What Is a Chart of Accounts?

A chart of accounts (COA) is a list of a business's accounts broken out for accounting purposes. Having a structured COA creates the framework for a business to better understand and track where their money is coming from and going.

Typically, a COA is broken out by account types such as assets, liabilities, revenue, equity, cost of goods sold (COGS), and expenses. Those account types may then be split into even more specific groups, commonly referred to as general ledger codes (GL Codes).

In xtraCHEF, you can create or sync your existing COA to align reporting with your accounting framework and leverage its expense-tracking capabilities. Most businesses already using an accounting system, bookkeeper, or accountant will likely have a COA in place.

This 3-minute video discusses general ledger (GL) Codes and how they come into play in xtraCHEF.

Leverage your COA

In addition to creating the framework for xtraCHEF's Invoice, Sales, and Payroll syncs for QuickBooks, your COA tracks where the money comes from and goes on different levels.

As an example, let's say you see that you've spent $1500 on your cost of goods (purchases) this week. Upon reviewing your Food Cost Weekly report in xtraCHEF, you notice that this is a $300 increase from the week prior. Luckily, your COGS accounts are broken up into GL codes such as food purchases, beverage purchases, and non-alcoholic beverage purchases. Upon investigating, you can conclude that most of your costs this week went into food purchases.

In xtraCHEF, a number of reports utilize your COA like this to provide to-the-cent tracking capabilities and spotlight areas of your business where improvements can be made.

Create or Sync Your COA

If you already have a COA for your restaurant and are a QuickBooks Online or Desktop user, you can import it by connecting with xtraCHEF. Detailed Instructions on this step can be found here: xtraCHEF: Get Started With QuickBooks Online Integration or xtraCHEF: Get Started With QuickBooks Desktop Integration.
If you already have a COA for your restaurant and do not use QuickBooks for accounting, your Onboarding Consultant can upload it into your account on your behalf. You can also add your COA to xtraCHEF by creating GL codes. Detailed instructions on this step can be found in xtraCHEF: General Ledger (GL) Codes.
If you do not have a COA for your restaurant, you can build one as you go by creating GL codes. Detailed instructions on this step can be found here: How to Create General Ledger Codes.
- Charts of Accounts can vary significantly from restaurant to restaurant and range from simple to quite complex. For restaurants building a new COA from scratch, it's important to create this framework according to your needs and operation.
- Not sure of how things should be assigned? Here's a sample COA for common setups that we see:

Toast Categories	Category Detail	General Ledger Name	Type of GL
Sales	Food, LBW (Liquor, Beer, Wine)	Sales	Income
Tips	Credit Card Tips	Tips Payable	Other Current Liability
Discount	Food, LBW	Sales	Income
Tax	Sales Taxes	Sales Tax Payable	Other Current Liability
Payment	Credit Card	Business Checking	Bank
Payment	Cash	Undeposited Funds	Other Current Asset
Payment	Gift Card	Gift Card	Other Current Liability
Payment	Prepaid Order	Prepaid Orders	Other Current Liability
Payment Fees	Processing Fees - AMEX, V/MC/D	CC Processing Fees	Expense
Deferred	Gift Card	Gift Card	Other Current Liability
Deferred	Paid In Total	Prepaid Orders	Other Current Liability
Adjustment	Cash Over/Shortage	Cash Over/Shortage	Expense
Adjustment	Refund & Refund Adjustment	Refunds	Income
Adjustment	Tips Shortage	Cash On Hand	Bank

COA Examples

Basic Example

Here is an example of a COA that is organized on a higher level of overall food and beverage.

Account Number	Account Name	Account Type
1010	Operating Checking	Current Asset
1030	Cash in Drawer	Current Asset
1300	Prepaid Expenses	Current Asset
1320	Employee Advances	Current Asset
5000	Dry Goods Purchases	Direct Costs
5100	Dairy Purchases	Direct Costs
5200	Produce Purchases	Direct Costs
5310	Beef Purchases	Direct Costs
5320	Other Meat Purchases	Direct Costs
5330	Pork Purchases	Direct Costs
5340	Poultry Purchases	Direct Costs
5350	Seafood Purchases	Direct Costs
5510	Liquor COGS	Direct Costs
5530	BTB Beer COGS	Direct Costs
5531	Draft Beer COGS	Direct Costs
5540	N/A Beverage COGS Purchases	Direct Costs
3000	Owner's Capital	Equity
3110	Owner's Investment	Equity
3120	Owner's Draw	Equity
6100	Advertising	Expense
6110	Booking Commissions	Expense
6120	Credit Card Processing Fees	Expense
6130	POS System	Expense
6140	Equipment Repairs	Expense
6150	Equipment Rental	Expense
6160	Smallwares & Kitchen Tools	Expense
6170	Consumable Supplies	Expense
6180	China, Flatware & Glassware	Expense
6190	Decor and Ambiance	Expense
6200	Garden	Expense
6210	Laundry, Linen & Uniforms	Expense
6230	Menus & Printing	Expense
6240	Music and Entertainment	Expense
6310	Business License & Fees	Expense
6400	Bank Service Charges	Expense
6410	Software Expense	Expense
6420	Postage & Delivery	Expense
6430	Dues & Subscriptions	Expense
6440	Office Expense	Expense
6450	Interest Expense	Expense
6460	Bad Debt Expense	Expense
6470	Charitable Contributions	Expense
6480	Fees and Permits	Expense
6490	Finance Charge	Expense
6500	Liability Insurance	Expense
6510	Comparative Dining	Expense
6520	Entertainment	Expense
6530	Meals	Expense
6540	Travel	Expense
6550	Auto Fuel	Expense
6551	Auto Insurance	Expense
6552	Automobile Repair	Expense
6610	Rent	Expense
6620	Building Repairs	Expense
6630	Property Insurance	Expense
6640	Real Estate Taxes	Expense
6650	Fire System Monitoring	Expense
6660	Janitorial	Expense
6670	Landscaping	Expense
6680	Refuse Removal	Expense
6690	Snowplowing	Expense
6700	Telecommunications	Expense
6710	Electric	Expense
6720	Gas	Expense
6730	Heating Oil	Expense
6740	Water & Sewer	Expense
6800	Back of House Wages	Expense
6801	Back of House Overtime	Expense
6810	Front of House Wages	Expense
6811	Front of House Overtime	Expense
6812	Front of House MWA	Expense
6820	Maintenance Wages	Expense
6821	Maintenance Overtime	Expense
6830	Management Wages	Expense
6840	Bonuses	Expense
6850	PTO	Expense
6861	Health Insurance	Expense
6862	Retirement Plan Contribution	Expense
6863	Staff Meals	Expense
6890	Payroll Taxes	Expense
6891	Work Comp Insurance	Expense
6892	Payroll Service Fees	Expense
6900	Accounting	Expense
6910	HR Compliance	Expense
6920	Legal	Expense
7010	Corporate Taxes	Expense
7020	Excise Taxes	Expense
7030	Personal Property Taxes	Expense
1520	Accumulated Depreciation	Fixed Asset
1521	Equipment	Fixed Asset
2100	Undistributed Tips	Current Liability
7000	Depreciation Expense	Depreciation
7999	Over / Short	Expense
4715	Other Sales	Other Sales
4100	Food Sales	Revenue
4110	N/A Beverage Sales	Revenue
4210	Beer BTB Sales	Revenue
4220	Beer Draft Sales	Revenue
4230	Liquor Sales	Revenue
4240	Wine BTB Sales	Revenue
4250	Wine BTG Sales	Revenue
4910	Shift Drinks	Revenue
4920	Service Recovery Discount	Revenue
4930	Sales/Marketing Discount	Revenue
4940	Ownership Discount	Revenue
4950	Goodwill Discount	Revenue
2200	Sales Tax	Current Liability
2210	Meals Tax	Current Liability

Detailed Example

Here is an example of a COA that has been broken down into categories such as “meat” and “dairy”.

Account Number	Account Name	Account Type
1000	Cash On Hand	Bank
1010	Bank Account 1	Bank
1020	Bank Account 2	Bank
1030	Bank Account 3	Bank
1100	Accounts Receivable (A/R)	Accounts receivable (A/R)
1150	Credit Card Receivable	Other Current Assets
1175	House Account	Other Current Assets
1200	Inventory	Other Current Assets
1210	Inventory: Food Inventory	Other Current Assets
1220	Inventory: Beverage Inventory	Other Current Assets
1230	Inventory: Bar & Consumable Inventory	Other Current Assets
1400	Prepaid Expenses	Other Current Assets
1500	Fixed Asset Computers	Fixed Assets
1530	Furniture & Fixtures	Fixed Assets
1540	Leasehold Improvements	Fixed Assets
1600	Accumulated Depreciation	Fixed Assets
1700	Capitalized Start Up Expenses	Fixed Assets
1800	Security Deposits	Other Assets
2000	Accounts Payable (A/P)	Accounts payable (A/P)
2110	Credit Card 1	Credit Card
2120	Credit Card 2	Credit Card
2130	Credit Card 3	Credit Card
2210	Sales Tax Expense	Other Current Liabilities
2220	Payroll Clearing	Other Current Liabilities
2230	Accrued Expenses	Other Current Liabilities
2250	Payroll Liabilities	Other Current Liabilities
2280	Tips Payable	Other Current Liabilities
2300	Gift Cards Outstanding	Other Current Liabilities
2400	Notes Payable	Other Current Liabilities
3000	Capital Contribution	Equity
3010	Capital Contribution: Member A	Equity
3020	Capital Contribution: Member B	Equity
3030	Capital Contribution: Member C	Equity
3040	Capital Contribution: Member D	Equity
3300	Retained Earnings	Equity
4100	Food Sales	Income
4110	Food Sales: Lunch Sales	Income
4120	Food Sales: Dinner Sales	Income
4130	Food Sales: Food Comps	Income
4140	Food Sales: Food Discounts	Income
4200	Beverage Sales	Income
4210	Beverage Sales: N/A Beverage	Income
4220	Beverage Sales: Liquor Sales	Income
4230	Beverage Sales: Beer Sales	Income
4250	Beverage Sales: Wine Sales	Income
4260	Beverage Sales :Beverage Comps	Income
4270	Beverage Sales: Beverage Discounts	Income
4300	Service/Fee Income	Income
4400	Merchandise Sales	Income
4500	Catering & Contracts	Income
5100	Food Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5110	Food Cost: Meat Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5120	Food Cost: Poultry Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5130	Food Cost: Seafood Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5140	Food Cost: Dairy Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5150	Food Cost: Produce Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5160	Food Cost: Frozen Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5170	Food Cost: Grocery Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5190	Change in Food Inventory	Cost of Goods Sold
5200	Beverage Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5210	Beverage Cost: N/A Beverage Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5220	Beverage Cost: Liquor Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5230	Beverage Cost: Beer Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5240	Beverage Cost: Wine Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
5290	Change in Beverage Inventory	Cost of Goods Sold
5300	Merchandise Cost	Cost of Goods Sold
6000	Payroll Expenses	Expenses
6010	Payroll Expenses: FOH Wages	Expenses
6011	Payroll Expenses: FOH Wages: FOH Management	Expenses
6012	Payroll Expenses: FOH Wages: FOH Hourly	Expenses
6020	Payroll Expenses: BOH Wages	Expenses
6021	Payroll Expenses: BOH Wages: BOH Management	Expenses
6022	Payroll Expenses: BOH Wages: BOH Hourly	Expenses
6030	Payroll Expenses: Administrative Wages	Expenses
6040	Payroll Expenses: Employee Benefits	Expenses
6050	Payroll Expenses: Employee Meals	Expenses
6060	Payroll Expenses: Workman’s Comp	Expenses
6065	Payroll Taxes	Expenses
6070	Payroll Expenses: Employers Payroll Taxes	Expenses
6075	Payroll Expenses: Payroll Processing Fee	Expenses
6080	Payroll Expenses: Contract Labor	Expenses
6100	Direct Operating Expenses	Expenses
6110	Direct Operating Expenses: China – Glassware – Flatware	Expenses
6120	Direct Operating Expenses: Restaurant & Kitchen Supply	Expenses
6130	Direct Operating Expenses: Cleaning Supply	Expenses
6140	Direct Operating Expenses: Decoration & Guest Supply	Expenses
6150	Direct Operating Expenses: Linen Services	Expenses
6160	Direct Operating Expenses: Permit & License	Expenses
6200	Cleaning Services	Expenses
6300	Marketing Expenses	Expenses
6400	Advertising and Promotion	Expenses
6500	Travel	Expenses
6600	Automobile Expenses	Expenses
6700	Meals & Entertainment	Expenses
6800	POS Fee	Expenses
6900	Telephone and Internet	Expenses
7000	General and Administrative	Expenses
7010	General and Administrative: Bad Debts – Over/Short	Expenses
7020	General and Administrative: Bank Fees	Expenses
7021	General and Administrative: Bank Fees: Bank Fees – Sub	Expenses
7022	General and Administrative: Bank Fees: Merchant Account Fees	Expenses
7030	General and Administrative: Insurance Expense	Expenses
7100	Legal & Professional Services	Expenses
7110	Legal & Professional Services: Accounting & Bookkeeping	Expenses
7120	Legal & Professional Services: Consulting Fees	Expenses
7130	Legal & Professional Services: Legal Fees	Expenses
7200	General and Administrative: Office Expenses	Expenses
7210	General and Administrative: Office Expenses: Dues & Subscriptions	Expenses
7220	General and Administrative: Office Expenses: Office Supplies	Expenses
7300	Facilities	Expenses
7310	Facilities: Rent & Lease	Expenses
7320	Facilities: Utilities	Expenses
7330	Facilities: Garbage Removal	Expenses
7340	Facilities: Pest Control	Expenses
7350	Facilities: Repairs and Maintenance	Expenses
7400	Equipment Rental	Expenses
7500	Sales Tax Expense	Expenses
7999	Ask My Accountant	Expenses
8100	Interest Earned	Other Income
8200	Other Miscellaneous Income	Other Income
9000	Taxes and Fees	Other Expense

This content is for informational purposes and is not intended as legal, tax, HR, or any other professional advice. Please contact an attorney or other professional for advice.

xtraCHEF: Glossary and Terminology

xtraCHEF: COGS Mapping

xtraCHEF 101

xtraCHEF: Add and Edit COGS Groups

xtraCHEF: Operating Summary

xtraCHEF: Chart of Accounts