--- title: When Do I Need a CFO or Controller For My Restaurant? - FIXE description: FIXE handles all of the day to day bookkeeping and software management, but restaurants can benefit from a Controller or CFO as they expand. image: https://hub.getmyfixe.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/FIXE-feature-when-CFO-Controller.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/communal-table/when-do-i-need-cfo-controller-for-my-restaurant#main-content) [![FIXE Logo](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/hs-fs/hubfs/FIXE-2@2x.png?width=333&height=200&name=FIXE-2@2x.png)Homepage](https://www.getmyfixe.com/) - [How FIXE Works](https://www.getmyfixe.com/how-fixe-works/) - [Restaurant Types](https://www.getmyfixe.com/restaurant-types/) - [Pricing](https://www.getmyfixe.com/pricing/) - [FAQs](https://www.getmyfixe.com/faqs/) - [Communal Table](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/communal-table) [Book a demo](https://www.getmyfixe.com/book-a-demo/) - [How FIXE Works](https://www.getmyfixe.com/how-fixe-works/) - [Restaurant Types](https://www.getmyfixe.com/restaurant-types/) - [Pricing](https://www.getmyfixe.com/pricing/) - [FAQs](https://www.getmyfixe.com/faqs/) - [Communal Table](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/communal-table) [Book a demo](https://www.getmyfixe.com/book-a-demo/) ![](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/FIXE-feature-when-CFO-Controller.jpg?width=1500&height=1000&name=FIXE-feature-when-CFO-Controller.jpg) FIXE Controller Best Practices # When do I need a CFO or Controller for my restaurant? ![Ryan Handel](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/hubfs/FIXE-mark-midnight-icon.svg) Ryan Handel April 22, 2025 **Short answer:** A single restaurant usually doesn't need a Controller or a CFO, especially if FIXE is handling your day to day bookkeeping. Bring in a Controller or office administrator once you reach about $7 to 8 million a year in revenue and have multiple locations, shared overhead and cash flow to manage. A CFO costs at least $150,000 a year, so it makes sense around $15 to 20 million in revenue, when you're preparing for investment, working with banks on loans or projecting cash flow for expansion. Depending on how comfortable you are and how your operations are set up, a single restaurant probably doesn’t need a Controller or a Director of Finance, especially if you’re using FIXE. FIXE does a good job of providing and outlining your financials. We make sure that the information is going into the right buckets, that you understand everything, and that we’re all on the same page.  As you grow, you’ll have more locations and different revenue sources coming in. You’ll start to have corporate overhead and credit cards that get allocated to different locations. If you’re expanding quickly, you also might need some cash flow management. You should probably bring in some type of administrator or a Controller when you reach $7-8 million for the year in revenue.  ## Key takeaways - A single restaurant probably doesn't need a Controller or Director of Finance, especially if FIXE is handling your bookkeeping. - Consider a Controller or office administrator around $7 to 8 million in annual revenue, when multiple locations, corporate overhead and shared credit cards need allocating. - A Controller pays vendors, reviews vendor statements and payroll, and tells your bookkeeper how the owner wants shared expenses split across locations. - A CFO costs $150,000 a year at minimum, so your revenue should be around $15 to 20 million a year to justify one. - Bring in a CFO to get your financials ready for investment, work with banks on loans or project cash flow as you expand. ## CONTROLLER ROLES We do a good job of getting financials ready at FIXE, but at a certain point, we need a liaison that helps bridge that gap between the bookkeeping work that we do and the final financial package that goes to the owners and operators. Someone that can say, “This expense is allocated to these locations,” or, “This is how the owner wants to look at it.” The owner doesn’t have time for those conversations because they’re trying to grow their business. That’s why it’s worth it for them to invest in a Controller.  We have a lot of customers with 5-10 or more locations. We enjoy working in tandem either with their Controller or some type of office administrator. FIXE is still going to handle all of the day to day bookkeeping and software management to make sure all the information is going to the right places, but you still want that extra set of eyes to analyze the numbers and to correct them.  Controllers are the people who should be paying the vendors, reviewing vendor statements, reviewing payroll, and making sure there are no errors. The Controller’s job is to represent how the owner wants expenses allocated. A lot of times groups buy things for multiple locations at the same time. They make sure expenses are allocated correctly and that clearly identify that to our account managers. FIXE account managers do as good of a job as they can, but we don’t have a crystal ball. If an expense needs to get split into the three different locations, we need that information. We won’t just assume it. Controllers should have a sensibility about how they’re paying vendors and managing cash flow. The Controller isn’t expected to bring in revenue; they are managing what’s directly in front of them. They’re not forecasting down the road or laying down the framework for how to build your business. They’re just making sure that your current business is financially solid and under control. ## CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER FUNCTIONS There are a couple of types of CFOs. Some CFOs will help analyze your business and project cash flow. Other CFOs are really good at helping you fundraise or get lines of credit to help grow your business. Usually, it’s a different skill set. Not every CFO has both skill sets.  A CFO is going to cost you $150,000 a year at minimum. In order to justify that cost, your revenue should  be $15-$20 million a year. You should bring in a CFO to:  - Dial in your financials to get ready for an investment - Be a liaison between you and a bank to help get loans to grow further - Help project cash flow as you start to expand restaurants There’s a variety of reasons, but you don’t need a CFO when you’re making under $10 million a year. You probably just need a Controller, someone that can help review the financials. Until you're at that size, [outsourced restaurant bookkeeping starts at $690 a month per location](https://www.getmyfixe.com/pricing/), a fraction of what a controller costs. If you're trying to figure out which one you need, start with your [Restaurant Financial Health Score](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/health-score?src=blog). It shows where your books stand today. ## Frequently asked questions ### What's the difference between a restaurant Controller and a CFO? A Controller manages what's directly in front of them: paying vendors, reviewing vendor statements and payroll, catching errors and making sure expenses are allocated the way the owner wants. They aren't forecasting or laying down the framework for how to build your business. A CFO looks further out, either analyzing the business and projecting cash flow or helping you fundraise and get lines of credit. Not every CFO has both skill sets. ### At what revenue does a restaurant need a CFO? A CFO costs at least $150,000 a year, so your revenue should be around $15 to 20 million a year to justify it. If you're making under $10 million a year, you probably just need a Controller, someone who can help review the financials. ### Does a Controller replace my outsourced bookkeeper? No, they work in tandem. FIXE still handles the day to day bookkeeping and software management so information goes to the right places, while the Controller bridges the gap between that bookkeeping and the final financial package that goes to owners and operators. The Controller also tells your FIXE account manager when an expense needs to be split across locations, since FIXE won't just assume it. ## More on Choosing a Restaurant Bookkeeper This post is part of our [Choosing a Restaurant Bookkeeper](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/communal-table/choosing-a-restaurant-bookkeeper) guide. Keep reading: - [Best restaurant bookkeeping services compared](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/communal-table/best-restaurant-bookkeeping-services-compared) - [How Much Does Outsourced Restaurant Bookkeeping Cost?](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/communal-table/how-much-does-outsourced-restaurant-bookkeeping-cost) - [Outsourced restaurant bookkeeping: How it actually works](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/communal-table/outsourced-restaurant-bookkeeping-how-it-actually-works) About the author [Ryan Handel](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/communal-table/author/ryan) is the co-founder and CEO of FIXE. He spent more than 20 years in the restaurant industry before starting FIXE, which now does the books for 600+ restaurant locations. [Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-handel-694a9520/). ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fhub.getmyfixe.com%2Fcommunal-table%2Fwhen-do-i-need-cfo-controller-for-my-restaurant](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fhub.getmyfixe.com%2Fcommunal-table%2Fwhen-do-i-need-cfo-controller-for-my-restaurant) ## Keep reading ### [![The Complete Guide to Restaurant Payroll Reconciliation](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/hs-fs/hubfs/FIXE-The-Complete-Guide-to-Restaurant-Payroll-Reconciliation.jpg?width=1672&height=941&name=FIXE-The-Complete-Guide-to-Restaurant-Payroll-Reconciliation.jpg) Tipping Bookkeeping FIXE The Complete Guide to Restaurant Payroll Reconciliation](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/communal-table/the-complete-guide-to-restaurant-payroll-reconciliation) ### [![Best Restaurant Bookkeeping Firms for Multi-Unit Groups](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/hs-fs/hubfs/FIXE-Best-Restaurant-Bookkeeping-Firms-for-Multi-Unit-Groups.jpg?width=1672&height=941&name=FIXE-Best-Restaurant-Bookkeeping-Firms-for-Multi-Unit-Groups.jpg) 3rd Party Apps Franchises Bookkeeping Best Restaurant Bookkeeping Firms for Multi-Unit Groups (2026)](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/communal-table/best-restaurant-finance-partners-for-operators) [![FIXE-2@2x-1](https://hub.getmyfixe.com/hs-fs/hubfs/FIXE-2@2x-1.png?width=150&height=90&name=FIXE-2@2x-1.png "FIXE-2@2x-1")](https://www.getmyfixe.com/) - SOLUTIONS - [How FIXE Works](https://www.getmyfixe.com/how-fixe-works/) - [Fresh Financial Reports](https://www.getmyfixe.com/how-fixe-works/#reports) - [A/P Automation](https://www.getmyfixe.com/how-fixe-works/#automation) - [3rd Party App Intelligence](https://www.getmyfixe.com/how-fixe-works/#3rd-party-intelligence) - RESOURCES - [Restaurant Types](https://www.getmyfixe.com/restaurant-types/) - [Pricing](https://www.getmyfixe.com/pricing/) - [Book a demo](https://www.getmyfixe.com/book-a-demo/) - [Glossary](https://www.getmyfixe.com/fixe-restaurant-bookkeeping-glossary/) - COMPANY - [FAQs](https://www.getmyfixe.com/faqs/) - [Communal Table](https://www.getmyfixe.com/communal-table/) - [Sign in](https://www.fixebookkeeping.com/) - [Contact us](https://www.getmyfixe.com/contact-us/) © 2026 FIXE. All rights reserved.   [Privacy policy](https://www.getmyfixe.com/privacy-policy/) --- {{ footer\_js() }} {{ js\_integration\_body\_end() }} ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Ryan Handel", "url" : "https://hub.getmyfixe.com/communal-table/author/ryan" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-28T22:06:58.436Z", "datePublished" : "2025-04-22T10:00:48.000Z", "headline" : "When Do I Need a CFO or Controller For My Restaurant? - FIXE", "image" : [ "https://hub.getmyfixe.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/FIXE-feature-when-CFO-Controller.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://hub.getmyfixe.com/communal-table/when-do-i-need-cfo-controller-for-my-restaurant", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://hub.getmyfixe.com/hubfs/FIXE-2@2x.png" }, "name" : "Fixe Inc." } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "FAQPage", "mainEntity" : [ { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "A Controller manages what's directly in front of them: paying vendors, reviewing vendor statements and payroll, catching errors and making sure expenses are allocated the way the owner wants. They aren't forecasting or laying down the framework for how to build your business. A CFO looks further out, either analyzing the business and projecting cash flow or helping you fundraise and get lines of credit. Not every CFO has both skill sets." }, "name" : "What's the difference between a restaurant Controller and a CFO?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "A CFO costs at least $150,000 a year, so your revenue should be around $15 to 20 million a year to justify it. If you're making under $10 million a year, you probably just need a Controller, someone who can help review the financials." }, "name" : "At what revenue does a restaurant need a CFO?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "No, they work in tandem. FIXE still handles the day to day bookkeeping and software management so information goes to the right places, while the Controller bridges the gap between that bookkeeping and the final financial package that goes to owners and operators. The Controller also tells your FIXE account manager when an expense needs to be split across locations, since FIXE won't just assume it." }, "name" : "Does a Controller replace my outsourced bookkeeper?" } ] } ```