Restaurants and hospitality
Restaurant accountant in Calgary
Accounting for Calgary restaurants and hospitality. Tips, payroll, GST and food cost tracking on a weekly rhythm. Monthly bookkeeping from $500/mo.
Monthly bookkeeping from $500/mo+. Monthly payroll from $150/mo+. GST returns from $175+. See starting fees. Amounts are starting prices plus 5% GST.
Calgary office · eligible remote work across Canada
Thin margins leave no room for late numbers
Restaurants Canada reported in 2026 that 71 percent of operators had seen profitability decline, with food costs cited by 91 percent and labour by 87 percent. On a sector generating around 125 billion dollars and employing roughly 1.2 million people, that pressure is widespread rather than unlucky. When margins are that thin, numbers that arrive three months late are not accounting, they are history.
The two figures that decide whether a restaurant works are food cost and labour cost as a percentage of sales, and both need to be visible monthly at the latest. HBT sets the books up so those come out of the month end rather than being calculated by hand afterwards, keeps payroll and source deductions on time, and handles the GST treatment that comes with food service.
Before you call
What happens on the first call
The first conversation is free and takes about 10 to 15 minutes. A team member in Calgary answers, asks what is urgent, and explains the useful next step. There is no obligation to start an engagement.
- Step 1
Tell us the pressure point
A CRA letter, a filing deadline, messy books, payroll, or a decision you need to understand.
- Step 2
We ask a few practical questions
Entity type, province, records, software, and the date that matters. You do not need a perfect file first.
- Step 3
You leave with a next step
We explain the work, the information required, timing, and price before anything begins.
Ready now? Call +1 (587) 894-7451 or .
Fees
How we price the work
The first conversation is free. Starting fees are published on the fees page. Those amounts are starting prices and subject to 5% GST. Final fees depend on complexity, volume, record quality and scope. Fixed fees are provided where the engagement scope can be determined in advance. You will know the price before paid work starts.
Client feedback
What Calgary clients say
Husain Haroun, CPA, FCCA
Meet the founder who reviews the work“Working with HBT Accounting and the team was extremely efficient, thorough and professional.”
“HBT Accounting has a great team, as they have done all my annual taxes in professional way.”
“The team was helpful, easy to communicate with, and made everything stress free.”
Cannot call right now?
Request a call back in three quick steps
Tell us what you need help with and when suits you. We prepare the message and open your own email app so you can send it. Nothing is submitted to our servers.
Or email us directly: hbt@hbtaccounting.com
Service scope
What a restaurant engagement usually covers
The exact responsibilities, timing, and records depend on the agreed engagement. These are the areas we can discuss when shaping a scope that fits your business.
Food and labour percentages
Cost of sales and labour reported as a percentage of revenue each period, so a drift of two points is visible immediately.
Payroll and tips
High turnover payroll, source deductions, ROE slips and the correct treatment of tips and gratuities.
GST on food service
Registration and returns handled, including the treatment that applies to different food and beverage sales.
How the work begins
A clear process before the accounting starts
- Step 1
Start with the current numbers
Sales, cost of sales, labour and what the point of sale system already produces.
- Step 2
Set the reporting rhythm
A period close that produces the percentages you need, with scope and fee agreed first.
- Step 3
Watch the two numbers that matter
Food and labour tracked period to period, with the year end built on books already reconciled.
Common question
How are tips and gratuities treated for a Calgary restaurant?
It depends on how they flow. Tips controlled and distributed by the employer are generally treated differently from tips paid directly between a customer and a server, and the distinction affects payroll source deductions and what has to be reported. Getting it wrong is a common finding in CRA payroll examinations. We look at how tips actually move in your restaurant and set the payroll treatment to match.
Helpful guides
Read the details before your next conversation
Start with one clear question
Tell us what you need help understanding
Call or text HBT Accounting in Calgary, Alberta at +1 (587) 894-7451. We will ask a few practical questions and explain the most useful next step.
Mon–Fri 9am–6pm MT · Sat 9am–4pm MT. We reply to call requests and emails during business hours, usually the same day. If we are closed, send a call request and we will reply when the office opens.