Your Weekly Cash Flow Checklist for Restaurant Owners
By Aaron Buster | July 16, 2025
For a restaurant owner, a week can feel like a lifetime. You have to pay for food deliveries and staff salaries at the beginning of the week, long before the Friday night rush brings in the revenue to cover it all. This constant cycle can create intense financial anxiety. The key to breaking free is to stop reacting and start planning with a simple weekly cash flow checklist.
Monday Morning: The Game Plan
Your week starts here. Before you place any new food orders, you need to understand where you stand. Pull two key reports from last week:
- Sales Report: What were your total sales? What were your busiest days?
- Prime Cost Report: What was your total cost for food, beverage, and labor last week? Is your prime cost (as a percentage of sales) in line with your targets?
Based on this data, you can create a smart plan for the week ahead. Project this week's sales and place your inventory orders based on real data, not just gut feel. This prevents over-ordering, which ties up precious cash in walk-in coolers.
Wednesday: The Mid-Week Check-In
Wednesday is your reality check. Log in to your bank account and look at your current balance. Then, look at the major payments that need to go out before your next big revenue day (Friday). This typically includes:
- Payroll that needs to be processed.
- Major food or liquor vendor payments.
- Upcoming rent or utility bills.
The simple question is: do you have enough cash on hand to cover these bills? If not, now is the time to act. Can you delay a non-essential payment? Can you run a promotion to drive mid-week sales?
Friday: Pre-Weekend Push
Before the busiest part of your week begins, do a final check. Ensure your Point-of-Sale (POS) system is functioning perfectly—a down system on a Friday night is a catastrophe. Make sure you have enough cash in the drawers to make change. This is also a good time to confirm that any key staff for the weekend shifts are confirmed and ready to go.
The Big Picture: From Anxiety to Control
This simple weekly rhythm transforms you from a reactive owner to a proactive strategist. By constantly checking your financial vital signs, you can spot problems—like rising food costs or inefficient scheduling—long before they become a full-blown crisis. You start making decisions based on data, not fear.
Stop the week-to-week anxiety. If you're ready to build a robust system for managing your restaurant's cash flow, schedule a call with us. We can help you set up the reports and checklists you need to thrive.