Indoor entertainment
Books and taxes for board game cafes.
A per-person cover charge, a library of hundreds of games with pieces that go missing, a full cafe menu, and retail sales at the counter. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
February came in at $6,700. A cold snap kept tables full most evenings, and I kept cafe food sales apart from the table cover charge so you can see both clearly.
- Toast payoutCafe sales
- Cover charge salesTable fees
- Game distributor orderGame library
- Food service orderCafe food and drink
- Game night host payrollWages
Why your books are different
Board game cafe books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a cafe with games on the shelf. Your business runs on two revenue lines at once, a cover charge for table time and a real kitchen, plus a game library that needs constant replacement pieces and new releases. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell which side actually pays the bills.
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1
Table fees and cafe sales run through one number
A customer paying a per-person cover charge while also ordering food and drinks gets rung up as one total at many cafes, and mixed together, an owner cannot tell whether the kitchen is pulling its weight or the game library is carrying it.
What we doKeeps table fees and cafe food and drink sales in separate categories so each side of the business shows its own number. -
2
Game library purchases and lost pieces disappear into supplies
New releases, replacement dice, and missing pieces from popular games are a real, ongoing cost, and lumped into general supplies, an owner cannot see how much the library actually costs to maintain.
What we doKeeps game library purchases and replacement parts in their own category so library upkeep is visible. -
3
Retail sales of games get mixed with cafe income
A customer buying a copy of a game they enjoyed playing is a different kind of sale than a food order or a table fee, and blended together, an owner cannot see how much retail actually contributes.
What we doKeeps retail game sales in their own category apart from table fees and food service. -
4
Membership and event night income gets lost in daily totals
A monthly membership paid up front or a ticketed tournament night pays differently than a walk-in table fee, and if it is not tracked apart, an owner cannot see which one is building a steady customer base.
What we doKeeps memberships and event nights in their own categories so the pattern is visible.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a board game cafe.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Table feesPer-person cover charge for table and library access.
- Cafe salesFood and drink sold through Toast or a similar system.
- Retail game salesGames and accessories sold to take home.
- MembershipsMonthly passes for unlimited table access.
- Event nightsTournament entry fees and ticketed game nights.
Money out
- Game libraryNew releases and replacement pieces for existing games.
- Cafe food and drinkIngredients and beverages from your food distributor.
- WagesGame night hosts, kitchen staff, and table service.
- Retail inventoryGames and accessories bought wholesale for resale.
- Kitchen equipmentCafe equipment maintenance and repair.
- Rent and utilitiesThe cafe space and its kitchen hookups.
What we watch for you
- Table versus cafe mix
How much revenue comes from table fees versus food and drink, so you know what to expand.
- Library replacement cost
What new games and replacement pieces cost against table fee revenue.
- Membership growth
How many memberships renew each month, your steadiest income line.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things board game cafe 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.
Right now table fees and memberships are carrying more of the month than food sales. I keep them split so you can see that instead of one blended number.
I kept it in its own library category, so you can see it was a planned restock, not a random spike. Worth watching if new releases keep climbing.
If you pay them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on payroll, they get a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running so it is ready.
The tax side
The tax side of a board game cafe.
Most of what goes wrong here is treating a two-sided business like one, and mixing retail game sales with the cover charge and food service.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Kitchen equipment and libraryKitchen equipment and large library purchases can usually be written off up to $2,560,000 under Section 179 in the year bought, and bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA tournament host, freelance event runner, or repair technician who is not on payroll and is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Employee or contractorGame night hosts and kitchen staff who work your posted schedule are usually employees, even if part time.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions board game cafes miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- New release game purchases
- Replacement pieces and dice
- Cafe food and beverage stock
- Retail game inventory
- Kitchen equipment maintenance
- Membership software fees
- Event and tournament supplies
- Card processing fees
- Signage and shelving
- Local event advertising
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 board game cafe year, kept every month.
Cold weather and school breaks bring in the biggest crowds, and new game releases cluster around the fall convention season. Your team keeps you ahead of both, and of taxes on their own schedule. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for event hosts is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how summer traffic compared to the winter rush.
- October
Before new release season
Fall convention releases bring a wave of new titles to stock. Gus looks at library spending and equipment worth buying before the holidays.
What you get
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 board game cafes. 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 board game cafe owners ask first.
Can Gus tell me if the food side is actually profitable?
Yes. He keeps cafe food and drink sales separate from table fees and retail, so you can see food cost against menu revenue on its own.
How does Gus handle a big new-release game order?
It gets booked as a library purchase the month it happens, so a big restock does not make that month look worse than it really was.
Do retail game sales get mixed with table fees?
No. Retail sales of games customers take home get their own category apart from the cover charge, so you can see how much retail actually contributes.
How does Gus handle memberships paid monthly?
Membership income is tracked in its own category since it is your steadiest revenue line, separate from single-visit table fees and food orders.
Our books mix six hundred games worth of purchases with regular supplies. Can Gus untangle that?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts library purchases into their own category, the accountant checks it, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
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 indoor entertainment
We keep books for the business next door too.
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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