Get Licensed. Stay Compliant. Grow Strong.
Once you’re licensed, the real work begins — keeping clean records, staying on the right side of the food-to-beverage ratio, renewing on time, and understanding whether your business is making money.
ABC Consulting’s business consulting service is your ongoing partner for all of it: we review your records and sales every month, keep you compliant and renewal-ready, and give you a clear picture of your income versus expenses — plus the systems to keep it that way. Think of us as the sounding board you can call before a small problem becomes an expensive one.
Why Does Bookkeeping Matter so Much for Your License?
Here’s a problem we see constantly: a restaurant is busy and doing well, but there’s no bookkeeping system — no clean record of what was spent on food versus liquor. Then the Mixed Beverage Annual Review (MBAR) comes due, and there’s no way to fill it out accurately. And you cannot estimate on the MBAR. If you guess and get it wrong, you’ve filed an inaccurate review — which can carry hefty fines. Good bookkeeping isn’t just accounting hygiene; for a mixed-beverage licensee, it’s compliance. We help you build the habit and the system now, so year-end is a formality instead of a fire drill.
What Does Business Consulting with ABC Consulting Include?
This is hands-on, year-round support for licensed businesses — especially restaurants and bars. We handle the compliance work that protects your license and the financial visibility that protects your bottom line, and we help you put the right systems in place from day one.
Our Support Includes: |
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Monthly records & sales report review — we review your sales and records every month, so nothing slips, and small issues get caught early instead of at year-end. |
Food-to-beverage ratio monitoring — for mixed-beverage licensees, we track your food-to-beverage ratio all year and tell you exactly where you stand, so you can course-correct before it’s a violation. |
License renewals — we manage your alcohol license renewal, so you never lapse. |
MBAR readiness & filing — because you’ve kept your records clean all year with our review, your Mixed Beverage Annual Review is accurate and painless when it’s due. |
Financial insight & forecasting — an all-encompassing look at how your business is operating: income versus expenses, where the money is going, and what’s coming. |
Bookkeeping systems & education — we help you set up a real system for tracking expenses (especially the food vs. liquor split) and teach you why it matters, so your records are compliant and MBAR-ready. |
Point-of-sale & payment processing setup — we recommend POS systems and payment processing that are easy to use and built to keep clean, compliant records. |
A year-round sounding board — a real person on our team to talk through where your business is struggling, before you even open and every month after. |
What point-of-sale system should a Virginia restaurant use?
That’s why we help you choose and set up the right tools before you open:
- Recommended POS systems: We point you to point-of-sale systems we know are easy to use and keep the clean, category-separated records Virginia mixed-beverage compliance requires.
- Payment processing: We recommend payment processing that’s straightforward, priced, and integrates cleanly with your POS and reporting.
- Setup & guidance: We help you configure the system so your sales categories map to what the state asks for and train you on using it.
Who is business consulting for?
- Restaurants and bars that need to stay on top of the food-to-beverage ratio and MBAR
- New licensees who want the right systems (POS, payment processing, recordkeeping) in place before opening
- Any licensed business that wants a year-round compliance partner and a financial sounding board — not just help with a one-time application
How does ongoing business consulting work?
- Free consult: Tell us about your business, your systems (or lack of them), and where you’re feeling the strain.
- We set you up: The right POS and payment processing, a bookkeeping system that captures the food/liquor split, and a plan for monthly reporting.
- We stay on it monthly: We review your records and sales, monitor your ratio, and flag anything before it becomes a problem.
- Year-end is easy: Renewals handled, MBAR accurate and on time, no scramble.
Important: What this service is and isn’t
- We are business consultants who help you build compliant systems, understand your numbers, and stay licensed.
- We are NOT the Virginia ABC Authority. We are an independent private firm; the Authority is the regulator, and we help you work with it.
- We are NOT attorneys, and we are NOT CPAs or accountants. We help you set up good bookkeeping systems and understand your finances, but we don’t provide legal, tax, or accounting advice or replace your bookkeeper or accountant. When you need one, we’ll point you to a qualified professional.
Business Consulting FAQ
What is the food-to-liquor ratio?
It’s the Virginia requirement that mixed-beverage licensees keep food and non-alcoholic sales at a set share of their total food-and-alcohol sales. We monitor yours monthly, so you always know where you stand before it becomes a problem.
What is MBAR and why does bookkeeping matter for it?
The Mixed Beverage Annual Review is a yearly filing mixed-beverage licensees must complete, reporting food versus alcohol sales. You can’t estimate it — an inaccurate MBAR can carry significant fines — so clean monthly records are essential.
Do you help me pick a POS and payment processor?
Yes. We recommend point-of-sale systems and payment processing that are easy to use and keep the category-separated records Virginia compliance requires, and we help you set them up.
I don’t have a bookkeeper — can you help?
Yes. Many of the businesses we work with don’t have one, which is exactly why we built this service. We help you set up a system to track expenses (including the food/liquor split) and teach you how to keep it compliant. We’re not a replacement for a CPA, and we’ll tell you when you need one.
Are you accountants or attorneys?
No. We’re business consultants. We help you build compliant systems and understand your numbers, but we don’t provide legal, tax, or accounting advice — we’ll refer you to a qualified professional when that’s what you need.
