Restaurants, cafes & food service

Books and taxes for bagel shops.

Retail counter sales, a standing weekly office delivery contract, one-off catering trays paid late, and cream cheese that costs more than the bagel. Gus sorts every one, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one clear number each month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
MarchExample month
$6,500
what you made

March brought in $6,500. The new Monday delivery contract with the office park counted as recurring income, not a one-off, so you can see it is steady work now.

  • Square POS batch depositRetail counter sales
  • Corporate catering paymentRecurring office contracts
  • Flour and malt orderIngredient purchases
  • Cream cheese and lox orderSpreads and deli add-ins
  • ADP payrollWages and payroll taxes
Money in$34,000
Money out$27,500
Set aside for taxes$1,500
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A bagel shop's books go wrong in the same five places.

A generalist bookkeeper sees deposits and bills. A bagel shop runs on a standing weekly office contract, one-off catering trays that pay late, cream cheese and lox that cost more than the bagel itself, and a boiling kettle that needs its own upkeep. When those pieces blend together, the owner cannot see what is steady work and what is a one-time job.

  1. 1

    Recurring office contracts blur with one-off catering

    A standing Monday delivery contract to a nearby office is guaranteed income, but lumped in with occasional catering platters ordered for a single meeting, the owner cannot tell how much of the month is already spoken for.

    What we doSplits recurring contract income from one-time catering orders so you can see how much of next month is already locked in.
  2. 2

    Corporate catering pays weeks after delivery

    An office orders a platter for a meeting and pays by invoice or a corporate card processed weeks later, so the tray delivered this month sometimes gets paid for next month.

    What we doTracks what corporate catering accounts owe against what has landed, so a slow-looking week is not mistaken for a slow week of actual work.
  3. 3

    Cream cheese and lox cost more than the bagel

    Flavored cream cheese, lox, and whitefish salad are expensive specialty add-ins, and lumped in with flour, water, and malt for the dough, the real cost of a loaded bagel sandwich stays hidden.

    What we doKeeps spreads and deli add-ins in their own line, apart from dough ingredients, so sandwich margin is visible.
  4. 4

    Day-old bagels turn into a second product with no tracking

    Bagel chips baked from yesterday's unsold stock recover real value from what would otherwise be shrink, but if that revenue is not tracked apart from fresh bagel sales, the shop cannot tell how much the chip line is actually worth.

    What we doKeeps bagel chip sales in their own line so you can see what you are recovering from day-old stock.
  5. 5

    The steam kettle gets bundled with oven repairs

    The boiling kettle that gives a bagel its crust is equipment specific to this trade, and lumped in with oven and mixer repairs, a big kettle repair or replacement muddies an otherwise ordinary equipment month.

    What we doKeeps kettle and boiling equipment in their own line, apart from ovens and mixers, so a big repair does not get lost in a general equipment number.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a bagel shop.

Set up once for how the counter, the office contracts, and catering each run. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Retail counter salesWalk-in sales rung through Square or Toast.
  • Recurring office contractsStanding weekly delivery contracts, kept apart from one-off catering.
  • One-time catering ordersPlatters and trays ordered for a single meeting or event.
  • Bagel chip salesThe second product made from day-old stock.

Money out

  • Ingredient purchasesFlour, malt, and water, kept apart from spreads and deli add-ins.
  • Spreads and deli add-insCream cheese, lox, and whitefish salad.
  • Wages and payroll taxesEarly shift and counter pay.
  • Boxes and packagingBags, catering trays, and coffee cups.
  • Rent and building costsLease, utilities, and repairs on the shop.
  • Kettle and shop equipmentThe boiling kettle, ovens, and mixers, logged apart from ingredients so they get written off right.
  • Marketing and local adsOffice outreach and local advertising.

What we watch for you

  • Food cost percentage

    Ingredient and spread cost against sales, the number that catches a price jump early.

  • Corporate receivables

    What catering and office accounts owe against what has already been paid.

  • Labor cost percentage

    Early shift and counter wages against sales.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax time holds no surprise.

Ask Gus

Things bagel shop owners ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

We just landed a weekly Monday delivery contract with the office park down the street. How is that different from our regular catering?

I keep it in its own line as recurring contract income, apart from one-off catering, so you can see how much of next month is already locked in.

That big platter order from last week still has not been paid. Should I worry?

Not yet. I am tracking what they owe against what has landed, so it does not look like a slow week, it looks like what it is, a payment still on the way.

The kettle needs a new burner. Is that the same as fixing the oven?

I keep it separate. Kettle repairs get their own line, so a big fix there does not get lost inside your regular equipment costs.

The tax side

The tax side of a bagel shop.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels: catering paid late, spreads mixed with dough cost, and equipment lost inside a general repair bill.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Section 179 on kettle and shop equipmentThe boiling kettle, ovens, and mixers can usually be written off the year you buy them, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Worker classification for early shift and counter staffA baker or counter worker who shows up at your set hours and uses your equipment is almost always an employee, not a contractor, even for an overnight shift.
  • Form 1099-NEC for catering delivery helpAnyone hired outside of payroll to deliver a catering order, paid $2,000 or more in 2026, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
  • Self-employment tax for owner-operatorsAn owner who takes profit directly rather than a W-2 paycheck owes self-employment tax of 15.3 percent on top of regular income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.

Deductions bagel shops miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Catering platter trays and doilies
  • Kettle and boiler descaling
  • Bagel slicer blade replacement
  • Insulated delivery bags
  • Local office marketing samples
  • Food handler certification
  • Uniforms and hair nets
  • Delivery mileage for catering
  • Employee shift meals
  • Pest control contracts
  • Online ordering fees

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A bagel shop's year, kept every month.

The kettle is boiling before sunrise every day of the year. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for any catering delivery help is readied, and you get a monthly set-aside so a strong quarter does not turn into an April surprise.

  2. April

    Filed and signed

    Your return is filed and signed. Because the set-aside has been running since January, there is no scramble for cash.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand at the midpoint of the year, and whether your recurring office contracts are growing or shrinking.

  4. October

    Before the holidays

    Before holiday office parties fill the catering calendar, Gus looks at kettle or oven purchases worth making before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for bagel shops. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions bagel shop owners ask first.

We have a standing weekly bagel delivery contract with a nearby office. Can Gus track that separately from one-off catering?

Yes. Recurring contract income gets its own line, apart from one-time platter orders, so you can see exactly how much of next month is already spoken for.

Corporate catering orders sometimes take weeks to get paid. Is that a problem?

No. Gus tracks what those accounts owe against what has already landed, so a slow-looking week is not mistaken for a slow week of actual work.

Do you track how much our cream cheese and lox actually cost us?

Yes. Spreads and deli add-ins are kept in their own line, apart from dough ingredients, so you can see what a loaded bagel sandwich really costs against what it sells for.

We turn day-old bagels into bagel chips and sell them separately. Does that get counted?

It does. Bagel chip sales get their own line so you can see what you are actually recovering from stock that would otherwise go to waste.

Our books have never separated kettle repairs from general equipment costs. Can we start now?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have and Gus starts tracking kettle and boiling equipment separately from ovens and mixers going forward.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

More in restaurants, cafes & food service

We keep books for the business next door too.

What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever