How much does it cost?

Fees are typically 0.75% to 1.5% of turnover, depending on the services you need and how many units you run. A like-for-like internal finance team costs roughly 4% to 7% of turnover, so you get the same capability for a fraction of the cost — with no recruitment, no sickness cover and no payroll admin. We confirm a fixed monthly fee after a free introductory meeting, so you know exactly what you are paying before you commit.

Do you work with single sites or only groups?

Both. We typically work with hospitality and retail businesses from one to five sites. The common thread is not size — it is that the owner is ready for proper financial reporting and wants a finance partner rather than someone who files the tax return.

How is a fractional CFO different from an accountant?

An accountant tells you what happened. A fractional CFO helps you decide what to do next. Ours sits on top of the virtual finance department for board meetings, funding rounds, lender conversations, growth decisions and financial models. A full-time CFO costs £150k+ before you start; this gives you the same experience only when you need it.

Yes, tronc schemes and payroll are handled as standard. Tronc distributes tips to staff in a National Insurance efficient way, and the rules changed in 2024: tips must be allocated fairly, with new requirements on how they are handled and taxed. Getting it wrong has a real cost.

Which software do you work with?

We are a Xero Silver Partner and a Xero Retail & Ecommerce specialist, and we work with Dext and ApprovalMax alongside it. We connect to your rota and EPOS systems so information flows automatically rather than being retyped.

Do we have to switch to Xero?

It is our recommendation and where we work fastest, but it is a conversation, not a condition. Tell us what you run now at the introductory meeting and we will be honest about whether moving is worth the disruption.

How quickly can you onboard us?

Most clients are fully live within two to three weeks of signing. Onboarding covers connecting your bank feeds, EPOS and rota systems, agreeing the reporting pack and introducing your named team.

Can you take over mid-year?

Yes. Mid-year is a perfectly normal time to switch. We handle the handover with your outgoing accountant, pick up the year to date and carry on — you do not need to wait for your year end.

What if we are behind on our bookkeeping?

That is one of the most common reasons people call us, and it is not a problem. We will scope the catch-up separately, tell you what it costs up front, and get you current before we start the monthly cycle.

Do you do payroll for hourly staff?

Yes — weekly or monthly, for hourly and salaried staff, including auto-enrolment pensions and tronc. We link to your rota system so hours flow through rather than being re-keyed.

Do you help with funding and landlords?

Yes. We have raised finance from banks and institutions many times, and we help with grant applications, insurance claims, emergency loans, landlord negotiations and HMRC Time To Pay arrangements.

Yes. A UK team, based in Hungerford, working with clients across the UK and heavily in London. You deal with the same named people every time: an Accounts Assistant, an Account Manager and a Director.

NEW GOVERNMENT GRANT SCHEME FOR HOSPITALITY (SEP26)

Sep 5

3 min read

IS £10M A START OR A TOKEN GESTURE?

The Hospitality Grant Scheme was announced 2 September, a £10m grant fund for independent hospitality businesses. Whilst it is support, that is small change against the industry's problems.

WHAT HAPPENED?

On 2 September the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) announced the scheme with the Treasury: three years of funding for independent pubs, restaurants and cafés. Applications open at the end of September on the BIST Grants Hub

The scheme started life in January as a pubs-only announcement from Rachel Reeves. It has been reworked since to bring restaurants and cafés in.

WHAT THE MONEY CAN BE USED FOR

It pays for four things: new hospitality ventures getting off the ground, bringing vacant premises back into use, training programmes for first jobs and skills, and productivity and sustainability projects that match Hospitality Sector Council priorities.

For exampl, a new operator taking on a closed pub or an empty unit can use it towards getting the doors open. An existing site can use it to add services that bring people in: a village pub adding a village store or a community café, a play area, arts and crafts space. The training strand is about first jobs, giving young people the skills and confidence to build a career in the sector. The productivity strand covers equipment and changes that save time or cut running costs, and that is the part that interests me most.

The pilot shows that there is a demand for this sort of thing; it backed more than 70 rural pub projects, two hospitality training facilities in prisons run by The Right Course, and an innovation hub. So this has been done before and it worked.

HOW HELPFUL IS THIS?

Is £10m a start or a token gesture? We actually think it is a bit both.

On one hand it is new government money aimed specifically at hospitality. For a village pub adding a shop or a community café it could be genuinely useful money.

On the other hand, £10m spread over three years and over every independent operator in the country is not much. UKHospitality's Allen Simpson welcomed the scheme, then pointed straight at the Budget and the sector's tax burden.

Some operators are calling it tinkering around the edges, and you can see the point. The scheme lands alongside 161 pub closures in Q1 2026, up 26% year on year.

JUST A FIG LEAF?

The government, under Burnham, has become very good at making announcements that sound like they are supporting hospitality, without committing much in the way of funds, and therefore are not likely to result in much impact.

This fund is another example, along with the small VAT cut on tickets over the summer holidays and the targeted rates reduction that equates to less than £1,000 per pub. Every one of those makes a decent headline, and every one is small in spend.

I suspect that is partly the point. When the October Budget comes and there is nothing meaningful for hospitality in it, the government can point at this fund (along with other schemes) and say it has been backing pubs & hosptiality all along.

However, it is more than hospitality was getting a few months ago and it is worth taking the wins when they come.

But my view is these pave the way for a disappoiting budget for hospitality.

We'll see when the budget rolls around. If hospitality comes out of October with its tax burden largely unchanged, then this fund is doing the work of headlines, not the work of saving pubs.

APPLYING

Applications open in a few weeks at the end of September. Go to https://grants.businessandtrade.gov.uk/ and get yourself an account set up to apply. Make sure you run through the guidance before hand to ensure you are eligible.

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