President, Cookbooks Restaurant Financials

Bryan Hargett is the President of Cookbooks Restaurant Financials, a Birmingham-based firm focused exclusively on helping restaurant owners better understand and manage their numbers. His approach is rooted in real-world experience—because before he ever worked behind a desk, he spent years working in and running restaurants himself.

After graduating from the University of Alabama in 2009, Bryan began his career at Innisfree Irish Pub, where he worked his way up to manager. In 2014, he moved to Vail to train under the founders of Moe's Original BBQ, gaining hands-on experience in restaurant systems, operations, and growth.

Bryan went on to open his first Moe’s Original BBQ franchise in New Orleans in 2016, followed by a second location in Metairie in 2019. Through those years, he experienced firsthand the challenges restaurant owners face—from managing payroll and food costs to making sense of financial reports while keeping operations running smoothly.

In 2021, Bryan transitioned out of restaurant ownership and returned to his hometown of Birmingham, where he married his wife, Ally. They now have two young sons, Thomas and James. In 2022, he founded Cookbooks Restaurant Financials to help other restaurant owners gain the clarity and confidence he once needed himself.

Today, Bryan combines his operational background with deep expertise in restaurant accounting and the Toast technology suite to simplify financial data and turn it into practical, actionable insights. His goal is simple: help restaurant owners understand their numbers so they can make better decisions and build more profitable businesses.