A 1.75% charge for a 2 day loan period equates to an APR of 319.38% or an Effective Annual Rate of 2,272%. Learn some numbers that constitute Matt’s top three ways to burn money without even realizing it.

This month’s Lessons From the Line confronts a challenge that looms large over every restaurant's financial health: the relentless pressure of labor costs. The restaurant industry is defined by razor-thin margins, where a few percentage points can mean the difference between thriving and failing, and labor expenses often represent the single largest variable cost. Mismanagement in this area isn't just inefficient; it's a direct threat to profitability.

We all know that keeping food costs tight is essential to a successful restaurant. But managing those costs effectively isn't a solo endeavor. Chefs and cooks, the backbone of any kitchen, need to understand the critical role they play in maintaining profitability. One of the most impactful ways to achieve this is through smart menu engineering. We’re diving in this week with the help of Chef and consultant Matt Adler of DC’s Cucina Morini and Caruso’s Grocery.

Q3 estimated tax payment due dates are coming up - it never hurts to review the often confusing topic. As a practical reminder, this quarter’s deadline for both personal and business estimated tax payments is September 15th. As we enter the back portion of the year, if you anticipate that your income for 2025 will be materially different from 2024 and would like to adjust your estimates for the remainder of the year, Harmony is happy to help.

Many restaurateurs underestimate the value of a regularly updated, eye catching, info filled website. This month Harmony sat down with Aviva Goldfarb to chat about how websites need to utilize their online presence from optimizing SEO to streamlining the info customers see and lots more.

With the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) signed into law, your team at Harmony has been hard at work reviewing the tax implications of the new legislation and identifying the most relevant elements of it for our many successful business clients. Prior to its passage, there was a lot of uncertainty about what provisions would be included in the new bill, what the final limits would be, and when they would be applicable.

Harmony President Matt Hetrick, CPA stopped by local DMV radio show Foodie & the Beast over the weekend to chat with David and Nycci Nellis about the One Big Beautiful Bill’s impact on the hospitality industry and to chat with them and RAMW President Shawn Townshend about Initiative 82’s disastrous impact on local restaurants.

One Big Beautiful Bill is the most momentous tax legislation since the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act - we’re breaking down some must know implications for individual tax payers, like changes to income tax, SALT tax caps, 529 plan expansion, and lots more, with more analysis to come.

This month, we’re joined by Erin Como, journalist, reporter, lifestyle host, and seasoned media pro, to discuss how restaurant owners and operators can turn press coverage into profit. Erin shares how to make the most of not only big nominations but any media mentions, what to expect from your publicist if you have one, and — most importantly — how small businesses without PR support can take media wins into their own hands.

Maryland is introducing a whole slew of new taxes starting this year. We’ll break them down in this month’s Commonsense CPA, and maybe complain a bit too.

This month we explore the interconnected challenges of employee satisfaction, employee retention, and the growing trend of unionization in the restaurant industry. We’re featuring an insightful conversation Adam Aljoburi, who is a labor and employment attorney who works directly with a unionized workforce.

This month we explore the interconnected challenges of employee satisfaction, employee retention, and the growing trend of unionization in the restaurant industry. We’re featuring an insightful conversation Adam Aljoburi, who is a labor and employment attorney who works directly with a unionized workforce.

For this month's LFTL we had a great conversation with Nycci Nellis, respected DC food, wine, and hospitality journalist, about the importance of controlling your narrative and protecting your brand’s voice both online and offline.

Whether tariffs are here to stay or not, in our role managing our client’s accounts payable we’ve seen that suppliers are already passing along price increases. Imported products like mussels, lobsters, and certain produce items are about to cost you more. Treat this challenge as an opportunity to increase your financial acumen and weatherproof your restaurant’s operations.

In this issue of Lessons from the Line, we explore why maintaining distinct financial lines for your business and yourself is absolutely crucial, outlining the legal and financial benefits of “separating church and state” if you will. It's not just good practice—it's essential.

One of the most common questions we get around here is "How long do I have to keep [insert tax document type] for?" That makes it worth revisiting our Record Retention Guidelines on a yearly basis. With Tax Season in full swing (friendly reminder to be sure you've scanned and uploaded all your tax documents to Harmony's client portals), there's no better time of year to brush up on this topic.

“If you’re a tax CPA, for example, your first tax season is the first time you’ve seen how different forms work, how these conceptual ideas actually play out for a client,” Hetrick said. “You simply can’t teach that in a book, you have to learn how to do it.”

Harmony President Matt Hetrick returned to NPR’s Marketplace to chat with Justin Ho this week about rising productivity in the American workforce, the expert Harmony team, and why staff retention and career development are so important in a field where you can’t automate away expertise.

As we step into 2025, there’s no better time to set your financial house in order. Harmony is offering up five of our top practical resolutions to guide you to a prosperous year.

2025 is here, and with it another Tax Season! If you haven't been following Harmony's Lessons From the Line blog for long, you'll have missed our perennially relevant guides for restaurant owners this time of year - we think they're quite valuable (read: we never shut up about this stuff), so we're republishing the tips we put out last January. Even if you’re not new to our blog, these are a great refresher.

Like the rest of the country, Harmony has been following the tragic news out of LA this month. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the wildfires, and we’ve been hard at work to update our LA clients on developing news as it applies to their businesses and personal returns. Here are current updates.