Multi-Location Payroll Without the Headaches
Centralized payroll and tip reporting across four locations cut administrative time dramatically — and closed compliance gaps in tip credit reporting the group didn't know it had.
Four Locations, Four Different Payroll Processes
Coastal Table Restaurant Group had grown to four locations, each running payroll slightly differently depending on which manager had set it up. Tip reporting was inconsistent, tip credits weren't being applied uniformly, and the general manager was spending most of a work week every month just reconciling payroll across locations.
The inconsistency wasn't just inefficient — it created real compliance risk, with two locations under-applying tip credits and one location missing overtime calculations for shared staff working across sites.
Where the Business Stood
locations with separate payroll processes
spent on payroll admin per month
locations with tip credit compliance gaps
Coastal Table came to Ledger looking specifically for payroll centralization after a labor law consultant flagged the tip credit inconsistencies during an unrelated review. The priority was fixing compliance first, then reducing the administrative burden.
What We Did
Audited Every Location's Payroll Setup
We reviewed tip credit application, overtime rules, and shared-staff calculations across all four sites.
Corrected Compliance Gaps
We fixed tip credit and overtime handling at the two locations with the largest exposure.
Centralized Payroll Onto One System
We migrated all four locations onto a single payroll platform with consistent rules.
Automated Tip Reporting
We set up standardized tip pooling and reporting so every location handles it the same way.
How We Supported the Business
What Changed
saved on payroll per month
compliance gaps remaining across locations
locations now running on one consistent process
The general manager now spends a fraction of the time on payroll each month, and every location follows the same tip credit and reporting process. The compliance gaps identified during the audit have been fully corrected, removing a real source of exposure for the group.
What Other Business Owners Can Learn
Payroll inconsistency across locations is often a compliance risk hiding behind an efficiency problem.
Tip credit rules are easy to apply incorrectly without anyone noticing until an audit or complaint surfaces it.
Centralizing onto one payroll system pays for itself in administrative time alone, before compliance risk is even counted.
“We went from a full week of payroll admin every month to a couple hours. And we finally know it's being done right at every location.”
General Manager, Coastal Table Restaurant Group