The verdict in three sentences
For a network of 45 franchised restaurants, a custom portal costs EUR 35,000 to 75,000 excl. tax in 2026 (about CAD 52,000 to 112,000 for a Montreal-based network) and ships in 4 months. Its profitability rests on automatic sales reporting from the POS, which removes hand-calculated royalties and late declarations. Tablet quality audits and a procedure library complete a tool that usually pays back in 8 to 12 months.
What a franchise portal includes and what it costs
The portal brings into one login everything head office currently sends by email, WhatsApp and USB stick. Each franchisee sees their sales, royalties, audits and up-to-date procedures; head office sees the whole network.
| Module | Function | Cost excl. tax 2026 (estimate) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portal core, accounts and permissions | Franchisee, field coach, head office access | EUR 8,000 to 14,000 | 3 weeks |
| POS connectors (2 to 3 systems) | Daily sales feed per restaurant | EUR 7,000 to 18,000 | 4 weeks |
| Royalty calculation and invoicing | Automatic royalty and marketing fund | EUR 5,000 to 10,000 | 2 weeks |
| Quality audits on tablet | Checklists, photos, action plans, scores | EUR 6,000 to 13,000 | 3 weeks |
| Procedure library | Recipe cards, hygiene, versions, read receipts | EUR 4,000 to 8,000 | 2 weeks |
| Network dashboards | Rankings, average ticket, alerts | EUR 5,000 to 12,000 | 2 weeks |
| Total | EUR 35,000 to 75,000 | 4 months |
Add EUR 600 to 1,200 excl. tax per month for hosting, maintenance and minor improvements. The price gap mainly comes from the number of different POS systems in the network: each extra connector costs EUR 3,000 to 6,000.
Head office hours saved and late royalties eliminated
2026 assumptions: 45 restaurants, average sales of EUR 75,000 per month, 6% royalty and 2% marketing fund.
| Task or issue | Before the portal | With the portal | Estimated monthly gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chasing and keying sales received by email | 40 h per month | 3 h per month | 37 h |
| Computing and issuing royalty invoices | 25 h per month | 2 h per month | 23 h |
| Keying quality audit reports | 30 h per month | 5 h per month | 25 h |
| Distributing and tracking procedures | 20 h per month | 4 h per month | 16 h |
| Late royalty payments | 35% of franchisees, 20 days on average | Under 5% | EUR 63,000 of cash recovered |
| Undetected under-reported sales | About 1.5% of network sales | Near zero | EUR 3,040 of royalties per month |
| Total head office time | 115 h per month | 14 h per month | 101 h per month |
At EUR 40 loaded hourly cost, the 101 hours are worth about EUR 4,040 per month, so EUR 48,500 per year, not counting the cash released.
Mini case study
Julien, operations director of a 45-restaurant quick service network based in Lyon, picks a portal at EUR 52,000 excl. tax with two POS connectors. Annual gains: EUR 48,500 of head office time and EUR 36,480 of royalties on under-reported sales now detected, so EUR 84,980. Annual costs: EUR 10,800 of maintenance. Net gain: EUR 74,180 per year, which pays back the project in 8.4 months. Bonus: tablet-scored audits lift the average quality score from 78 to 86 out of 100 in two quarters.
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FAQ
Does the portal work with every POS?
Most recent POS systems expose an API or a daily export. For a closed system, an automated file import remains possible for EUR 1,500 to 3,000 of development.
Do franchisees accept automatic sales reporting?
It is usually provided for in the franchise agreement. Buy-in rises quickly when franchisees get a network comparison dashboard in return.
Can we handle several countries or currencies?
Yes, multi-currency and multilingual support adds 15 to 20% to the budget, useful for a network opening in Belgium, Switzerland or Quebec.
How long does franchisee training take?
A one-hour video call and a 10-page guide are enough for 90% of users. Field coaches get a half-day session.
Do we need a mobile app for audits?
No, an installable web app on tablet works offline and syncs on reconnection, without going through the app stores.
Let's scope your project. We price your franchise portal with POS connectors, automatic royalties and tablet audits, for an indicative budget of EUR 35,000 to 75,000 excl. tax and go-live in 4 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
