The verdict in three sentences
For a foodservice wholesaler delivering to 1,400 restaurants and taking 70% of orders by phone after 10 pm, a mobile B2B ordering portal costs between EUR 35,000 and 80,000 and takes 4 months to deploy. Success hinges on the restaurant's usual order list: if the owner can order in under 2 minutes from their phone after service, they stop calling. With active sales support, the goal of 50% of orders online within a year is realistic.
Figures come from a Marseille project and are in EUR; in Miami the same scope applies, with US development rates usually 20 to 40% higher.
What the restaurant owner must be able to do at 11 pm
A chef or brasserie manager orders after service, tired, on their phone. The portal must follow their habits, not force a 4,000-SKU catalogue on them.
| Restaurant need | Current phone order | 2026 B2B portal |
|---|---|---|
| Reorder usual products | Dictate the list to the operator | Prefilled usual list, editable quantities |
| Know their price | Price given verbally, sometimes wrong | Negotiated per-customer price shown in real time |
| Choose the delivery slot | Negotiated on the phone | Available slots by route and zone |
| Know if a product is out | Discovered on delivery | Visible stock and suggested substitute |
| Check their balance | Call the accounts team | Balance, invoices and credit notes online |
| Order cut-off | Switchboard saturated from 10 pm to 1 am | Ordering 24/7 until cut-off time |
2026 budget: EUR 35,000 to 80,000
2026 orders of magnitude. The gap depends on the depth of ERP integration (prices, stock, routes), the choice between a mobile web app and a native app, and credit control rules.
| Module | Essential version | Full version |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping, restaurant journeys, mobile mockups | EUR 4,000 | EUR 7,000 |
| Catalogue, usual lists, search | EUR 8,000 | EUR 14,000 |
| Per-customer pricing, promotions, minimum orders | EUR 5,000 | EUR 11,000 |
| Delivery slots by route | EUR 4,000 | EUR 9,000 |
| Credit limits, holds, card and bill-of-exchange payment | EUR 5,000 | EUR 12,000 |
| ERP integration (prices, stock, orders, invoices) | EUR 7,000 | EUR 18,000 |
| Installable app, notifications, testing, training | EUR 2,000 | EUR 9,000 |
| Total | EUR 35,000 | EUR 80,000 |
Hosting and ongoing improvements come on top, priced according to order volume and the availability level you need, especially at night.
Credit, payment and holds: the module that protects margin
| Customer situation | Automatic rule | Expected effect |
|---|---|---|
| Customer up to date, 30-day bill of exchange | Order accepted | Smooth flow for good payers |
| Balance above authorised limit | Order on hold, alert to sales rep | Fewer bad debts on large accounts |
| Invoice more than 15 days overdue | Card payment required for the order | Lower average delay |
| New customer with no history | Card payment at order for 3 months | Limited onboarding risk |
| Seasonal customer (beach, summer) | Limit raised from May to September | Sales preserved in high season |
On fees, bills of exchange remain cheap (a few tens of cents per item) and card payments usually cost 0.5 to 1.5% depending on the acquiring contract; in the US, ACH plays the bill-of-exchange role.
Mini case study
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Sophie, director of a foodservice wholesaler in northern Marseille, receives about 18,000 orders a month, 12,600 of them by phone. Taking an order lasts 4 minutes on average. If half of all orders, 9,000, move online after a year, about 6,300 calls disappear, 420 hours of night-shift operator time a month. At EUR 28 per loaded hour with night premium, the saving reaches EUR 11,760 a month, about EUR 141,000 a year. Even counting half that figure, a full EUR 80,000 portal pays back in just over a year, before counting fewer entry errors and credit notes.
FAQ
Do we need a native app or is a web app enough?
An installable web app is enough in most cases and costs 30 to 40% less. A native app is justified if you want barcode scanning in kitchens or offline use.
How do we convince 1,400 restaurants to order online?
Start with the 200 most regular customers, with a prefilled usual list and a demo from the sales rep. The observed order of magnitude is 25 to 35% of orders online after 6 months.
Can the portal handle several venues of the same group?
Yes, a group account can cover several restaurants with shared prices and separate deliveries. This module usually adds EUR 3,000 to 6,000.
What if the ERP is down at night?
The portal keeps accepting orders and forwards them as soon as the ERP is back. This deferred sync must be planned from scoping.
How long until the portal is live?
Allow 4 months, including a 3 to 4-week pilot with 50 restaurants before opening to all customers.
Let's scope your project. Send us your number of customers, monthly orders and your ERP and we will return a scope, an indicative budget and a 4-month rollout plan. 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.
