Restaurants, cafes & food service

Books and taxes for juice and smoothie bars.

Counter sales, multi-day cleanse packages paid upfront, a weekly smoothie membership, and produce that spoils faster than any other kitchen's stock. 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
JanuaryExample month
$6,500
what you made

January brought in $6,500. The five-day cleanse packages sold this month only counted as they were delivered, so the number reflects juices actually made, not packages sold.

  • Square POS batch depositCounter sales
  • Weekly smoothie membership chargesMembership income
  • Farmers market produce orderProduce purchases
  • Protein powder and add-in orderAdd-in boosts
  • ADP payrollWages and payroll taxes
Money in$30,000
Money out$23,500
Set aside for taxes$1,500
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A juice bar's books go wrong in the same five places.

A generalist bookkeeper sees deposits and bills. A juice bar sells multi-day cleanse packages paid upfront, buys produce that spoils within days, and now maybe runs a weekly membership on top of counter sales. When those pieces blend together, the owner cannot tell a real slow week from one where the cash just arrived early.

  1. 1

    Cleanse packages book too early

    A customer pays upfront for a five-day cleanse package. Counted as income the day it is purchased instead of as each day is delivered, one big sale can make a slow week look busy while the days the juices actually go out look thin.

    What we doCounts each day's juices as income only when they are delivered, so the sale lines up with the actual work.
  2. 2

    Produce spoilage is a bigger swing than other kitchens see

    Fresh fruit and vegetables spoil within days, and buying in bulk for a price break raises the risk. Left untracked, a bulk order that actually cost more in waste than it saved looks like an ordinary good deal.

    What we doTracks spoilage as its own line so you can see whether a bulk order actually saved you money once real waste is counted.
  3. 3

    Add-in boosts get lost inside produce cost

    Protein powder, nut butter, and greens boosts are premium upsells with their own cost, and buried inside base produce cost, the owner cannot see whether pushing those add-ins is actually adding to margin.

    What we doKeeps add-in boosts in their own line, apart from base produce, so upsell margin is visible.
  4. 4

    The cold press machine gets buried in a produce order

    A commercial cold press or centrifugal juicer costs thousands and needs regular upkeep, and filed the same as a weekly produce order, it distorts a month that was actually fine.

    What we doFlags juicer and blender purchases the day they show up and logs them apart from produce so they get written off right.
  5. 5

    Memberships get counted like one-time counter sales

    A recurring weekly smoothie membership charged automatically is guaranteed income, but lumped in with one-time counter sales, the owner cannot tell how much of next month is already locked in.

    What we doTracks membership income as recurring, separate from one-time counter sales, so what is already locked in is visible.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a juice bar.

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

Money in

  • Counter salesWalk-in juice and smoothie sales rung through Square or Toast.
  • Multi-day cleanse packagesBooked to the day each juice is delivered, not the day the package was bought.
  • Membership incomeRecurring weekly or monthly charges, kept apart from one-time sales.
  • Catering and event ordersLarger one-off orders for events and offices.

Money out

  • Produce purchasesFresh fruit and vegetables, kept apart from add-in boosts.
  • Add-in boostsProtein powder, nut butter, and greens powder, tracked as their own cost.
  • Wages and payroll taxesCounter staff pay.
  • Cups and packagingBottles, cups, straws, and cleanse coolers.
  • Rent and building costsLease, utilities, and repairs on the shop.
  • Juicer and blender equipmentCold press machines and blenders, logged apart from produce so they get written off right.
  • Marketing and local adsLocal wellness event sponsorships and advertising.

What we watch for you

  • Produce cost percentage

    Produce and add-in cost against sales, the number that catches a price jump early.

  • Produce shrink

    What spoils before it sells, tracked so it is a known cost, not a mystery.

  • Membership share

    How much of the month is locked-in membership income versus one-time counter sales.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things juice bar 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.

Someone bought a 5-day cleanse package but we are only two days in. When does that count as income?

Only as each day is delivered. I hold the rest until it is actually used, so a big cleanse sale does not make one week look busier than it was.

We had to toss a lot of produce this week from a bulk order. Does that show up anywhere?

Yes, I track spoilage as its own line, so you can see if a bulk order actually saved you money once you count what got thrown out.

Our new weekly smoothie membership just launched. How is that tracked?

As recurring income, separate from one-time counter sales, so you can see how much of next month is already locked in.

The tax side

The tax side of a juice bar.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing: cleanse sales counted too early, spoilage left untracked, and equipment lost inside a produce order.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Section 179 on juicer and blender equipmentCold press machines and blenders 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 counter staffCounter staff who work your schedule and use your equipment are almost always employees, not contractors, no matter how the pay is arranged.
  • The FICA tip creditIf your counter has a tip jar or digital tip prompt and staff report the income, you can often claim a credit for the employer's share of Social Security and Medicare tax on tips above the minimum wage portion.
  • Form 1099-NEC for cleanse delivery helpAnyone hired outside of payroll to deliver cleanse packages, paid $2,000 or more in 2026, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.

Deductions juice and smoothie bars miss

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

  • Cold press filter replacements
  • Compostable cups and straws
  • Produce delivery mileage
  • Protein powder samples
  • Blender and juicer maintenance
  • Wellness membership software fees
  • Local farmers market booth fees
  • Food handler certification
  • Uniforms and aprons
  • Employee shift meals
  • Pest control contracts

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 juice bar's year, kept every month.

Wellness resolutions hit hardest in January. 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 cleanse delivery help is readied, and you get a monthly set-aside so the New Year wellness rush 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, a strong resolution season does not turn into a scramble for cash.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand at the midpoint of the year and whether summer smoothie sales changed what you will owe.

  4. October

    Before resolution season

    Before the New Year resolution rush hits, Gus looks at juicer or blender 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 juice and smoothie bars. 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 juice bar owners ask first.

We sell multi-day juice cleanse packages paid upfront. How does that get booked?

Gus counts each day's juices as income only when they are actually delivered or picked up, not the day the whole package was purchased. That way a big upfront sale does not make one week look busier than it was.

Fresh produce spoils fast, especially when we buy in bulk for a price break. Does Gus track that?

Yes. Spoilage gets its own line so you can see whether a bulk order actually saved you money once the real waste is counted.

We charge extra for protein powder and greens boosts in our smoothies. Is that tracked separately?

It is. Add-in boosts are kept apart from base produce cost, so you can see whether pushing upsells is actually adding to your margin.

Our cold press juicer needs a full rebuild soon. How should that be handled?

Flag it when it happens and Gus logs it as equipment, not a produce cost. The accountant then decides how it gets written off with your whole year in view.

We just started a weekly smoothie membership. Does that change how the books look?

Yes, in a good way. Membership income is tracked as recurring, apart from one-time counter sales, so you can see how much of next month is already locked in.

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