R.E.Q.M. Program · Restaurants, Bars & Cafes
A Launch CFO in Your Corner — From Concept to the First 60 Days.
Most restaurants don’t fail because the food was bad. They fail because the money ran out before the systems caught up — buildout overran, prime cost drifted, the books were an afterthought, and nobody was watching the daily numbers until it was too late. The Restaurant Launch CFO & Operations Readiness Program turns concept, lease, buildout, staffing, systems, and opening week into one controlled plan, with the financial backbone built in from day one.
The riskiest decisions all happen before there’s a dollar of revenue: concept economics, site selection, lease terms, buildout budgets, permits, hiring, vendor and POS setup, opening marketing, and working capital. By the time the doors open, the expensive mistakes are already baked in. Independent operators face this cluster of high-stakes calls without the internal finance, systems, and operations leadership a bigger group would have — which is exactly the gap this program fills.
Plenty of restaurant consultants can talk menus, labor, and service. Far fewer can connect a pre-opening decision to your cash runway, prime cost, chart of accounts, POS-to-books integration, vendor controls, payroll, sales tax, owner draws, and weekly financial reporting. R.E.Q.M. starts from the numbers and works outward — because the person guiding your launch spent twenty years running fine-dining rooms, a boutique inn, and an award-winning wine program before she ever reconciled them for someone else. We’ve closed the register at midnight. We know what the numbers are actually telling you. In short: restaurant consulting services with a fractional restaurant CFO and a restaurant accountant built in — not bolted on.
Where We Start
Before anyone talks about a full launch package, we start with a focused, paid diagnostic — a flat fee of $750 to $1,500, scoped to the complexity of your concept. It’s a low-risk way to pressure-test the opportunity, protect your capital, and find out whether the concept is ready — or whether the honest answer is “not yet.” And if we’re a good fit, that diagnostic fee rolls straight into your project price.
From there, the work is modular — you take only the phases you actually need, in the right order, as fixed-scope packages. A full concept-to-opening engagement can include any of:
Choose Your Level
Every engagement is custom-scoped to your concept and capital. These are the three shapes it usually takes — we’ll talk through which one fits on your first call.
For owners who already have the site, the capital, and an experienced operator, but want the financial and systems backbone done right: diagnostic, accounting and POS setup, an opening dashboard, a marketing checklist, and the first stretch of ongoing accounting.
For the first-time independent operator who wants a true launch partner: concept and financial modeling, site and lease support, full systems setup, an HR and operations playbook, opening support, and ongoing accounting once the doors are open.
For larger buildouts, alcohol service, investor money, or a second location: full concept-to-opening support, buildout and vendor coordination, on-site opening support, and a longer runway of ongoing accounting and advisory.
Pricing is scoped to the engagement — there’s no menu price for a restaurant. We’ll quote it clearly after the diagnostic, with a fixed scope and no surprises.
A launch is the beginning of the relationship, not the end of it. Every engagement transitions into ongoing accounting matched to your volume and how hands-on you want us to be — from light monthly books to a fractional restaurant controller:
Prefer to start with just the books? That’s our restaurant bookkeeping service — and it can grow into the full program whenever you’re ready.
Already Open?
The same methodology works as a makeover for a restaurant that’s open but struggling — a prime-cost audit, bookkeeping cleanup, menu and margin review, vendor renegotiation, and a weekly cash-control rhythm to stop the bleed and rebuild discipline. If the numbers stopped making sense somewhere along the way, that’s exactly where we come in.
R.E.Q.M. is based in Tucson, with deep Arizona roots — we know Series 12 liquor licensing, local permitting, and the regional vendor and lender network. But this program is not bound by zip code. We work with independent operators nationwide through a blend of on-site visits at the moments that matter (site walks, buildout checkpoints, soft opening) and secure remote collaboration for everything in between. Wherever you’re opening, you get the same operator-who-ran-restaurants perspective and the same accounting-first discipline.
We focus on finance, systems, controls, readiness, coordination, and owner decision support. We are not your architect, attorney, general contractor, liquor-license attorney, insurance broker, or payroll processor — but we coordinate with all of them, and we’ll help you assemble the right bench so nothing falls through the cracks.
Begin the Conversation
The earlier we start, the more we can save you — the highest-value moment is before the lease is signed and the budget is locked. Reach out for a Feasibility Diagnostic, and let’s find out whether this concept is ready to open with confidence.
Clarity in your numbers. Control in your build.