Disclosure: This article is written by Shaun McManus, founder of SmartPubTools and creator of the Restaurant Console. All operational claims reflect genuine experience at Teal Farm Pub, Washington.
What Should a Restaurant Daily Sales Report Track?
Key Takeaway: A restaurant daily sales report should capture: total covers per service, revenue per service (ex-VAT), average spend per cover, delivery platform revenue (net of commission), and variance vs the same day last week. Without these five figures, you are managing by instinct rather than by data.
Running this problem at your pub?
Here's the system I use at The Teal Farm to fix it — real-time labour %, cash position, and VAT liability in one dashboard. 30-minute setup. £97 once, no monthly fees.
Get Pub Command Centre — £97 →No monthly fees. 30-day money-back guarantee. Built by a working pub landlord.
By Shaun McManus | Last Updated: May 2026
Most independent restaurant owners check their till totals at end of day and nothing else. That tells you revenue — but not whether it was a good day relative to your targets, your same-day last week, or the number of covers you expected. A daily sales report turns raw numbers into actionable intelligence.
The Five Numbers Every Restaurant Daily Report Must Include
| Metric | Why it matters | UK benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Covers (lunch service) | Tracks service performance vs capacity | Varies — track vs your own baseline |
| Covers (dinner service) | Identifies which service is under-performing | Varies — track vs your own baseline |
| Revenue (ex-VAT) | All financial calculations use net figures | £25-35 per cover for casual dining |
| Average spend per cover (ex-VAT) | Revenue ÷ covers — the key efficiency metric | £25-35 casual dining, £40+ fine dining |
| Delivery net revenue | Platform commissions already deducted | Deliveroo/Uber: 36% effective deduction |
Daily Sales Report Template — Free Download
A daily sales report does not need to be complex. The template below captures everything you need in under two minutes per day:
| Field | Lunch | Dinner | Full day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covers | |||
| Food revenue (ex-VAT) | |||
| Drink revenue (ex-VAT) | |||
| Total revenue (ex-VAT) | |||
| Average spend per cover | |||
| Deliveroo net (after 36% effective) | – | – | |
| Uber Eats net (after 36% effective) | – | – | |
| Just Eat net (after 16.8% effective) | – | – | |
| Own website net | – | – | |
| Total delivery net | – | – | |
| Staff on shift (FOH) | |||
| Staff on shift (kitchen) | |||
| Notes (weather, events, issues) | |||
Variance Tracking — This Day vs Same Day Last Week
The most valuable column in any daily report is variance. Not “how much did we take today” — but “how much did we take compared to the same day last week, and what explains the difference?”
At Teal Farm Pub I compare each day’s covers and revenue against the same day the previous week and the same day the previous year. If Monday lunch is consistently 20% below the same Monday last month, that is a signal — poor weather, a local event, a menu issue, or a staffing problem. Without the comparison you will not notice the pattern.
This is exactly what the Restaurant Console Daily Ops module does automatically — it shows live daily performance vs the same period last year, with variance flagged in red/amber/green.
How to Use Daily Data to Drive Weekly Decisions
Daily data is only useful if it feeds into weekly decisions. The pattern is: track daily → review weekly → act on the trend.
If Monday–Wednesday covers are consistently 15% below target, the decision might be a midweek promotion, a change to opening hours, or a staffing reduction. If average spend is dropping, the response is menu engineering or upsell training. If delivery net revenue is dropping even though order volume is stable, look at platform commission changes or order size distribution.
The restaurant weekly P&L guide explains how to use daily data to build weekly financial reports. The table turn rate guide covers the covers-per-service metric in detail.
Run Your Restaurant From One System — £97 One-Time
The Restaurant Console tracks daily covers and revenue per service automatically — feeding into the Weekly Cockpit (P&L actual vs target vs last year) and the Data Vault (historical covers and revenue for forecasting).
✓ Daily Ops: live daily performance vs same period last year
✓ Sales module: covers and revenue per service (lunch/dinner/full day)
✓ Data Vault: historical covers powering forecasting
✓ No monthly fees. No subscription. £97 once.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a restaurant daily sales report include?
Total covers per service, revenue per service (ex-VAT), average spend per cover, delivery platform net revenue (after commissions), staff on shift, and variance vs same day last week.
Why should restaurant revenue be tracked ex-VAT?
All financial calculations — GP%, food cost%, labour% — must use net-of-VAT figures. VAT is collected on behalf of HMRC. Calculating GP% using VAT-inclusive revenue overstates gross profit by approximately 17%.
What is a good average spend per cover for a UK restaurant?
Casual dining/pub food: £25-35 ex-VAT. Mid-market: £35-50 ex-VAT. Fine dining: £60+ ex-VAT. A declining trend in average spend is an early warning sign of menu or upsell problems.
How often should I review my restaurant sales data?
Record daily, review weekly. Monthly analysis is useful for longer-term patterns but too slow for operational decisions. Problems identified weekly can be fixed that week; monthly is always too late.
What is the best way to track restaurant daily sales?
A Google Sheets template with daily input of covers, revenue per service, and delivery net revenue — feeding automatically into weekly P&L. The Restaurant Console does this in one system, with Daily Ops, Weekly Cockpit, and Data Vault all connected. £97 one-time.
Running your pub on gut feel?
The Pub Command Centre gives you wet GP%, cellar checks, staff cost and weekly P&L — from your phone, every shift. £97 once. No subscription.
See the Pub Command Centre →