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Xero bookkeeping for cafes and restaurants

A busy service can bring in money through the till, the card terminal and several delivery apps at once, while food and drink suppliers bill on weekly accounts. We bring it together in your Xero file, so each day's sales can be traced through to the bank and supplier bills are entered as they arrive.

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  • By Book Keeping Pros
  • Sources checked 15 Oct 2026

What we handle in a cafe or restaurant's Xero file

The work follows each day's trading from the point-of-sale report to the bank, and each delivery from the supplier's docket to a paid bill.

  • Each day's takings entered from the end-of-day report your point-of-sale system produces, split into card, cash and other payment types
  • Card settlements matched to the trading days they cover, with merchant fees recorded once the settlement details confirm them
  • Banked cash compared with the cash side of each day's takings, with any shortfall or surplus listed for you to check
  • Delivery platform payouts recorded with their commission once the payout details confirm it, keeping delivery sales visible apart from dine-in and takeaway
  • Food and drink supplier invoices on weekly accounts entered as bills and checked against each supplier's statement before you pay
  • Credit notes for short, damaged or returned deliveries set against the bill they belong to
  • Your bank and card accounts compared with their statements, with uncleared items and any errors in the books explained

Not included

Counting the till and taking cash to the bank stay with you. We record the figures your point-of-sale reports and bank deposits show.

Businesses in Cafes and Restaurants (ANZSIC class 4511)

Actively trading businesses across Australia
56,305 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2025, checked 15 October 2026
Of those, classified as non-employing
13,197 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2025, checked 15 October 2026
Of those, with 1 to 4 employees
19,801 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2025, checked 15 October 2026

Businesses by main state or territory

  1. New South Wales19,446 businesses
  2. Victoria17,865 businesses
  3. Queensland9,174 businesses
  4. Western Australia4,467 businesses
  5. South Australia2,957 businesses
  6. Australian Capital Territory1,123 businesses
  7. Tasmania1,020 businesses
  8. Northern Territory252 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, June 2025. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2: Businesses by main state by industry class by employment size ranges (8165DC02.xlsx). Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Businesses by number of employees

  1. 1 to 4 employees19,801 businesses
  2. 5 to 19 employees18,420 businesses
  3. Non-employing13,197 businesses
  4. 20 to 199 employees4,702 businesses
  5. 200 or more employees185 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, June 2025. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2: Businesses by main state by industry class by employment size ranges (8165DC02.xlsx). Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Related pages

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Xero bookkeeping for other industries

Questions from cafe and restaurant owners

How do my point-of-sale takings get into Xero?
We enter each day's takings from your system's closing report, split by how customers paid, and attach the report to the entry. The card portion is then matched to what the terminal settles and the cash portion to what you bank, so a day that doesn't line up stands out.
How do you record delivery app payouts?
A payout from a delivery platform usually covers a run of orders, less the platform's commission and any refunds. We record the orders and the commission from the payout details, and list any amount those details don't explain so you can raise it with the platform.
What happens when the till and the bank don't agree?
We list the gap and what we think explains it, such as cash not yet banked, a card batch that settled late or a sale rung up twice. Anything the reports can't explain, we ask you about.
Can you show what I owe each supplier?
Yes. Each bill is filed against its supplier in Xero, which lets the aged payables report list what's owed to each and how far past due it is, which helps when deliveries from many suppliers arrive close together.
We also do catering. Can Xero keep it apart from the restaurant?
Yes. With tracking categories, catering sales and costs can be tagged apart from the dining room, so it's clear whether the catering side pays its way.
Will I need a different point-of-sale system?
No. We keep using the reports your current system produces, alongside the bank feeds in your Xero file.

Sources

  1. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2: Businesses by main state by industry class by employment size ranges (8165DC02.xlsx)

    Australian Bureau of Statistics. Actively trading businesses at 30 June 2025, released 16 December 2025. Checked 15 October 2026.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, June 2021 to June 2025, licensed under CC BY 4.0 Licence: CC BY 4.0.

  2. Correspondence, GCCSA 2021 to GCCSA 2026 (CG_GCCSA_2021_GCCSA_2026.csv)

    Australian Bureau of Statistics. ASGS Edition 4, July 2026 to June 2031, released 22 July 2026. Checked 15 October 2026.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, licensed under CC BY 4.0 Licence: CC BY 4.0.