Which Version of QuickBooks® Is Right for Your Restaurant?

In June 2005, I wrote an article for this magazine titled, "Counting Your Beans With Confidence: A QuickBooks Primer for the Startup Restaurant." I noted that QuickBooks® was the most popular accounting software for independent restaurants, an observation that was later confirmed by a RestaurantOwner.com survey.

In my role as a restaurant financial consultant, I rarely come across any other programs in use.

While the dominance of QuickBooks is not in question in the independent restaurant community, the way it is used is changing dramatically. "Cloud computing," that is, Web-based software, is growing in popularity, and QuickBooks has been a leader in developing and aggressively promoting its online version, compared with the traditional desktop version of the software. While Intuit (the maker of QuickBooks) first offered a Web-based version of QuickBooks back in 2008, it was slow to catch on. There were many reasons for this, including its sluggish response times when making entries and presenting information, the fact that it was not as user-friendly as the desktop version, the higher cost (monthly subscription vs. one-time purchase), and the fact that most folks were simply not comfortable using Web-based software at that time.

The Times They are a Changing…

As Bob Dylan famously said, "… oh, the times, they are a changing!" Intuit is now making a major push with its online version, and most knowledgeable accounting techies believe that this trend will be accelerated in the future.

QuickBooks online version is not simply a Web-enabled version of the QuickBooks desktop version. It's a unique program, that if you did not know better, you would assume was created by a totally different company. In most ways it's like asking if you prefer chocolate or vanilla. The answer can be very subjective.

So how do you know what is the best version for your restaurant? First, you need to be aware that even though the two versions share the name "QuickBooks," they are not the same program. Far from it actually. Unlike Microsoft Office 2013, which offers both a desktop version and a Web-based version that are identical products, QuickBooks Online was created from scratch with a very distinct look and feel compared with the original desktop version. It uses a different database structure, navigation, and even goes about performing basic accounting tasks differently than its desktop cousin. So let's be clear from the outset, QuickBooks online version is not simply a Web-enabled version of the QuickBooks desktop version. It's a unique program, that if you did not know better, you would assume was created by a totally different company. In most ways it's like asking if you prefer chocolate or vanilla. The answer can be very subjective.