F&B Chain Accounting & Finance
From the Central Kitchen to the consolidated P&L
8 sessions for F&B chain accountants, owners and operations managers. The course builds an accounting system that separates profit and loss down to each store, brand and channel, then consolidates it into a picture of the whole system. The whole course follows one hypothetical multi-brand chain: each session peels back one layer from the central kitchen, stores, head office and franchising to online; session 7 assembles the consolidated P&L with a set of management indicators, and session 8 is fully dedicated to mentoring and Q&A on learners' own models.
What is your chain facing with its financial figures?
6 classic situations of multi-brand, multichannel F&B chains.
Never able to produce a P&L for each store
Figures are fully recorded but cannot be split by store, brand or channel. The most common reason is a code structure designed wrongly from the start.
Confusing profit with cash
The report shows a profit but the bank account is empty, or the reverse. Owners have not distinguished the P&L from cash flow, two different things that are often out of sync.
Wrongly set internal transfer prices put two sides at odds
Arbitrary markups from the central kitchen to stores make the central kitchen P&L and store P&L contradict each other, causing endless internal disputes and misjudging each unit's performance.
High app revenue but no idea of the real profit
After 20 – 30% platform commission, promotions, fees and packaging, the margin can be negative. Without properly recording revenue deductions by channel, the revenue figure is only for show.
Allocating office costs with the wrong basis
Choosing the wrong allocation driver distorts the store P&L, leading to the wrong decision to close a well-run store just because it carries system costs.
Summing the whole system but forgetting to eliminate intercompany items
Consolidated revenue and profit are inflated because intercompany transactions and unrealized profit in stores' closing inventory have not been eliminated.
One continuous case: peeling back layer by layer to the consolidated P&L
The whole course follows one hypothetical multi-brand F&B chain: 3 brands, a central kitchen, franchising, online and head office.
The hypothetical chain has 3 brands with 16 stores, a central kitchen, 5 franchise points, an online channel and a head office, organized under 2 legal entities. This is enough to illustrate every transaction, including internal invoices and eliminations at consolidation.
Accountants and chief accountants get the technical practice, journal entries and consolidation techniques; business owners and managers get the read, understand and control portion for decision-making. In-depth parts are marked separately in the materials.
Five data dimensions are attached to every journal entry at once: legal entity, location or warehouse, brand, sales channel and cost type. With the right code structure, reporting by any slice is just a filter.
One unified template for stores, central kitchen, franchise and online, with reference thresholds for each line: cost of goods, prime cost, store-level contribution, system allocation, then EBITDA.
VAT and e-invoices generated from the POS at stores and head office, contractor tax for franchising, corporate income tax at the consolidation session, spread along the operating flow instead of crammed in at the end of the course.
Who is this course for?
Two groups learn side by side in the same class, plus those who are not a fit right now.
F&B chain accountants and chief accountants
Need industry-specific practice: recipe-based costing, multichannel revenue, internal transfer pricing, cost allocation and intercompany elimination at consolidation.
Business owners and general directors
Need to read, understand and control the figures to decide whether to open or close a store, negotiate leases, set internal pricing policy and approve budgets.
Senior managers and internal control
Responsible for reconciling the three sources of POS, inventory and accounting, spotting variances and losses, and building a management indicator set for the board.
Single venues without multiple outlets
The content is designed for a chain model with a central kitchen and multiple business units. For a single outlet, most allocation and consolidation techniques are not yet needed.
Looking for a general tax accounting course for all industries
The course focuses on management accounting for F&B chain operations, combined with directly related tax and finance topics. It is not an exam-prep or general accounting program.
Wanting to learn how to operate one specific accounting software
The course teaches how to design the system and processes so that any software can map to them, and does not go into button-click tutorials for a particular software.
8-session roadmap: from the Central Kitchen to the consolidated P&L
Each session peels back one layer of the model; the final session assembles everything into the financial picture of the whole system.
Foundations & Central Kitchen
Sessions 1, 2 & 3
Session 1
Operations overview, organization & chain accounting foundationsFoundation session · Two ledger systems · Multi-dimensional coding · 3 hours
- Organization chart of a multi-brand chain and the flow of transactions between units: company, central kitchen, stores by brand, franchising, online and head office
- Structure and functions of the accounting department; accounting staff size at each growth stage from 1 – 2 stores to a group model
- The multi-dimensional coding system, the backbone of the system: lists of restaurants, chains, suppliers and employees, voucher books, cost codes, chart of accounts, warehouses and materials
- Intercompany payable accounts by unit code and how to map accounts to data dimensions so the software splits reports automatically
- Foundation financial reports: distinguishing the P&L from the balance sheet, and profit from cash, two things that are often out of sync
Session 2
Central Kitchen (1): Purchasing – Inventory – PayablesSuppliers · Stock-in · Internal orders · 3 hours
- Supplier management: quotation process, approval and updating purchase prices in the accounting software
- Purchasing process and document flow: delivery notes, goods receipt notes, month-end payables reconciliation and payment document set
- Non-inventory items such as warehouse rent, premises, stationery and ice: how to prepare accounting vouchers to record the expense
- The restaurant ordering process and goods issue from the central kitchen in 7 steps, from the material request to approving the issue note by quantity actually received
- Accountant deep dive: stock-in entries, goods transfers, trade discounts and payment discounts, bundled promotional goods
Session 3
Central Kitchen (2): Production – Costing – P&LBOM · Costing · Transfer pricing · Central kitchen P&L · 3 hours
- Process for issuing raw materials and tools for production; the 9-step production process and the process for receiving prepped finished goods
- Collecting costs and costing finished goods: materials, labor, production overhead, allocated by production team
- Cost of goods by BOM versus by actual count; variance analysis to find production loss and shrinkage
- Internal transfer pricing: three pricing methods based on cost, cost plus margin or market price, the decision point for whether the central kitchen makes a profit
- Internal VAT invoices between two legal entities and how to build the central kitchen P&L under both profit and non-profit models
Stores & Head Office
Sessions 4 & 5
Session 4
Store Accounting: the core sessionMultichannel revenue · Dish costing · Step-format P&L · 3 hours
- Documents and process that generate revenue: payment bills, VAT invoices, cash deposit slips, sales reports by bill and shift handover reports
- Payment types and recording of deductions: partner vouchers, coupons, staff discounts and partnership cards; handling refills, default items and promotional items priced at zero
- Output tax at the store: distinguishing goods from food service, e-invoices generated from the POS
- Store inventory and costing: from dish BOM to cost of goods, allocating ingredients by standard for a la carte dishes and how to cost a buffet; theoretical versus actual food cost
- Counting and loss control: weekly and monthly counts, controlling waste, complimentary items, staff meals and bar and kitchen stock shrinkage
- Two-tier step-format store P&L: net revenue → cost of goods → prime cost → store-level contribution → after allocation
Session 5
Head Office Accounting (corporate)Indirect costs · Allocation · Fixed assets · Closing · 3 hours
- Head office functions: centralized accounting, cash and bank management, tax, consolidated reporting for the whole system
- Office costs: indirect department salaries, office rent, utilities, depreciation of equipment and tools
- Allocation principles: distinguishing direct costs from allocated costs, choosing a basis by revenue, order count, floor area, headcount or production batches
- Multi-tier allocation from the office down to brand units and then to stores; centralized fixed asset management and equipment transfers between units
- Monthly closing calendar: the sequence of steps to close the whole system's figures, with assignments and deadlines
Expansion & Consolidation
Sessions 6, 7 & 8
Session 6
Franchise & Online / DistributionFranchise fees · Foreign contractor tax · P&L by segment · 3 hours
- Franchise model: upfront fee, percentage-based royalty, revenue from selling ingredients to partners, operating fee and marketing fund
- Distinguishing sales revenue from fee revenue: the two have different accounting natures; the marketing fund collected from partners is in essence collected and spent on their behalf
- Master franchise and the costs that arise when buying a master license to sub-franchise; foreign contractor tax when working with overseas partners
- Moving goods from the central kitchen to franchise stores and how to build a separate P&L for the franchise segment
- Online and distribution: distinguishing wholesale and retail revenue, marketing costs, packaging, shipping, and building an online P&L
Session 7
Consolidated P&L for the Whole SystemIntercompany eliminations · EBITDA to net income · Dashboard · 3 hours
- Consolidating revenue, COGS, payroll and rent by unit: central kitchen, stores, franchise, online, office
- Eliminating intercompany revenue and COGS between the central kitchen and stores; eliminating unrealized profit in closing inventory
- Profit waterfall: gross profit → EBITDA → EBIT → less interest → profit before tax → corporate income tax → profit after tax
- Distinguishing management consolidation from legal-entity consolidation when there are multiple companies
- Chain-wide executive KPIs: food cost, labor, prime cost, revenue per square meter, average check and inventory turnover
- Deep dive for accountants: building the consolidation worksheet, elimination entries and calculating unrealized profit by internal markup rate
Session 8
Mentor & Q&A: Applying the System Framework to Each Learner's ChainMentor session · Case review for each business · Open Q&A · 3 hours
- Each learner brings their business's unit structure, cost categories and current report templates; two instructors review them live and point out where the coding system blocks unit-level P&L
- Mapping the course's system framework onto the accounting software the business already uses: where to place data dimensions, which categories to fix first, and in what order
- Reviewing the owner's key decisions: internal transfer pricing policy, allocation bases, and KPI thresholds that need alerts
- Open Q&A in two groups: operations and journal entries for accountants, reading numbers and decision-making for owners and operations managers
- Setting the rollout roadmap: what to do in the first month, and what to prepare for the next period close
8 deliverables to take home and apply right away
An accounting system framework for an F&B chain, reusable for your own business.
Unit Code Set and 5 Data Dimensions
The Plant coding system for each location and warehouse, plus five dimensions attached to every journal entry so reports can be split by any slice.
Standard F&B Step-Down P&L Template
A shared template for stores, the central kitchen, franchise and online, with reference thresholds for each line for consistent comparison.
Goods Flow and Documentation Process
Flowcharts for purchasing, internal orders, production issues, finished goods receipts and the payables document set by role.
Internal Transfer Pricing Policy
Three pricing options with the accounting and management implications of each, enough basis to settle the policy for your chain.
Dish Costing and Food Cost Control
Allocating ingredients by standard quantity for a la carte, costing buffets, and reconciling theoretical food cost with actual.
Office and Central Kitchen Cost Allocation Mechanism
Principles for choosing allocation bases for each cost type and the two-step allocation technique down to the store level.
Consolidation Worksheet and Elimination Entries
How to assemble unit P&Ls, eliminate intercompany transactions and unrealized profit in closing inventory.
Management Dashboard and Close Calendar
Executive KPIs with formulas and reference thresholds, plus a monthly close checklist by day and owner.
Hands-on Learning Experience
Learn from real vouchers, flowcharts and report templates of F&B chains, not just accounting theory.
Peeling Back the Layers of a Realistic Chain
Each session peels back one layer of the same model, so learners see the flow of the whole system instead of isolated pieces.
See exactly what your accounting team handles every day
Delivery notes, goods receipt notes, transfer issue notes, payables reconciliation records, shift handover reports, plus flowcharts by role.
Line by line, percentage by percentage
Read the monthly P&L template by store, spot which lines are abnormal and which need intervention first.
Owners and accountants learn together
The "Deep dive for accountants" part covers journal entries and techniques; the rest stays at the read, understand and control level so owners and managers can follow.
Course instructors
Two instructors working side by side: the management angle for business owners and in-depth technical practice for accountants.
Tien Tien
Founder AAU Academy & PEACH Consulting
In charge of the management side: reading each unit's P&L, internal transfer pricing policy, executive KPIs and the final mentor session.
Kimberly
Chief Accountant, F&B Chain
Many years as chief accountant at leading F&B chain groups in Vietnam, running accounting systems across multiple brands, multiple legal entities and central kitchens. In the course, responsible for the in-depth professional content: multi-dimensional coding, document flows, costing, cost allocation, intercompany invoices and consolidation techniques.
Tuition and what's included
An Accounting System Framework for Your Chain
By the end of the course, learners can build their own unit code set and data dimensions, a shared P&L template, a document flow process, and allocation and intercompany elimination mechanisms.
Clearly Separate the Two Ledgers
Learners can distinguish the management ledger from the tax ledger and know how to map between them so the work is not done twice.
Session 8 is fully dedicated to mentoring and Q&A: each learner brings their business's unit structure, cost categories and report templates for two instructors to review live and adjust the system framework. Session 1 (foundations) and Session 4 (store accounting) are the two heaviest sessions, so materials are sent in advance for learners to read. Handover materials include the standard F&B step-down P&L template, the Plant coding system and five data dimensions, management KPIs with formulas and reference thresholds, and the monthly close checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to common questions before you register.
I'm a business owner, not an accountant. Can I keep up?
Yes. The course is designed for two groups learning in parallel. Sections marked "Deep dive for accountants" cover journal entries and techniques, while the rest stays at the read, understand and control level so owners and managers can make decisions. Many businesses send both the owner and the chief accountant to build a shared language.
My chain has no central kitchen yet. Is the course unnecessary?
No. Sessions 2 and 3 teach the principles of purchasing, inventory, costing and transfer pricing, which still apply to a model that buys directly from suppliers, and also prepare you for setting up a central kitchen once the chain reaches scale.
Does the course cover Vietnamese tax regulations?
Yes. Tax obligations are spread across each unit: VAT and e-invoices generated from the POS at stores and the office, foreign contractor tax for the franchise segment, and corporate income tax in the consolidation session.
Do I need to bring my business data to class?
Not required, since the whole course runs on one complete case study. However, if you bring your unit structure, cost categories and current report templates, you can map the system framework to your own chain right away.
Does the course teach specific accounting software?
The course teaches how to design a chart of accounts tied to data dimensions and how to map them so the software separates reports automatically. It applies to whatever accounting software the business already uses, with no dependence on a single vendor.
How long is each session?
Eight sessions of 3 hours each, held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings from 18:00 to 21:00. Sessions 1 and 4 are the heaviest, so materials are sent in advance to read; session 8 is fully dedicated to mentoring and Q&A.
When is the next intake?
The course starts on Monday 28 Sep 2026, held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings from 18:00 to 21:00 in Ho Chi Minh City, and ends on 14 Oct 2026 with the mentor and Q&A session. Call 0565 66 76 86 to reserve a seat.
Build the financial system for your chain with AAU Academy
Leave your details and the AAU team will contact you for a free consultation within 24 hours and confirm the nearest intake schedule.
Or call now 0565 66 76 86 (Mon–Sat, 9h–18h)