The Search for a New Accounting Platform
Reena McKee, the Controller at Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne, needed an accounting platform that would support the rapid growth of their business.
"We were about to double our volumes and transactions, and we wanted a system that would allow us to scale and operate more efficiently."
The leadership team at Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne was also looking for modern, flexible technology that would consolidate both restaurant brands, eliminate silos of information, and inform better operational decisions.
Tablespoon and Sage Intacct
Prior to the acquisition, Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne ran their business on Sage 100. Their operational systems were not integrated into the ERP system, and the limitations of Sage 100 were starting to become a barrier to growth.
"In Sage 100, we were server-based and siloed. We were divided into eight different legal entities. If one entity needed to transfer inventory to another, a check had to be created and deposited into the other entity's bank account to be recorded in the general ledger."
Consolidating data across the different legal entities and restaurants required exporting large amounts of data to Excel, an arduous and time-consuming process.
Challenges with Sage 100 for Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne:
- Not cloud-based
- Limited reporting capability
- Inefficient, manual processes
- Siloed data
With a major acquisition on the horizon, it was time to make a change. Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne evaluated Restaurant365, NetSuite, and Sage Intacct.
“I first spoke with Tablespoon in 2020, and when I was ready to make the switch from Sage 100, I knew who to call. We did a thorough evaluation of several systems. Combined with Tablespoon's experience in the restaurant industry, Sage Intacct had all the elements I was looking for in an accounting solution."
Measuring Outcomes
After implementing Sage Intacct, Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne experienced significant improvements in efficiency, processes, and visibility among the leadership team and Area Coaches.
"An Area Coach is responsible for overseeing six or seven restaurants. Previously, our Area Coaches did not have access to real-time data or information about all the invoices being paid on their behalf. Now, with Sage Intacct, our Area Coaches can log into one system, drill into their P&Ls from a dashboard, and easily access invoice images to get the necessary visibility."
Sage Intacct has also helped Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne streamline reporting and financial analysis across both restaurant brands.
"Our data is so much more accessible. We can write reports, and Sage Intacct pulls the data we need. Creating dashboards for our CEO, President, or CFO is easy. Before Sage Intacct, it would have taken me weeks to prepare these reports. And now I'm almost to the point where I can report this information the day after we close our period. Sage Intacct has reduced the lag time on reporting because we don't have to work so hard to get our data. Our month-end close has also improved from seven days to four days."
Additional Outcomes:
- Ability to run consolidated reports at the touch of a button
- Automated intercompany accounting helped shorten the monthly close
- Access to real-time data for better decision-making
- Time savings in day-to-day accounting tasks
A State-of-the-Art Restaurant Finance Tech Stack
"One of the most significant benefits of working with Tablespoon is forming a solid partnership. It isn't a transactional relationship; Tablespoon is a genuine consultation partner who identified gaps in our processes and showed us more efficient ways to operate. They also introduced us to several partners who helped us solve our business problems."
Through Tablespoon, Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne has implemented:
- onePAY: From invoice processing to payments, onePAY by OneDataSource is seamlessly integrated with Sage Intacct and provides AP automation designed for the unique needs of multi-unit restaurants. "Before implementing Tablespoon, we used onePAY. However, thanks to the partnership between OneDataSource, Tablespoon, and Sage Intacct, we were able to streamline our AP processes, increase efficiency, and improve our existing system. As a result, we now have better visibility, and our AP processes have become much simpler.”
- BILL Spend & Expense, formerly Divvy: BILL Spend & Expense is an automated expense management solution that provides greater control over purchasing. "We've completely overhauled our corporate spending card program with Divvy and streamlined this process for our operators."
Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne also subscribed to Tablespoon's Client Success Plan for ongoing support and guidance after the initial implementation.
"The support and service we have received from Tablespoon has been exceptional. Tablespoon’s team puts in a lot of effort to help us overcome our challenges. We receive prompt responses to questions, which is highly appreciated."
Real-Time Data Enables Faster Decisions, and More Profitable Restaurants
With improved visibility, easier access to data, and automated workflows, implementing Sage Intacct through Tablespoon has enabled Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne to focus on strategy and analysis instead of manually compiling reports.
"We can provide results to our operators more quickly, enabling them to make faster decisions. We can drive quicker decision-making and promote organizational change by leveraging our data more efficiently. If there's an issue at a store, a solution can be implemented immediately. That wasn't possible before – it would take up to two weeks to analyze the data and make the change."
Dishing on Tablespoon: What three words would describe Tablespoon?
- Partnership
- Resource
- Awesome
