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Success Stories

Transforming Payroll for a Multi-Site Hotel

By Success Stories, Trending

Our client runs a group of boutique hotels across four sites in London and the South East, employing over 150 staff on a mix of full-time, part-time, and zero-hour contracts.

With high staff turnover and complex rotas, payroll had become a time-intensive bottleneck for the HR Director, with manual processes dominating each monthly cycle. They approached Prysm Financial for a more reliable, compliant, and scalable payroll solution.

OVERHAULING A DISJOINTED PAYROLL PROCESS

We began with a full audit of their existing payroll setup, engaging closely with the operations director, HR manager, and general managers at each site. Our focus was on reducing admin, improving accuracy, and ensuring payroll compliance.

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Hospitality Payroll Built for Flexibility

We implemented a cloud-based payroll system designed for flexible, variable-hour workforces. The system could handle split shifts, variable pay rates, and last-minute rota changes – all without needing manual re-entry each week.

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Seamless Rota and Timesheet Integration

Previously, managers submitted spreadsheet based timesheets, often leading to errors or delays. We integrated their staff scheduling software directly with payroll, ensuring approved hours flowed automatically into each pay run. This removed double entry and significantly reduced pay disputes.

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Real-Time Holiday Accrual and Pay Transparency

Calculating holiday pay for zero-hour staff had been a major challenge, especially with changing legislation. We implemented real-time holiday tracking based on hours worked, ensuring compliance and reducing confusion for both staff and managers. Payslips were made available via a secure portal, increasing transparency and reducing queries to head office.

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Onboarding and Leaver Automation

We introduced a digital onboarding process that allowed new joiners to submit details and right-to-work documents electronically. Leavers were processed efficiently, with final pay calculations and P45s issued automatically – saving hours of admin each month.

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Consolidated Payroll Reporting

Each month, we delivered detailed payroll reports, broken down by site, role, and pay type. Wage cost percentages were benchmarked against revenue, helping the leadership team spot anomalies and optimise staffing levels across quieter periods.

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Monthly Consolidated Reporting
We built bespoke monthly management accounts, including consolidated P&L by site, food and labour cost ratios, and operational KPIs. This gave the directors a clear view of underperforming locations and helped inform pricing and staffing decisions.

THE OUTCOME

Within three months, our client transitioned from a disjointed payroll setup to a centralised, compliant system built for hospitality. Errors and late payments dropped dramatically. Staff satisfaction improved thanks to transparent pay and faster resolutions to queries.

Introductory Meeting

To arrange an introductory meeting,
or for a quote, please complete the below form.





    With over 30 years of combined experience, our digitally-enhanced finance function provides restaurant and hospitality entrepreneurs with financial clarity and specialist advice to navigate past obstacles, identify opportunities and growth with confidence.

    ✔ Chartered Certified Accountants
    ✔ Full service – bookkeeping, accounting, payroll and tax,
    ✔ Free up time and frustration,
    ✔ Dedicated finance partners,
    ✔ Grow with confidence,
    ✔ Powered by Xero.

    15/07/2025

    Improving Profitability Through Smarter Finance

    By Success Stories, Trending

    Our client operates a group of casual dining restaurants across six locations in the UK, with an annual turnover of £4.1 million.

    As the group expanded, the owners faced increasing pressure to manage cash flow across sites, monitor food and labour costs, and ensure timely, accurate reporting. With limited internal finance capacity, they approached us for support in upgrading their finance function and gaining better visibility over the business.

    STREAMLINING A CLUNKY FINANCE PROCESS

    We started by conducting a full review of the restaurant group’s finance processes, working closely with the operations manager and site-level teams. Our aim was to streamline their back-office systems and empower the directors with timely insights to drive profitability.

    Our tailored solution included:

    Migration to Cloud Accounting
    We transitioned the group to a cloud-based accounting platform, providing centralised access for head office and site managers. This enabled real-time financial visibility across all locations and reduced reliance on manual spreadsheet reporting.

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    Integration with EPOS and Stock Systems
    Sales data from each restaurant’s EPOS system was integrated directly into the accounting software, enabling daily sales tracking and accurate VAT reporting. We also introduced a stock management system to track wastage and cost of sales, giving the directors greater control over gross margins.

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    Labour Cost Monitoring
    Labour is one of the largest costs in the hospitality sector. We implemented a solution that links staff rota and payroll systems to the accounts platform, allowing site-level wage costs to be monitored weekly against sales targets.

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    Automated Purchase Invoice Processing
    We introduced a digital solution for supplier invoice capture and coding, including approval workflows for the head chef and general manager at each site. This helped control spending and ensured invoices were matched to agreed pricing and delivery.

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    Cash and Till Reconciliation
    Cash variances across sites were creating reconciliation issues and lost time. We set up daily till reconciliation procedures and linked bank feeds to the accounting system, enabling more accurate cash control and reducing errors.

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    Monthly Consolidated Reporting
    We built bespoke monthly management accounts, including consolidated P&L by site, food and labour cost ratios, and operational KPIs. This gave the directors a clear view of underperforming locations and helped inform pricing and staffing decisions.

    THE OUTCOME

    Our work created a robust, cloud-based finance infrastructure tailored for the fast-paced restaurant sector.

    With automated processes, integrated systems, and accurate reporting, the directors now have full visibility over site performance and tighter control over key cost areas. Most importantly, they can spend less time chasing numbers – and more time focused on growing their brand.

    Introductory Meeting

    To arrange an introductory meeting,
    or for a quote, please complete the below form.





      With over 30 years of combined experience, our digitally-enhanced finance function provides restaurant and hospitality entrepreneurs with financial clarity and specialist advice to navigate past obstacles, identify opportunities and growth with confidence.

      ✔ Chartered Certified Accountants
      ✔ Full service – bookkeeping, accounting, payroll and tax,
      ✔ Free up time and frustration,
      ✔ Dedicated finance partners,
      ✔ Grow with confidence,
      ✔ Powered by Xero.

      09/07/2025

      Finance automation

      By Success Stories, Trending

      Our client operates a multi-site retail business with an annual turnover of £3.2 million. As the business expanded – both in-store and online – the directors found that their finance function was struggling to keep pace.

      Manual processes, lack of real-time visibility, and inconsistent reporting were making it increasingly difficult to manage cash flow, control margins, and make informed decisions. When the internal bookkeeper left, the directors approached us to review and overhaul their finance systems.

      STREAMLINING A CLUNKY FINANCE PROCESS

      We began with a detailed review of the client’s finance processes, working closely with the operations and finance teams to understand their challenges.

      From this, we developed and implemented a tailored solution that addressed key retail-specific pain points:

      Transition to a Cloud Accounting System
      We moved the business from a desktop-based accounting package to a cloud-based solution, enabling multi-location access, integration with e-commerce platforms, and real-time data visibility for the management team.

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      Automated Supplier Invoice Processing
      High volumes of purchase invoices from multiple suppliers were previously entered manually, leading to errors and delays. We introduced automated invoice capture and approval workflows, significantly improving processing speed and accuracy.

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      Integrated POS and Inventory Management
      Disconnected systems were creating stock discrepancies and delayed reporting. We helped integrate the POS system with the accounting software to enable real-time inventory tracking and margin analysis, essential for managing retail performance.

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      Automated Bank Feeds and Reconciliations
      We set up daily automated bank feeds to streamline cash management, giving directors a clearer picture of daily cash flow and reducing manual reconciliation time.

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      Mobile App for Expenses and Receipts
      Staff could now submit receipts and business expenses via a mobile app, which linked directly to the accounting system, removing the burden of chasing paperwork.

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      Custom Retail-Focused Management Reporting
      We built tailored dashboards and monthly management accounts focusing on KPIs such as gross margin by product category, store profitability, and stock turnover—giving directors actionable insight into performance.

      THE OUTCOME

      By streamlining and modernising the accounts function, we helped create a more agile and informed finance environment.

      The directors now benefit from accurate, timely reporting and improved financial controls, enabling them to better manage cash flow, respond to stock trends, and make strategic decisions with confidence.

      Introductory Meeting

      To arrange an introductory meeting,
      or for a quote, please complete the below form.





        With over 30 years of combined experience, our digitally-enhanced finance function provides restaurant and hospitality entrepreneurs with financial clarity and specialist advice to navigate past obstacles, identify opportunities and growth with confidence.

        ✔ Chartered Certified Accountants
        ✔ Full service – bookkeeping, accounting, payroll and tax,
        ✔ Free up time and frustration,
        ✔ Dedicated finance partners,
        ✔ Grow with confidence,
        ✔ Powered by Xero.

        09/07/2025

        How Prysm Financial primed Apoy for Growth

        By Success Stories

        Apoy is a London-based Filipino BBQ and street food concept, launched in 2023 and founded by Budgie Montoya (ex Dean Street Townhouse and Restaurant Story.)

        Since appointing Prysm Financial to seamlessly manage the restaurant’s finance function, Montoya has better financial visibility and can now refine the model to maximise profitability and set it up for further growth, including potential new sites.

        Bringing Filipino Cuisine To London

        The Filipino-born Montoya began his career in hospitality after moving to London in 2012 and building up an impressive range of cooking positions at several restaurants, including commis chef at Dean Street Townhouse and demi chef de partie at Restaurant Story.

        Montoya further built up his reputation in the industry by setting up a supper club and pop-ups (including a year-long residency on Heddon Street in Mayfair), both under the Sarap name, to demonstrate his love of Filipino cuisine. He has also been featured on BBC Two’s Great British Menu, championing Filipino food to a wider audience.

        After several years of testing his Filipino recipes and concepts, Montoya launched Apoy, his first permanent restaurant, at Market Halls in Oxford Circus.

        The food offering at Apoy is authentic Filipino fare with a modern twist. Barbecue skewers feature prominently, topped with unique sauces, crafted from 7 Up, banana ketchup and soy sauce glaze. 

        Other dishes include fried chicken skins and soy braised chicken, the unofficial national dish of the Philippines. Vegan options, such as soy-glazed aubergine and coconut kale, are also available.

        Implementing Strong Financial Controls

        Prysm Financial’s outsourced finance department implemented leading technology solutions to greatly reduce unnecessary financial admin as well as straightening and streamlining Apoy’s financial processes to deliver clear, robust and accurate reporting.

        Restaurant specific reporting means Apoy continues to maintain strong margins by rigorously tracking and improving ingredient, consumables and staff costs. 

        Growing with Prysm Financial

        Apoy are now primed for expansion, with their model suited to scaling to additional sites, whether through taking on external investment or out of their cash flow and with debt finance. 

        Prysm Financial continues to support Apoy by providing robust and regular reports, benchmarking them against other operators, and having frequent meetings delivered with an FD level of support.

        ”Bhimal, Tahir and the wider team are an incredible resource for restaurants. It's not just a basic accounting service - they bring valuable advice, and genuinely care about the success and growth of Apoy.

        - Budgie Montoya, Founder of Apoy

        Specialist Restaurant Accountants

        With over 30 years of combined experience, our digitally-enhanced finance function provides restaurant and hospitality entrepreneurs with financial clarity and specialist advice to navigate past obstacles, identify opportunities and growth with confidence.

        Introductory Meeting

        To arrange an introductory meeting,
        or for a quote, please complete the below form.





          07/01/2025

          How Legare found Financial Clarity with Prysm Financial

          By Success Stories

          Legare is an Italian-led restaurant launched in 2019 that draws inspiration from countries across the Mediterranean.

          The Bermondsey-based restaurant was founded by Jay Patel (formerly general manager at Barrafina and Koya) alongside his head chef, Matt Beardmore (ex Trullo senior sous chef).

          Since working with Prysm Financial’s specialist restaurant and hospitality team, Legare’s financial processes have been automated and streamlined, so Jay is no longer relied upon to complete finance-related tasks and can now focus his energies on fine-tuning the concept.

          A Neighbourhood Restaurant In London

          Legare is a London neighbourhood restaurant in Bermondsey, close to Tower Bridge and London Bridge.

          The restaurant focuses on antipasti, fresh pasta (made on-site each day) and seasonal produce. Dishes are changed regularly to try out new concepts and keep customers returning.

          Wine is also strongly featured on the menu, and significant thought is given to pairing the food with clean and conventional wines.

          Suppliers are picked on a bespoke basis, with British produce being sought where possible. This includes wines being sourced from small Italian producers.

          Freeing up time and frustration

          Prior to engaging with Prysm Financial, Legare worked with an accounting firm that did not have experience with hospitality clients and relied heavily on Jay to do the leg work. 

          This took up significant time from the director, and many associated tasks, including chasing invoices and credit notes, that were not adding any value. 

          Unsurprisingly, this led to limited financial visibility due to data being processed at a slow pace with no reporting. 

          This work also took his focus away from the more creative elements of running the restaurant and was a barrier to assessing business performance.

          Streamlined clunky accounting processes

          Since Prysm Financial  took over as Legare’s finance and payroll function, all core finance processes automated and streamlined.

          Legare has been able to leverage our specialism and experience of running the finance departments of other hospitality clients to maximize efficiency gains.

          Prysm Financial’s specialist hospitality bookkeepers chase down missing invoices, process transactions, deal with finance queries, liaise with suppliers and manage your finance mailbox.

          This has been enabled by setting up and integrating a fully cloud-based tech stack including Xero, Lightyear and Apron.

          ”Since moving to Prysm, we’re now able to ask specific questions so we can better understand our projected sales and far better control our employment costs, which have reduced month-on-month from 42% to 32% of turnover.

          - Jay Patel, Founder of Legare

          Providing Financial Clarity with FD level support

          By working with Prysm Financial, reliable and robust management accounts are produced soon after month end.

          Alongside key hospitality KPIs, the output includes forecasts and budgets so Legare can navigate past obstacles, identify opportunities and grow with confidence.

          They can also see how they are faring by benchmarking their performance against our other hospitality clients. 

          We regularly meet with the directors to review the management accounts, discuss areas for improvement, and plan future scenarios.

          These improvements have boosted profitability at Legare and helped the directors make plans to grow the restaurant business by seeking expansion with further sites. 

          Introductory Meeting

          To arrange an introductory meeting,
          or for a quote, please complete the below form.





            Why partner with Prysm Financial?

            Specialist Restaurant Accountants

            With over 30 years of combined experience, our digitally-enhanced finance function provides restaurant and hospitality entrepreneurs with financial clarity and specialist advice to navigate past obstacles, identify opportunities and growth with confidence.

            ✔ Specialist restaurant and hospitality accountants
            ✔ Chartered Certified Accountants
            ✔ Full service – bookkeeping, accounting, payroll and tax,
            ✔ Free up time and frustration,
            ✔ Dedicated finance partners,
            ✔ Grow with confidence,
            ✔ Powered by Xero.

            19/12/2024