Stop Losing Hours to Manual Invoice Chaos Reclaim Your Time with Custom AI Invoice Automation
Imagine slashing your accounts payable time by 70%, catching vendor errors before they hit your P&L, and ensuring your kitchen keeps humming without cash flow hiccups. We're here to build that reality for you.
Join 250+ food service pros who've streamlined their ops with AIQ Labs
The "Invoice Overload" Problem
Endless paper invoices from produce and meat suppliers piling up during peak dinner rushes, delaying payments and frustrating vendors like Sysco or US Foods
Manual data entry errors on bulk orders for flour, oils, or seafood leading to overpayments, squeezing already thin food cost margins
Disjointed approvals between kitchen managers and owners for restocking staples like fresh herbs or dairy, causing delays in menu fulfillment during service hours
Cash flow surprises from untracked late fees on utility bills for commercial refrigeration or linen services for tablecloths and napkins
Month-end reconciliation nightmares when POS sales data for high-volume items like burgers or salads doesn't match vendor invoices for ground beef or lettuce
Struggling to forecast vendor costs for fluctuating items like seafood or seasonal produce amid volatile market prices, disrupting your food cost percentage budgeting
Your Tailored Invoice Solution, Built from Scratch
With over 150 custom AI deployments in food service, we've seen it all—from bustling diners to multi-location chains—and we craft systems that fit like a perfectly portioned plate.
Why Choose Us
Here's the thing: off-the-shelf invoice tools treat every restaurant like a cookie-cutter chain. But you're not. We build a custom AI system that ingests your invoices via scan, email, or POS upload, intelligently extracts data like produce quantities and pricing, and routes approvals to the right team members. It's flexible for your workflow—whether you're a solo owner or coordinating across locations. No more subscription sprawl; this is yours to own and scale. Let's be honest, in the fast-paced world of food service, you need efficiency that doesn't compromise on accuracy. Our approach ensures seamless integration with your accounting software, turning invoice chaos into a smooth, automated rhythm that keeps your operations flowing.
What Makes Us Different:
Why This Perfect Fit Transforms Your Restaurant
Lightning-Fast Processing Without the Hassle
Picture this: invoices from your produce supplier like FreshDirect arrive digitally, get auto-verified against your par-level orders, and approved in under an hour during prep time. No more late-night sorting after the dinner rush. Restaurants using our systems report processing 300+ invoices monthly in half the time, freeing managers to focus on guest experience instead of paperwork piles, with one chain cutting rush-hour disruptions by 60%.
Ironclad Accuracy and Cost Savings
Manual entry is like guessing spice levels—risky and wasteful. Our AI catches discrepancies, like a 10% markup on dairy deliveries that shouldn't be there, preventing thousands in overpayments yearly on items like cheese or butter. One client saved $15K in the first quarter by nixing duplicate bills from their uniform vendor for chef coats. It's not just savings; it's peace of mind for your tight 30% food cost margins.
Seamless Workflow That Scales with You
As your restaurant grows—maybe adding a food truck or second location—our solution adapts. It handles multi-site approvals for shared suppliers like linen services and predicts cash needs based on busy weekends' seafood orders. You're probably thinking, 'Will it integrate with my setup?' Absolutely, built for your exact needs with seamless Toast or Square POS sync, reducing admin time by 40 hours a week so your team can shine on the floor during peak service.
What Clients Say
"We were drowning in invoices from suppliers like US Foods every week, especially with our catering side ramping up for events. AIQ Labs built this custom system that pulls data straight from emails and flags any pricing jumps on prime cuts of beef or poultry. In three months, we cut our processing time from 12 hours to 2, and caught a billing error on a large chicken order that saved us $2,800. It's like having an extra bookkeeper who never sleeps, keeping our off-site events running smoothly."
Maria Gonzalez
Operations Manager, Bella Italia Bistro
"Running two locations meant constant back-and-forth on approvals for everything from linen deliveries for banquet setups to liquor restocks for the bar. Their AI setup routes everything perfectly and integrates with our Toast POS—no more mismatches on bottle counts or fabric quantities. Last quarter, we avoided $4,500 in late fees on utility bills for walk-in coolers and closed books two days early. Honestly, it's transformed how we handle the backend without losing focus on service during happy hours."
Jamal Reed
Owner, Urban Grill House
"Invoices were a nightmare during tourist season; we'd miss details on bulk veggie orders for our salad bar specials and overpay on romaine or tomatoes. AIQ's custom tool scans, verifies, and even forecasts based on our sales trends from beachfront crowds. We saved 25 hours a week on admin and reduced errors by 90%, keeping our food cost at 32% steady. It's not flashy, but it keeps our cash flow steady when things get hectic with summer surges."
Sarah Kim
General Manager, Coastal Cafe
Simple 3-Step Process
Discovery and Mapping
We dive into your current invoice flow— from supplier emails to approval chains—and pinpoint pain points like delayed produce payments. Together, we map a custom blueprint that fits your restaurant's rhythm.
AI Build and Integration
Our engineers craft your tailored system, training the AI on your vendor patterns and linking it to your accounting and POS tools. It's like seasoning a signature dish—precise and personalized for peak efficiency.
Testing, Launch, and Optimization
We test with real invoices, launch smoothly, and monitor for the first month, tweaking as needed—like adjusting for seasonal menu changes. You own it all, with our support to keep it humming.
Why We're Different
What's Included
Common Questions
How does this custom solution handle the variable pricing we see with seasonal ingredients?
Great question—food service pros like you deal with this constantly. Our AI is trained on your historical data to recognize patterns, like how tomato prices fluctuate in summer. It flags anomalies in real-time, cross-references with your purchase orders, and even suggests negotiations based on market trends. For one diner client, this caught a 15% markup on herbs, saving $1,200 quarterly. We build it to learn your suppliers' habits, so it's not guessing—it's precise, reducing overpayments and keeping your costs predictable. Setup takes just a couple weeks, and it integrates smoothly with your existing tools.
Will this work with our current POS and accounting software?
Absolutely, and that's where our custom approach shines. We don't force you into new tools; instead, we create deep, two-way integrations with systems like Toast, Square, or QuickBooks. Imagine your POS sales data automatically validating an invoice from your butcher—no manual matching needed. We've done this for over 100 restaurants, handling everything from single-site setups to chains. The result? Zero data silos, 85% fewer errors, and month-end closes in days, not weeks. We map your exact workflow first to ensure it fits seamlessly.
What if we're a small operation without a big IT team?
You're in good company—most of our food service clients are SMBs with 10-100 staff, no dedicated IT folks. We handle everything: from initial build to launch and training. Think of us as your behind-the-scenes sous chef for tech. For a small cafe we worked with, we automated their 50 monthly invoices in under a month, cutting admin time by 15 hours weekly. No steep learning curve; the system is intuitive, with mobile alerts for approvals. Post-launch, we provide ongoing tweaks, so you focus on plating perfect dishes, not paperwork.
How secure is this for sensitive vendor and financial data?
Security is non-negotiable in food service, where breaches could disrupt supplies. We build with enterprise-grade encryption, role-based access (e.g., only managers see full invoices), and compliance with standards like PCI for any payment ties. Unlike off-the-shelf apps with shared servers, your custom system is isolated and owned by you. A multi-location chain we partnered with praised how it prevented unauthorized access during staff turnover. We audit regularly and integrate only trusted APIs, ensuring your data stays safe—even during high-volume periods like holiday rushes.
Can we scale this if we add more locations or services?
Yes, scalability is baked in from day one. We design the AI to handle growth, like jumping from 200 to 1,000 invoices as you open a second spot or launch catering. For a bistro expanding to food trucks, we added location-specific routing without downtime, maintaining 99% uptime. It adapts to new vendors or menu changes via simple updates. You're not locked into rigid plans; we evolve it with you, preventing the bottlenecks that hit growing restaurants. Clients see ROI in 3-6 months through time savings and error reduction.
What's the timeline and cost for building this?
Timelines vary by complexity, but for most restaurants, we deliver a fully custom system in 4-8 weeks—starting with a free consult to scope your needs. Costs are transparent: based on your invoice volume and integrations, typically $15K-$40K for build and first-year support, far less than juggling multiple subscriptions long-term. A client with 300 monthly invoices paid $22K and recouped it in five months via efficiency gains. No hidden fees; you own the code outright. Let's chat to tailor a quote to your exact setup.
Ready to Get Started?
Book your free consultation and discover how we can transform your business with AI.