Bars & nightlife
Books and taxes for speakeasies.
A reservation booked weeks out for a two-hour seating, a front business that shares the same door, a barrel-aged cocktail poured one careful glass at a time, and a strict seat count that never changes. 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 $11,600. A private buyout of the whole room for a birthday party alone made up almost a fifth of the month, so I kept that separate from a normal reservation night.
- Tock reservation payoutReserved seating sales
- Private buyout depositPrivate events
- Specialty spirits distributorLiquor purchases
- Barrel and aging supplierBarrel-aging supplies
- Payroll, bartendersWages and tip pool
Why your books are different
A speakeasy's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and a liquor bill. Your room is a fixed seat count that never grows, reservations booked and paid for weeks ahead, and sometimes a front business sharing the same address, register, or even the same door.
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1
A shared front business blurs into the speakeasy
A speakeasy hidden behind a diner, a barbershop, or a bookstore sometimes shares a register, a lease, or staff with that front business, and if the two are not kept separate, neither one's real numbers make sense on their own.
What we doKeeps the speakeasy's income and costs separate from any front business it shares space or staff with, so each one's books stand on their own. -
2
A fixed seat count makes a full house look better than it is
A room with a strict seat count sells out the same way every night it is full, and if pricing or comps are not tracked closely, a fully booked night can hide the fact that it earned less than the same full house did a month before.
What we doKeeps reserved seating revenue tracked by seat and by night, so a full house is measured by what it actually earned, not just that it sold out. -
3
Barrel-aging and small-batch ingredients look like regular liquor cost
A cocktail aged in a barrel for weeks or a house-made bitters recipe uses time and ingredients that a regular pour does not, and lumped into general liquor cost, an owner cannot tell whether the signature menu actually pays for itself.
What we doKeeps barrel-aging and small-batch ingredient costs in their own line so the signature menu's real cost is visible. -
4
Private buyouts get counted like a normal reservation night
A full-room buyout for a private party pays differently than a night of individual reservations, and counted the same way, an owner cannot tell how much of a strong month came from one big booking instead of steady demand.
What we doKeeps private buyouts in their own category, separate from regular reservation sales, so a big booking does not get mistaken for a trend. -
5
A hidden entrance or room buildout looks like a repair
A concealed entrance, a soundproofed room, or a custom bar built to match the theme is a real capital purchase, but it can land on a bank statement looking like ordinary maintenance and get expensed the wrong way.
What we doFlags large buildout purchases the month they happen and gets the accountant's call on how they should be written off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a speakeasy.
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
- Reserved seating salesIndividual reservations booked through Tock or a similar system.
- Private eventsFull-room buyouts for parties and celebrations.
- Membership or priority accessRecurring fees for guests who get priority booking.
- MerchandiseBranded glassware and bitters sold to go.
Money out
- Liquor purchasesSpirits, amaro, and vermouth from your specialty distributor.
- Barrel-aging suppliesBarrels, bitters ingredients, and house-made components.
- PerishablesCitrus, herbs, and garnishes for the cocktail menu.
- Wages and tip poolBartender pay, kept apart from pooled tips.
- Glassware and bar toolsCoupes, jiggers, and breakage replacement.
- Reservation software feesWhat Tock or Resy keep before you get paid.
- Liquor license and insuranceLicense renewal and liquor liability coverage.
What we watch for you
- Revenue per seat
What a full house actually earns, not just that it sold out.
- Reservation fill rate
Booked seats against total capacity, useful before adjusting hours.
- Signature menu cost
Barrel-aging and small-batch ingredients against what those drinks sell for.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is not a surprise.
Ask Gus
Things speakeasy 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.
Usually all in the year you build it. I logged the buildout as a capital improvement and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
Probably not on its own. I kept that buyout separate from regular reservation sales, so you can see the steady demand next to the one big night.
If you pay her $2,000 or more this year and she is not on payroll, she gets a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running as we go.
The tax side
The tax side of a speakeasy.
Most of what goes wrong here is separating a shared front business and timing the big nights right. That, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Room and bar buildoutsA hidden entrance, soundproofed room, or custom bar can usually be written off the year you build it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA guest mixologist, event host, or photographer not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Employee or contractorA bartender who works your schedule and pours behind your bar is usually an employee, not a contractor, even part time.
- Shared costs with a front businessIf a speakeasy shares a lease, register, or staff with a separate front business, costs need to be split between the two accurately, not lumped into whichever entity's books are easier to update.
Deductions speakeasies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Barrel-aging supplies
- House bitters ingredients
- Citrus and garnish spoilage
- Coupes and bar glassware
- Reservation software fees
- Sound insulation upkeep
- Card processing fees
- Liquor liability insurance
- Liquor license renewal
- Branded staff uniforms
- Menu design and printing
- Ice machine repair
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 speakeasy year, kept every month.
Reservations fill fast around holidays and word-of-mouth buzz, then settle into a steadier pace. Your team keeps you ahead of both the calendar and the return. 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 guest mixologists and hosts is ready, and your monthly set-aside is planned.
- 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 whether a slower summer reservation pace changed the number.
- October
Before the holidays
Before the busiest reservation season of the year, Gus looks at menu and equipment plans and anything worth doing before December.
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 speakeasies. 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 speakeasy owners ask first.
We share a lease with the diner in front. Can Gus keep the two businesses separate?
Yes. Speakeasy income and costs stay separate from a shared front business, so each one's real numbers stand on their own instead of blending together.
Does a sold-out night always mean a great night?
Not necessarily. Gus tracks revenue by seat and by night, so a full house is measured by what it actually earned, not just that every seat was booked.
How does Gus handle our barrel-aged cocktail program?
Barrel-aging and small-batch ingredients stay in their own line, separate from regular liquor cost, so you can see whether the signature menu really pays for itself.
Do I write off a room buildout all at once?
Often you can. Buildouts and equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted in the year they go in, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides.
My books are behind since we expanded the room. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, 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 bars & nightlife
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Arcade bars (barcades)
- Beer gardens
- Cigar lounges
- Dive bars & neighborhood taverns
- Hookah lounges
- Karaoke bars
- Mobile bars & bartending services
- Self-pour taprooms
- Nightclubs
- Wine bars
- Cocktail bars
- Sports bars
- Bottle shops & craft beer stores
- Cideries
- Craft distilleries
- Custom-crush & alternating proprietor wineries
- Homebrew & winemaking supply shops
- Kombucha brewers
- Meaderies
- Vineyards (grape growers)
- Artisan cheese makers
- Bagel shops
- BBQ sauce & rub brands
- Candy & chocolate makers
- Charcuterie board & grazing table businesses
- Commissary & shared commercial kitchens
- Cottage food producers
- Custom cake studios
- Farmers market vendors
- Food hall vendors
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