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Multi-unit Food Service Controller

Full Time Durham, NC

About this role

Multi-Unit Controller

Location: Durham, NC (on-site, with regular travel to store locations) Employment Type: Full-Time | Exempt Reports To: CFO / CEO

About Us

We're a growing multi-unit fast-casual restaurant group based in the Triangle. Our success is built on great food, great people, and disciplined operations — and we're looking for a hands-on financial leader to keep the numbers side of the business running as smoothly as our kitchens.

About the Role

The Multi-Unit Controller owns the accounting and payroll functions across all of our locations. This is a roll-up-your-sleeves role for someone who understands the rhythm of restaurant finance — weekly payroll cycles with tips, daily sales reconciliation, invoice-heavy AP, and the constant push to protect margins in a high-volume, low-check-average environment. You'll be the go-to financial resource for ownership and operations leadership alike.

What You'll Do

Payroll (Primary Ownership)

  • Own end-to-end payroll processing for all locations, including hourly, salaried, and tipped employees
  • Administer tip pooling/tip reporting in compliance with FLSA and NC wage law
  • Manage payroll tax filings, garnishments, and year-end reporting (W-2s, 1095-Cs)
  • Partner with HR on new hire setup, pay changes, terminations, and final pay compliance
  • Audit timekeeping data and resolve discrepancies with store management

Accounting & Reporting

  • Manage the monthly close, including journal entries, accruals, and balance sheet reconciliations
  • Produce store-level P&Ls and consolidated financial statements with clear variance commentary
  • Oversee accounts payable, vendor management, and cash management across locations
  • Reconcile daily sales, deposits, and third-party delivery platform settlements
  • Track and report prime cost (COGS + labor) by location; flag trends and outliers for operations

Controls & Compliance

  • Maintain internal controls over cash handling, inventory, and disbursements
  • Support annual tax preparation, insurance audits (workers' comp, GL), and lender reporting
  • Assist with budgeting, forecasting, and new-unit financial modeling as we grow

What You Bring

  • 3–5 years of accounting/finance experience in hospitality, restaurants, or multi-unit retail (required)
  • Direct experience owning or processing payroll, ideally including tipped employees
  • Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field — or equivalent hands-on experience
  • Strong Excel skills and fluency with restaurant accounting/POS/payroll systems (e.g., R365, Toast, QuickBooks, ADP, Paylocity, or similar)
  • Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred
  • Working knowledge of FLSA, tip credit rules, and multi-location wage and hour compliance
  • A self-starter mindset — comfortable being the finance department, not just part of one

What We Offer

  • Competitive salary commensurate with experience
  • Performance bonus opportunity
  • Paid time off
  • Meal benefits at all locations
  • The chance to build the finance function of a growing restaurant group and grow with it

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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Do you have at least 3 years of accounting or payroll experience in a restaurant, hospitality, or multi-unit retail environment?*
Are you able to work on-site in Durham, NC, with occasional travel to other Triangle-area locations?*
Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?*
What is your current or most recent employer, and what is your role there? (This search is confidential; this information is used only to manage potential conflicts and will not be shared without your consent.)*
This role is working with the finance team, supporting a growing multi-unit group. What appeals to you about that kind of environment, and what support would you need to succeed?*
What are your salary expectations for this role?*
Which accounting, POS, and payroll platforms have you worked with? Rate your proficiency in each.*
Walk us through your role in a typical monthly close. What did you own personally vs. review? How long did this process typically take?*
How comfortable are you conducting business in Spanish (spoken and written)? (Fluent / Conversational / Basic / None)*
Daily sales from your POS don't match the bank deposit for one location three days in a row. What steps do you take?*
Tell us about a time you identified a cost-saving opportunity or caught a significant error through your reporting. What was the impact?*
Human Check*