The verdict in three sentences
A multi-site restaurant software consolidates the tills, stock and food cost of all your venues to steer food margin day by day. Budget 40,000 to 110,000 EUR in London in 2026 and a 4-to-8-month timeline depending on the number of sites and till integration. The ROI comes from two levers: improved food margin and reduced losses (breakage, theft, spoilage).
Why consolidate rather than add up tills
Every restaurant has its till, but the owner has no reliable group view of food cost. Consolidated software links sales, recipe cards, stock and purchasing to compute real food cost per dish and per site, and flags deviations.
| Function | Isolated tills | Multi-site software |
|---|---|---|
| Food cost per site | Monthly estimate | Real time |
| Recipe cards | Paper/Excel | Centralised |
| Stocktakes | Manual | Assisted, fast |
| Group purchasing | Per site | Consolidated |
| Loss detection | Late | Variance alerts |
| Rollout time | - | 4-8 months |
2026 budget in London by number of sites
Cost depends on the number of restaurants, the till system to integrate and the analytics level. 2026 order of magnitude.
| Scope | Sites | Budget EUR | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small group | 2-3 sites | 40,000 - 60,000 | 4-5 months |
| Mid group | 4-7 sites | 65,000 - 90,000 | 5-7 months |
| Large group | 8+ sites | 95,000 - 110,000 | 7-8 months |
| Existing-till connector | per model | 4,000 - 10,000 | included |
| Annual maintenance | - | 12-18 % of project | recurring |
Mini case study
Karim, owner of a 5-restaurant group in London generating 5.5M EUR in revenue, runs an average food cost of 31 % with wide site-to-site variation. He invests 80,000 EUR in consolidated software. By standardising recipe cards and steering variances, he brings food cost to 29 %, a 2-point food-margin gain. On 5.5M EUR, that is roughly 110,000 EUR of recovered margin per year. ROI reached in under 10 months, excluding maintenance.
FAQ
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Do we need to replace our current tills?
Not necessarily. A connector links your existing tills to the steering software. Replacement is only advised if the hardware is obsolete.
How is food cost computed?
Via recipe cards (ingredients, weights, purchase prices) cross-referenced with real sales. Food cost per dish and per site shows in real time.
Can purchasing be centralised?
Yes. The software consolidates the needs of all sites to negotiate volumes and track supplier prices over time.
Are stocktakes faster?
Much faster. Assisted tablet entry and guided counting cut stocktake time by 40 to 60 % depending on the site.
Does it handle variances and losses?
Yes. The system compares theoretical and actual consumption and flags deviations (breakage, theft, spoilage) site by site.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your number of sites, your current till system and your target food cost, and we will price your steering software (scope, budget, timeline). 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.
