3-location Italian restaurant group

The operation was healthy, but neither the owner nor the CPA had bandwidth to audit recurring service invoices that ratchet up yearly. Payroll processing was roughly double the market rate. Thin margins, long nights, and a 14-page payroll invoice that never gets reviewed.

• Payroll processing cost versus the same service level
• Merchant processing rates and excess fees
• Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) recovery

• Switched payroll providers while keeping the same service.
• We coordinated the migration with the new provider.
• Pay dates, direct deposits, and tax filings were verified before cutover.
• The owner's involvement is a signature and a kickoff call. No missed pay cycle.
• Renegotiated merchant processing rates and eliminated excess fees.
• Recovered a one-time ERTC credit the client qualified for but hadn't claimed.

Payroll processing

~58% savings

Switched providers; same service, lower effective cost

Merchant processing

~12% savings

Renegotiated rate structure and eliminated excess fees

ERTC

$250,000

Captured credit the client qualified for but hadn't claimed

Total over 2 years

~$290,000

1. 01

   The CPA already trusted us

   The owner didn't have to evaluate a new advisor.

2. 02

   We found a category the CPA wasn't watching

   CPAs audit the books. They don't renegotiate vendor contracts.

3. 03

   The economics were risk-free

   No upfront, no retainer, no commitment.