Sample Financial Clarity Review
This is what a finished Review looks like. Same sections, same ten trust tests, same plain English.
This is an example. The company and every number on this page are made up to show the format. Real Reviews are confidential and never published.
The company
A three-location restaurant group, $6.2 million in revenue, QuickBooks Online, a separate point-of-sale system, and an owner who said, "We are busy every night and I still do not know where the money goes."
The verdict
Kitchen labor is booked as overhead, so every menu price was set on a margin that does not exist. All three locations run through one P&L, so nobody can see whether one of them is carrying the other two.
The ten trust tests
Each one scored clean, cracked or broken. This file: 2 clean, 4 cracked, 4 broken.
| 01 | Bank and credit card accounts reconcile to the statements Two of five accounts are three months behind. | cracked |
| 02 | Holding accounts are empty $46,200 sitting in Undeposited Funds, the oldest item 14 months old. | broken |
| 03 | No balances on the balance sheet nobody can explain Two loan balances do not match the lender statements. | cracked |
| 04 | The chart of accounts answers the questions you ask All three locations run through one P&L. You cannot see which one makes money. | broken |
| 05 | Cost of goods sold carries all the direct costs Kitchen labor is booked as overhead, so every plate looks more profitable than it is. | broken |
| 06 | Receivables aging matches who actually owes you Catering receivables tie out. | clean |
| 07 | Payables aging matches what you actually owe $8,900 in vendor bills never entered. The chef was holding the invoices. Not on purpose, he just forgot. | cracked |
| 08 | Payroll liabilities tie to what was filed Ties to the payroll provider filings. | clean |
| 09 | Sales tax payable ties to what was filed Off by $3,100 across two quarters. | cracked |
| 10 | Prior months are closed and locked 2025 was changed after the tax return was filed. | broken |
The gap report
| Question | You said | The file says |
|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 41% | 33% once kitchen labor sits in cost of goods sold |
| Cash in the bank next Friday | $180,000 | $142,000 after uncleared checks and payroll taxes due |
| Most profitable location | Downtown | Nobody can tell. All three locations share one P&L. Splitting the numbers by location is the only way to know. |
| Price of your best-selling plate covers its cost | Yes, with room | Barely. True plate cost is 14 points higher than the menu was priced on. |
What it is costing you
Menu items priced on a food cost that leaves out kitchen labor.
How we got it: kitchen labor runs $40,800 a month. The twelve best sellers take about 24% of kitchen hours, so $9,800 a month of their real cost was never in the price.
Comps and voids at Downtown that nobody reviews.
How we got it: Downtown comps and voids run 3.1% of its sales, against 1.5% at the other two locations. On Downtown’s $270,000 a month in sales, that 1.6-point gap is $4,300.
What to fix first
Never more than three. If everything is a priority, nothing gets fixed.
$2,500 flat. Five business days. Credited in full toward the rebuild if you start within 30 days.
Stop guessing
Fifteen minutes, no charge. Tell me what is not adding up.
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