Best restaurant HR services in New England (2026)
Disclosure: BOHO publishes this list and ranks its own service first.
By Dan MurphyUpdated 6 min read
Which HR services work with restaurants in New England?
New England restaurants can use regional HR and payroll firms such as Paper Trails in Maine, Checkwriters and PayPlus, Massachusetts HR consultancies such as AIM HR Solutions and Melody L. Beach Consulting, Blue Lion in New Hampshire, or a remote restaurant HR firm such as Empowered Hospitality. BOHO serves Massachusetts only. Check which states a provider actually covers first.
About this list: BOHO wrote it and put its own service first, so read entry 1 with that in mind. Every other entry is a real company we checked on its own website on . None of them paid to be here or knows it is listed, and nothing on this page is a rating.
Each New England state has its own wage, sick leave and reporting rules, so a provider that is excellent in Maine may know little about Massachusetts, and the reverse. The first question for any provider is which states it actually works in.
This list names the state or area each firm works from. BOHO serves Massachusetts only for now, which is why it says so in its own entry.
How we chose
- Firms with a real presence in, or stated coverage of, New England, checked on their own websites.
- Restaurant or hospitality experience where the firm states it.
- Where each firm is based and which states it covers, so you can rule firms out quickly.
- No pricing or ratings.
The list at a glance
| # | Name | Type | Based in / covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Back of House Ops (BOHO) | Restaurant HR administration and payroll coordination | Massachusetts |
| 2 | Paper Trails | HR consulting and payroll | Kennebunk, ME; Maine and New England |
| 3 | Checkwriters | Payroll and HR provider | Massachusetts headquarters |
| 4 | PayPlus | Regional payroll bureau | Offices in NH, MA and ME |
| 5 | AIM HR Solutions | Employer association HR consulting | Massachusetts |
| 6 | Melody L. Beach Consulting Group | Outsourced HR and HR projects | Southbridge, MA; also serves Rhode Island |
| 7 | Blue Lion | Outsourced HR | New Hampshire |
| 8 | Empowered Hospitality | Hospitality-only outsourced HR | New York, NY; works nationwide |
1.Back of House Ops (BOHO)
Restaurant HR administration and payroll coordination · Massachusetts
Restaurant HR administration and payroll coordination for Massachusetts restaurants, with your restaurant approving every payroll and staying the employer. Other New England states are on a published expansion plan. BOHO will add a state only once it can administer that state's rules properly, and the New England page sets out the conditions.
Best for: Massachusetts restaurants and groups. If you operate in another New England state, one of the other entries is the better fit today.
Not the right fit if: you want someone else to become the employer (that is a PEO), you want benefits bundled in, or you operate outside Massachusetts. BOHO is not a PEO, not the employer of record and not a law firm, and it serves Massachusetts restaurants only for now. The scope page lists what it does and does not do.
2.Paper Trails
HR consulting and payroll · Kennebunk, ME; Maine and New England
Offers HR consulting packages alongside payroll and tax services for Maine and New England businesses. Its hospitality material covers tip credits, service charges, split shifts, minors and scheduling.
Best for: northern New England restaurants that want HR and payroll from the same firm.
Worth knowing: its base is in Maine; southern New England operators should ask how often they would see anyone in person.
3.Checkwriters
Payroll and HR provider · Massachusetts headquarters
A Massachusetts-headquartered payroll company offering payroll, HR, time and attendance, and onboarding. It publishes restaurant payroll material that covers tip calculations, variable schedules and compliance.
Best for: Massachusetts restaurants that want a regional payroll company with local support rather than a national call center.
Worth knowing: it is a payroll and HR platform: someone at the restaurant still has to prepare and approve what goes into it.
4.PayPlus
Regional payroll bureau · Offices in NH, MA and ME
A New England payroll bureau offering payroll, time and attendance, HR tools, onboarding and ACA compliance.
Best for: businesses north and west of Boston, or across the NH and MA line, that want a regional bureau.
Worth knowing: its site does not mention restaurants specifically.
5.AIM HR Solutions
Employer association HR consulting · Massachusetts
The HR services arm connected to Associated Industries of Massachusetts. It offers outsourced and on-demand HR, HR consulting, compliance work such as I-9 audits and handbooks, and training. AIM also runs an HR helpline for its members.
Best for: Massachusetts owners who want HR answers grounded in state law from an established employer association.
Worth knowing: it serves employers of every kind rather than restaurants specifically, and the helpline is a members-only benefit.
6.Melody L. Beach Consulting Group
Outsourced HR and HR projects · Southbridge, MA; also serves Rhode Island
Offers either a dedicated outsourced HR professional or project work: handbooks, compliance audits, interim HR and recruiting.
Best for: Central Massachusetts and Rhode Island businesses that want one named HR person they deal with every time.
Worth knowing: its site does not mention restaurants or hospitality, and it does not run payroll.
7.Blue Lion
Outsourced HR · New Hampshire
An outsourced HR firm offering ongoing HR support, an HR hotline, handbooks and training on a retainer.
Best for: New Hampshire small businesses that want an HR retainer.
Worth knowing: not restaurant-specific, and it does not run payroll.
8.Empowered Hospitality
Hospitality-only outsourced HR · New York, NY; works nationwide
An outsourced and fractional HR firm that works only with restaurants and hospitality businesses. Its site describes employee relations, compliance, payroll administration and recruiting support, delivered remotely.
Best for: operators who want an HR team that only works in hospitality and is used to tipped staff, split shifts and high turnover.
Worth knowing: it is based in New York and works remotely, so if you want someone who knows Massachusetts rules in depth, ask directly how they handle state-specific questions.
Start with your state
Cross off any firm that does not work in your state, then choose by model: HR and payroll together (Paper Trails, Checkwriters, PayPlus), HR consulting (AIM HR Solutions, Melody L. Beach, Blue Lion), or a restaurant-only remote team (Empowered Hospitality).
If you run rooms in more than one state, ask each firm how its handbook and onboarding documents differ by state. A Massachusetts document with the state name changed is not a Connecticut document.
Where to go next
- New England restaurant HR: BOHO's expansion plan and conditions
- Massachusetts restaurant HR & payroll: where BOHO works today
- Best restaurant HR support in Massachusetts: the Massachusetts-only list
Keep reading
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Your restaurant remains the employer of record and approves payroll and employment decisions. BOHO is not a PEO, a staffing agency, or legal counsel.