Restaurant accounting services in the UAE
A restaurant can be full every night and still run short of cash. We keep the books by branch, reconcile POS, card and delivery app payouts to the bank, run payroll through WPS and file VAT and Corporate Tax, so the owner sees food cost, labour cost and margin for every location every month.
- POS · cards · delivery appsReconciled to the bank
- P&L by branchFood cost and labour
- VAT · CT · WPSDeadlines covered
Where a restaurant needs more than a bookkeeper
Restaurant group with two or more branches
Each branch has its own POS, team and suppliers, and the group total hides which location carries the others. We set up the books so every branch has its own P&L.
Café or coffee chain
Small tickets, hundreds of card payments a day, dozens of suppliers. Once taxable sales over 12 months exceed AED 375,000, VAT registration is mandatory, and the books have to keep up with the volume.
Cloud kitchen
Orders come through delivery apps, and payouts arrive net of commission, promotions and refunds. We show what each platform actually leaves you after its deductions.
F&B franchisee
Fees to the franchisor, reports in the format the franchisor asks for, and your own view of the margin. One set of books can serve both.
Opening the next location
Deposits, fit-out, licence paperwork and first hires. Before you sign the lease, a cash plan shows how much the new branch needs and when it pays back.
Every branch closed, every payout reconciled
From the till and the delivery apps to the tax return: one set of books, broken down by branch.
- POS sales (Foodics or another system) posted by branch and reconciled to card settlements and the bank
- Payouts from Talabat, Deliveroo, Careem, Noon Food and Keeta split into sales, commission, promotions and refunds
- Supplier invoices via a Telegram bot: the chef or manager takes a photo, we do the rest
- Suppliers checked in CoreLedger Verify, so input VAT on their invoices is not denied
- Food cost by branch from your monthly stock counts, with central kitchen transfers charged to the branch that used them
- Payroll for kitchen and floor teams through WPS, with end-of-service benefits accrued
- VAT registration and quarterly returns, with the service charge and aggregator commissions treated correctly
- Corporate Tax registration and the annual return
- A monthly owner's report: revenue, food cost, labour cost and margin for every branch
Margin by branch, every month
A sample monthly summary for a restaurant group with four locations. The figures are illustrative.
| Branch | Revenue | Food cost | Labour | Margin | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Marina | 302,000 | 36.8% | 23.0% | 9.5% | Food cost over target |
| JLT | 268,000 | 30.5% | 24.0% | 18.5% | On target |
| Business Bay | 214,000 | 29.0% | 27.2% | 11.0% | Labour over target |
| Cloud kitchen, Al Quoz | 128,000 | 32.0% | 18.0% | 14.0% | On target |
What a restaurant should know about UAE tax
VAT at 5% and the registration threshold
Restaurant and café sales are standard-rated at 5%. Registration is mandatory once taxable supplies over 12 months exceed AED 375,000 or are expected to within the next 30 days; voluntary registration is possible from AED 187,500.
Service charge is part of the price
A mandatory service charge on the guest's bill is part of the price, so it carries 5% VAT too. It is recorded as sales and goes into the VAT return with them.
Delivery apps: full price as revenue
As a rule the restaurant records the full menu price as revenue and the aggregator's commission as an expense. Input VAT on the commission is recoverable with the aggregator's tax invoice, so those invoices have to be collected every month.
Input VAT needs a tax invoice
VAT on produce, packaging, rent and equipment is recoverable only with a valid tax invoice from the supplier. A purchase without one is still an expense, but the VAT on it is lost.
Payroll through WPS
Salaries are paid through the Wage Protection System. For WPS violations MOHRE can impose fines and suspend new work permits, and a restaurant that hires all year round can't afford either.
From the till to a monthly P&L
The price depends on volume, not on the industry
Monthly bookkeeping from AED 700; a full finance function with VAT and payroll from AED 2,000 a month. We quote an exact price after reviewing your books and sales channels.
Questions restaurant owners ask
Does a restaurant need to register for VAT in the UAE?
Yes, once taxable supplies over the last 12 months exceed AED 375,000, or are expected to within the next 30 days. Voluntary registration is possible from AED 187,500. Sales are worth checking against the threshold every month, not once a year.
Is VAT charged on a service charge in UAE restaurants?
Yes. A mandatory service charge added to the guest's bill is part of the price, so 5% VAT applies to it as well.
How should a restaurant account for Talabat and Deliveroo orders?
As a rule, the full menu price is revenue and the aggregator's commission is an expense. The payout arrives net of commission, restaurant-funded promotions and refunds, so we split each statement into those parts and match it to the bank. Input VAT on the commission is recoverable with the aggregator's tax invoice.
What is a good food cost percentage for a restaurant?
Food cost is often 28–35% of food revenue, depending on the concept, but that is a benchmark, not a rule. More useful is your own trend by branch, based on monthly stock counts and recipe costing. Together with labour cost it makes up prime cost, one of the main numbers a restaurant owner watches.
Does a restaurant pay Corporate Tax in the UAE?
Every company must register for Corporate Tax and file a return, even with no profit. Profit above AED 375,000 is taxed at 9%. With revenue up to AED 3 million, Small Business Relief can be elected for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2026; the election is made in the return. We handle both VAT and Corporate Tax.
Can I see profit for each restaurant branch separately?
Yes. Each branch gets its own revenue, food cost, labour and direct costs, and central kitchen transfers are charged to the branch that used the food. Shared costs such as head office and marketing are shown separately or allocated by a rule you agree with us. This is part of our management reporting.
How much does accounting cost for a restaurant in Dubai?
It depends on the number of transactions and branches, not on the industry: from AED 700 for monthly bookkeeping, from AED 2,000 for a full finance function with VAT and payroll. We count the real volume before we start so the price holds from the first month.
Let's sort out your business finances
Tell us about your business: how many locations, which POS and delivery apps, and how the books are kept today. We reply within one business day.