QuickBooks vs specialized software?
February 07, 2025
by a searcher from University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School in Greenwich, CT, USA
Starting a new restaurant co, debating whether it makes sense to use QuickBooks. Pros being much easier / cheaper at the ouset, cons being that if we grow to multi-unit we'll eventually need to switch to more robust / specialized software like Restaurant###-###-#### thus debating whether it makes sense to invest upfront with the assumption that we'll grow into it.
Anyone have thoughts or a recommendation on which to go with at the outset, and if QB, at what point does it make sense to transiton out of it? Would be interested to hear from anyone in food / B&M biz or even more generally (I'm new to QB as well so not too familiar with its ultimate limitations).
from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, USA
I'd go straight to a restaurant-specific software, for two reasons.
The first is that restaurant is one of the most verticalized spaces for these kinds of software, for good reason. It has very unique needs because there are a combination of pretty unique things to manage - e.g., staff and payroll and scheduling, inventory, online pickup/in person/delivery ordering, POS and cash flow management, gift cards and loyalty programs, etc. You'll want something that has everything in one place and restaurant-specific reporting, and you'll very likely see the value from day one. Ask yourself - what would it take for going straight with a Restaurant365 to pay for itself?
The second is that as you mention you're likely to outgrow QuickBooks at some point. Don't underestimate how difficult that transition will be. We're just competing the transition to QuickBooks Online in a portfolio company nearly five months after acquisition... from QuickBooks Desktop. Lots of factors that complicated that one, but we thought it would take like a month. Then you'll also have to train the staff and change your processes. Software transitions are notoriously always more painful than expected, so it's worth sparing yourself the pain if you can.
Just my $0.02. Best of luck with the new venture!
from Baylor University in Hampton, VA, USA
Does the POS you'll be using like Toast or Clover integrate with it and any other systems you'll want to use?
If you don't like how the one part of Restaurant365 works, can you switch off and use something else seamlessly? (payroll, inventory?). You're locking yourself into a single platform and giving up some flexibility for an integrated system.
As far as accounting goes, QBO is the standard because it universally excepted and you can find a zillion people (CPAs, bookkeepers, accountants, aunts/uncles, etc) that know how to use it. Restaurant360 not so much. Does that matter to you?
QBO can grow with you so the scale thing isn't an issue. I have clients that are >$400M on QBO. I have others that are <$10M that are on other systems.
Really comes down to what you want and need.