Podcast Summary

Podcast: Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Episode: #1237 – Maria Degaine & Joshua Santana, Co-Founders of Cerboni Services
Date: December 8, 2025
Episode Theme:
Fractional Executives, Financial Operations, and Outsourcing—The Future of Restaurant Success

Overview

In this episode, host Eric Cacciatore sits down with Maria Degaine and Joshua Santana, co-founders of Cerboni Services, to explore the power and future potential of outsourcing financial operations in the restaurant industry. They break down the “7 Reasons to Outsource Your Financial Operations” and discuss how leveraging strategic partners (like Cerboni) empowers restaurateurs to focus on what they love, scale their businesses, and future-proof their operations against industry challenges—all while saving time and money. The conversation is laced with practical examples, operator testimonials, and actionable insights for independent restaurateurs seeking to go “further together.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Importance of Teamwork and Outsourcing

Timestamps:

• [06:03] Maria Degaine: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
• [26:36] Maria Degaine: “By yourself you can go fast. Right. But together you can go far.”

Summary:
The conversation starts with the power of teamwork, not just internally but through external partners. The hosts and guests champion the shift from doing everything yourself to collaborating with specialists—the path to growth and sustainability. Outsourcing key functions such as bookkeeping, payroll, and CFO services allows restaurant owners to stay focused on their passion, be it the front or back of house, while experts handle the complexity behind the scenes.

2. Cerboni’s Backstory: Restaurant Roots Meet Financial Expertise

Timestamps:

• [07:40] Joshua’s tax/accounting background meets Maria’s operator experience
• [09:53] Maria’s journey from Brazil to the US and her growth as a restaurateur

Summary:
Cerboni was born when Maria, a seasoned restauranteur from Brazil, collaborated with Joshua, whose roots are in accounting and tax. Seeing a gap for truly restaurant-specific financial services, they combined industry knowledge and technical expertise to build a specialized solutions provider that now supports 800+ locations across North America.

3. The 7 Reasons to Outsource Your Financial Operations

1. Access to a Team of Specialists

[16:08–27:18]

• Cerboni provides tax, payroll, accounting, inventory, and fractional CFO expertise—far more affordable than hiring in-house.
• Specialists communicate cross-functionally and benchmark across clients in the same region or concept.
• Operators “don’t know what they don’t know”—experts uncover unseen savings and compliance risks.
• Quote [24:41]:
  “Having these specialists paying attention to all the touch points, they're not siloed...they can advocate, they can see the big picture.” – Eric
• Example: Saved a client (Jason Carrier) $7,000/quarter by catching a simple decimal error.

2. Eliminate Turnover

[27:23–33:08]

• Outsourced services provide stability—no more losing key knowledge when staff leave.
• Consistency in categorization, database management, and tech platforms is preserved.
• Quote [28:20]:
  “Sir Bony is not quitting anytime soon.” – Maria

3. Because You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

[33:26–42:25]

• Most operators miss out on tax credits, strategic deductions, and nuanced reporting because they’re unaware of them or lack the expertise.
• CFO-level insight brings proactive management versus reactive survival mode.
• Quote [33:52]:
  “If you don’t know about credits...you’re not going to know you should be taking advantage of it.” – Joshua

4. The Fastest Way to Scale

[43:46–50:41]

• Outsourcing to experts allows you to “flip a switch” and instantly have a full back office team to support rapid growth.
• Enables focus on core operations without being bogged down by admin and compliance.
• Quote [45:02]:
  “Growth is an opportunity made lead. When you have good operators, when you know your numbers...you’re able to make really good, smart decisions to be able to make that next step.” – Joshua

5. Avoid the Technological Nightmare

[51:21–60:18]

• The world of restaurant tech is a confusing maze; the wrong tools, or poorly set up ones, cause chaos.
• Cerboni helps operators choose and implement the right platforms from day one, avoiding redundant or unnecessary tech expenses and bad data.
• Quote [57:43]:
  “If you don't do it right the first time, good luck getting your team to buy in the second time because they're going to know how that ends.” – Eric

6. Less Expensive Than Doing it In-House

[60:40–62:21]

• More affordable than hiring a full internal team—no payroll taxes, no benefits, no turnover costs.
• True value comes not just in cost savings, but in the financial gains from expert oversight and hidden savings.
• Quote [60:59]:
  “A solution like that should not be a cost, should be an investment.” – Maria

7. Get More Time and Money Back Doing What You Love

[62:53–65:48]

• Delegating these exacting tasks returns your energy to guiding staff, creating community, and growing the concept.
• “Freedom” and “peace of mind” are the most common words clients use for Cerboni.
• Quote [65:25]:
  “As an operator, your time is more valuable operating a restaurant than being the office behind the computer.” – Maria

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• “When we close the books, the numbers tell a story. And our numbers need to be correct.” – Maria [27:18]
• “The financial P and L should not be used in the end of the year to file a tax return...should be used to take operational decisions.” – Maria [36:13]
• “The goal is to prevent fires, not put out fires.” – Joshua [41:38]
• “It’s a different animal, you know, the restaurant industry. It’s something you have to really love." – Joshua [50:09]
• “We remove those financial blind spots.” – Joshua [68:19]

Notable Testimonials

• [14:07] Eric relays a client story (Jason Carrier, Mama Betty’s):
  • Increased revenue from $1.5M to $6.5M.
  • Reduced prime costs from 71% to 57%.
  • Increased profit to 25% on $6.5M revenue.
  • Discovered and corrected $7,000/quarter savings.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Teamwork & Mantra: 06:03
• Cerboni Founding Story: 07:35
• What Cerboni Offers (Specialists List): 16:08
• Turnover & Consistency Issue: 27:23
• Uncovering "Unknown Unknowns": 33:26
• Scaling Strategy: 43:46
• Tech Nightmare/Avoidance: 51:21
• Cost/Value of Outsourcing: 60:40
• Return of Time/Freedom: 62:53
• Final Thoughts on The Changing Industry: 65:55

Final Takeaways

• Outsourcing financial operations frees up owners to "go further together" and future-proofs growing restaurants against increasing industry pressure.
• A fractional, specialist team offers not just technical but strategic firepower—affordably.
• Consistent, expert-backed systems across tech, bookkeeping, and payroll lay the foundation for growth.
• The greatest returns aren’t just financial—they’re psychological (“peace of mind, freedom, more time for your purpose”).
• The era of the independent operator survives through community, specialization, and the willingness to “choose to go further together.”

For more details or to connect with Cerboni, call 281-888-2413 and mention Restaurant Unstoppable for a 20% discount on your first month.