The verdict in three sentences
An off-the-shelf POS licence costs 40 to 90 EUR per venue per month and starts quickly, but it poorly consolidates stock and food cost across sites. Custom software costs 40,000 to 100,000 EUR and ships in 4 to 8 months, unifying POS, recipe management and consolidated reporting. The decision hinges on food cost: one point saved on ingredients is worth several annual licences.
POS licence: cost per venue in 2026
Vertical POS solutions bill per point of sale, with stock and reporting modules often optional. Here are the 2026 orders of magnitude for a group.
| Cost item | 2026 range (EUR) | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| POS licence per venue | 40 - 90 / month | Per point of sale |
| Stock and recipe module | 15 - 35 / site / month | Add-on |
| Consolidated multi-site reporting | 20 - 50 / month | Group add-on |
| Installation per site | 800 - 2,500 | One-off |
| Support and updates | 12 - 20 % | % of licence |
For 5 venues with stock and consolidated reporting, you quickly exceed 9,000 EUR of licence per year, often with limited consolidation.
Custom build: scope and timeline
A dedicated system centralises several restaurants in one database, with real food cost per recipe and per site. Here is the typical 2026 breakdown.
| Module | Indicative price (EUR) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-site POS and payments | 12,000 - 26,000 | 1.5 - 2.5 months |
| Recipe management and food cost | 10,000 - 24,000 | 1.5 - 2.5 months |
| Stock and supplier orders | 8,000 - 20,000 | 1 - 2 months |
| Consolidated group reporting | 8,000 - 20,000 | 1 - 2 months |
| Manager portal and alerts | 6,000 - 14,000 | 1 - 1.5 months |
| Annual maintenance | 10 - 18 % of build | Recurring |
Overall delivery fits in 4 to 8 months. Hosting a custom solution runs around 180 to 500 EUR per month.
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Mini case study
Mr Le Gall runs a group of 5 restaurants, combined revenue of 4.2 M EUR, average food cost 31 %. The vertical POS licence costs him roughly 9,500 EUR per year all in, or 47,500 EUR over 5 years, but with no reliable food cost per recipe. The custom build is quoted at 70,000 EUR plus 15 % maintenance (10,500 EUR/yr) and 3,600 EUR of annual hosting, for 140,500 EUR over 5 years. Custom is pricier, but precise recipe management brings food cost from 31 % to 28.5 %, 2.5 points on 4.2 M EUR, roughly 105,000 EUR saved per year on ingredients. The TCO gap is erased in under a year of operation.
FAQ
How much is a POS licence per venue in 2026? Between 40 and 90 EUR per point of sale per month, excluding stock and reporting modules billed as add-ons. A 5-site group quickly exceeds 9,000 EUR per year.
How long does custom software take to deliver? Expect 4 to 8 months depending on the number of sites. Multi-site POS and recipe management weigh 3 to 5 months of development.
Does custom really compute food cost per recipe? Yes, it is the key module quoted 10,000 to 24,000 EUR. It cross-references recipe cards, purchase prices and sales for reliable food cost per dish and per site.
What food-cost gain should I target? Well-kept recipe management typically recovers 2 to 4 points of ingredient cost. On 4 M EUR of revenue, each point is worth about 40,000 EUR saved per year.
Is reporting really consolidated? Yes: sales, margins and stock from every site flow into one dashboard for 8,000 to 20,000 EUR. No more manual exports per venue.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your number of venues, current food cost and POS tools, and we will frame the scope and an indicative budget. 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.
