it’s a portable iPad system that can easily be operated on a truck’s wifi. 

Like MarginEdge, TouchBistro is not a complete accounting system, which means you’ll have to use it in combination with an accounting system like QuickBooks Online. 

Pros:

• Portable iPad system

• Straightforward pricing

• Restaurant inventory management 

• Payment processing options

• Tableside ordering 

• Floor plan and table management

• Staff management and scheduling

• Integrates with QuickBooks 

Cons:

• Not a complete accounting system

Pricing:

• $69/month 

Visit TouchBistro
 

8. Wave (free restaurant accounting software)

One of the main reasons why so many people opt for Wave is the good deal of features. Another reason is that you can use this restaurant accounting software free of charge indefinitely. With the free version, you’ll be able to track expenses, create invoices, and make unlimited bank and credit card connections. However, you won’t be able to process payments or send invoices. 

To enable these features, you’ll have to purchase the paid add-ons. With that said, Wave is a good option for small business owners looking for a simple-to-use cloud-based accounting software. The software is intuitive and user-friendly, even if you don’t have much accounting experience. 

You might want to consider using Wave if you’re a startup restaurant and then upgrade to another software solution that can help you better manage your restaurant business in the future. 

Pros:

• Ideal for micro and small restaurants 

• The software is user-friendly and intuitive 

• Free plan 

• Dedicated invoicing mobile app 

• Income and expenses tracking 

• Unlimited bank and credit card connections

• Integrates with other accounting software like Quickbooks Online and Xero

Cons:

• Might be too limited for growing or large businesses 

• No inventory accounting

Pricing:

• Free 

Wave review

Visit Wave 
 

9. Zoho Books (affordable restaurant accounting system for cafe restaurants)

Zoho Books might be very similar to other solutions on this list like ZipBooks and Freshbooks, but there’s one thing that sets it apart: it offers more payment gateway options than other accounting systems for restaurants. It works seamlessly with all the most popular payment gateways, including Paypal, Stripe, Square, Worldpay, Forte, and WePay. 

Another perk of this software is that it integrates with other Zoho products like Zoho CRM and Zoho Recruit, and Zoho Inventory. Zoho Books offers all the essential features small and medium-sized restaurants need from an accounting software, including invoices, expense tracking, estimates, online payments, advanced reporting, and more. 

Pros:

• Integrates well with other Zoho products

• Accountant access 

• 14-day free trial 

• Generous free plan and affordable monthly plans

• Plenty of automation features

Cons:

• Might be challenging for beginners 

• The lowest-tier plan supports one user

Pricing:

• Free

• Standard: $15 /month billed annually 

• Professional: $40 /month billed annually

• Premium: $60 /month billed annually

• Elite: $120 /month billed annually

• Ultimate: $240 /month billed annually

Zoho Books review

Visit Zoho Books
 

10. Food Service Ace (best accounting software for restaurants offering food delivery and catering)

Food Service Ace is a cloud-based, mobile restaurant bookkeeping software that streamlines management and accounting tasks to help you manage a more profitable business. It comes with a good deal of accounting features like bank reconciliation, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. 

Another neat feature is the catering management functionality that enables restaurant owners/managers to create proposals to clients. This functionality also supports deposits, invoices, and advances. 

Additionally, you can use it to track inventory and catering costs. You may also be interested to hear that the Food Service App comes with a pre-built foodservice distribution software. In short, this functionality lets you generate pick lists, pack lists, and invoices; it also suggests routes and prints driver itineraries with expected delivery times.

Pros:

• Great for food delivery 

• Suitable option for food trucks

• Includes foodservice distribution software

• Flexible monthly plans

• Forecast sales based on prior data

Cons:

• Lacks employee scheduling

• Lacks payroll features

Pricing:

• Pricing is quote-based

Visit Food Service Ace

Which restaurant account software is best for me? Key takeaways

In this post, we voted Restaurant365 as the best restaurant accounting software overall. However, this doesn’t mean the software would be a good fit for every restaurant out there. 

Before you opt for an accounting software, ask yourself some of the following questions:

• Do I need a dedicated restaurant accounting software?

• What is my budget?

• Am I looking for some specific features like inventory management or payroll?

The bottom line is that every software on this list has something to offer. 

For example, if you need a dedicated restaurant accounting software, definitely go with Restaurant365. If you’re a food truck or have a food delivery business, consider going with a tool like Food Service Ace. 

If you want to play it safe and go with a software that’s loved by many businesses and has a great ease of use, QuickBooks Online seems like a smart choice. You can always integrate it with MarginEdge that works with more than 60 POS systems. 

Whether you go with a dedicated solution like Restaurant365, a free software like Wave, or another restaurant accounting software, take the time to learn the software from the ground up so that you can fine-tune it to work for your business. 

Didn’t find anything you like here? Read our accounting software for small business which lists 15 of the best online accounting SaaS on the market today.