The verdict in three sentences
A management platform for a multi-site restaurant group costs between EUR 30,000 and 55,000 in 2026, including centralized POS, stock management and staff planning. The main profitability lever is food cost control: gaining 3 points on a raw material representing 30 % of revenue equals EUR 90,000 per year for a EUR 3M group. The project typically pays back in 8 to 14 months.
Budget by module
The priority is data consolidation: a single POS pushing sales, stock and margins per site in real time. The rest is built in layers.
| Module | Range (EUR) | Timeline | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centralized POS / ordering | 10,000 | 5-7 wks | High |
| Stock management / food cost | 8,000 | 4-6 wks | High |
| Staff planning / payroll cost | 5,000 | 3-4 wks | Medium |
| Consolidated multi-site reporting | 5,000 | 3-4 wks | High |
| Delivery integration (UberEats, Deliveroo) | 4,000 | 2-3 wks | Medium |
| Online payment + loyalty | 4,000 | 2-3 wks | Medium |
| Full project total | 30,000-55,000 | 14-20 wks | — |
Annual maintenance: EUR 5,000 to 10,000, including hosting, backups and seasonal menu updates.
Food cost and payroll: where the money is made
In restaurants, two lines weigh 55-65 % of revenue: raw materials and staff. A tool that surfaces these figures in real time changes daily management.
| Lever | Typical | After software | Annual gain (EUR 3M rev.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food cost | 31 % of revenue | 28 % of revenue | ~EUR 90,000 |
| Waste / spoilage | 4 % of purchases | 2 % of purchases | ~EUR 18,000 |
| Planning hours | 6 h/wk/site | 1.5 h/wk/site | ~EUR 12,000 |
| Cash discrepancies | 0.8 % of revenue | 0.2 % of revenue | ~EUR 18,000 |
| Total | — | — | ~EUR 138,000 |
These 2026 orders of magnitude assume 4 sites. Even capturing half the potential, the return exceeds the project cost within a year.
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Mini case study
Thomas, manager of a 4-restaurant group in Lyon (EUR 3.2M revenue), only consolidated margins at month-end, on a spreadsheet. After deploying a centralized POS and a food cost module, he detects in week 3 that two dishes sell at negative margin and one site's purchasing drifts by 5 points. Immediate fix: food cost cut from 32 % to 28.5 %, around EUR 112,000 per year. The EUR 46,000 project pays back in 5 months.
FAQ
Can we keep our current POS terminals? Often yes via connectors, but the value comes from centralization. If your POS systems differ across sites, a unified POS is the best investment for reliable reporting.
How much is the stock/food cost module alone? Between EUR 8,000 and 12,000 with recipe cards, per-dish margin calculation and drift alerts. It is the highest-ROI brick in restaurants.
How do we handle UberEats and Deliveroo delivery? Via integration: orders drop directly into the POS, avoiding double entry and errors. Platform commissions (25-30 %) are also consolidated into margin reporting.
Timeline for 4 to 6 restaurants? Between 14 and 20 weeks. We start with a pilot site to validate recipe cards before rolling out to the whole group.
Is custom better than a SaaS like Zelty or Lightspeed? Below 3 sites, SaaS stays simpler. Beyond that, or when you want tailored margin and payroll consolidation, proprietary pays off over 3 years.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your number of sites, revenue and priorities between POS, food cost and planning; indicative budget EUR 30,000-55,000. 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.
