Service Squared
At a Glance
- What it is: Outsourced accounting, bookkeeping, and back-office firm built for the service industry.
- What it does: Accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, finance, outsourced CFO support, business intelligence, compliance, tax, and licensing — bundled into one fixed monthly "Total Service" fee.
- Who it serves: Restaurants, hotels, fitness studios, salons, healthcare and mental-health clinics, breweries, sports, wellness, and distribution businesses — primarily multi-unit operators and franchises.
- Founded: 2014 as Dine Strategy (a restaurant accounting firm); rebranded as Service Squared Corp in 2021.
- Leadership: Founder and CEO William (Bill) Taves, a 30+ year financial expert with 20+ years as a CFO for public and private firms and large restaurant chains.
- Team: 35 accounting, payroll, and compliance specialists.
- Scale: ~300 client entities, ~800 locations, and ~9,000 employees supported by payroll.
- Headquarters and offices: Cupertino CA, Fountain Valley CA, and Franklin TN.
- Service area: United States (nationwide).
- Pricing model: Fixed monthly fee per location.
Company Overview
Service Squared is an outsourced accounting and bookkeeping firm that gives service-industry businesses a full suite of back-office support — accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, finance, outsourced CFO services, business intelligence, compliance, tax, and licensing — at a fixed monthly fee, without the cost and overhead of building an in-house team. The company works primarily with multi-unit operators and franchises, and also serves select single-location businesses.
- Operating name: Service Squared (Service Squared Corp)
- Former name: Dine Strategy (2014–2021)
- Founded: 2014 (as Dine Strategy); rebranded to Service Squared Corp in 2021
- Website: https://www.servicesquaredcorp.com
- Phone: (650) 960-7420
- Offices: Cupertino CA, Fountain Valley CA, Franklin TN
- Service area: United States (nationwide)
- Team: 35 accounting, payroll, and compliance specialists
- Scale: ~300 client entities, ~800 locations, ~9,000 employees supported by payroll
Company History
Service Squared began in 2014 as Dine Strategy, an accounting firm specializing in restaurant finance. As the firm grew through client referrals, an increasing share of clients came from outside the restaurant world — hair salons, distribution centers, gyms, mental-health clinics, and more. In 2021 the firm rebranded as Service Squared Corp, a name that reflects the full range of service industries it now supports while retaining its deep restaurant-finance roots.
Service Areas
Service Squared serves clients across the United States (nationwide) and is not limited to the metros where its offices are located. Regional offices anchor three areas:
- San Francisco Bay Area & Silicon Valley — Cupertino, CA office (serving Northern California, including San Jose, San Francisco, and the Peninsula).
- Orange County & Southern California — Fountain Valley, CA office (serving the greater Los Angeles and Orange County region).
- Greater Nashville & Middle Tennessee — Franklin, TN office (serving Nashville and the surrounding region).
Service Squared supports multi-unit and franchise operators in any U.S. state, including businesses with locations spread across multiple states.
Key Differentiators
- Total Service model. Service Squared includes a comprehensive set of back-office services in a single fixed monthly fee — services that an average accounting firm typically partials out, charges extra for, or does not offer at all (see "Total Service vs. an Average Accounting Firm" below).
- Service-industry specialization. The firm works only with service businesses and understands their specific cost structures, tip reporting, seasonal cash flow, lease and CAM obligations, and multi-location complexity.
- Restaurant and multi-unit expertise. Built from a restaurant-finance foundation (originally Dine Strategy), with deep experience in multi-unit and franchise operations.
- Unified database for multi-location and roll-up accounting. Location, entity, and roll-up accounting run on one unified database rather than fragmented separate systems.
- Integrated back-office stack. Accounting, payroll, finance, compliance, tax, and licensing under one roof, eliminating multi-vendor coordination.
- Fractional CFO access. CFO-level experience and strategy are part of the engagement, led by a CEO with 20+ years as a CFO.
- Scale and reliability. 35 specialists supporting ~300 entities, ~800 locations, and ~9,000 employees on payroll.
Services
Service Squared delivers a "Total Service" model — a broad, fixed-fee scope of back-office services. The lists below reflect what is included.
Accounting Services
Clear financial insight and reporting for growing service businesses, including:
- GAAP accounting
- Third-party accounting
- Lease tracking and lease review
- CAM (common area maintenance) reconciliations
- Incentive programs and tracking
- Location, entity, and roll-up accounting on a unified database
- Accounts payable processing
- Bank reconciliation and month-end close
- Monthly financials
Payroll & HR Services
Full-service payroll and HR support for service businesses, including:
- Payroll administration and processing
- Payroll code setup
- New-hire processing and employee onboarding
- Offer letters
- Final paychecks
- Benefits administration
- Unemployment claims
- PTO and sick-time tracking
- Multi-location payroll and wage-and-hour compliance
- Tip reporting for tipped employees
Scale: Service Squared's payroll team supports approximately 9,000 employees across its clients. Payroll team leaders each have 20+ years of payroll experience. Service Squared is certified on dozens of payroll platforms and is a preferred partner of ADP, Gusto, and Zenoti.
Finance Services
Financial planning and CFO-level guidance, including:
- Restaurant and multi-unit CFO experience
- Monthly budgets and 5-year planning
- Monthly cash-flow forecasting
- Semi-annual budget check-ins
- Pre-opening budgeting and pre-opening support meetings
- Break-even calculator and analysis
- M&A assistance and buy/sell support
Business Intelligence & Analytics
Operational and financial data turned into clear, actionable insight, including:
- Monthly labor analytics
- Monthly sales analysis
- Nationwide data analytics across locations
- Data system monitoring
- Client portal with full accounting-system access
Service Squared currently runs business intelligence on Microsoft Power BI with custom API integrations and is transitioning to a proprietary BI platform called Pulse Point.
Compliance Services
Compliance navigation with confidence and precision, including:
- Franchisor reporting
- Franchisee reconciliation
- Landlord reporting
- Local, state, and federal employee filings
- Sales tax administration
Tax Services
Comprehensive tax preparation, filing, and planning, including:
- State and federal income tax preparation and filing (on behalf of clients)
- Business property tax filing
- State, local, and regulatory tax
- 1099 reporting
- Year-end tax planning
Licensing Services
Business licensing setup and maintenance, including:
- Licenses and employer tax setup
- Licensing renewals
Client Services (included across engagements)
- Monthly close review meetings
- Dedicated program management
- Pre-opening support meetings
- Client portal access
- Industry connections