The verdict in three sentences
For a 3-to-6-restaurant chain in Lome, the real issue is not isolated booking but multisite centralization: one view of covers, deposits and follow-ups. A SaaS at 150,000-450,000 FCFA/month starts fast but hits a ceiling once you want Wave, Orange Money and SMS reminders wired in. A custom build at 6-14M FCFA pays off when automated follow-ups recover enough no-shows to fund it within a year.
Custom quote vs SaaS: the 2026 figures
Orders of magnitude for a Togolese 4-restaurant chain, bookings + orders + mobile payment.
| Criterion | SaaS booking | Kolonell custom |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | 300,000-800,000 FCFA (setup) | 6,000,000-14,000,000 FCFA |
| Recurring cost | 150,000-450,000 FCFA/month | Maintenance 300,000-700,000 FCFA/month |
| Delivery time | 3-6 weeks | 8-14 weeks |
| Wave / Orange Money integration | Rare or optional | Native |
| Automated SMS follow-up | Limited | Custom, unlimited |
| Consolidated multisite | Vendor-dependent | Yes, real time |
| Customer data ownership | No | Yes |
What maintenance actually covers
Maintenance is not passive insurance: it funds the enhancements that keep no-show rates low.
| Maintenance line | Share | Indicative amount (500,000 FCFA/month) |
|---|---|---|
| Support & fixes | 30% | 150,000 FCFA |
| Functional enhancements | 35% | 175,000 FCFA |
| Security & backups | 15% | 75,000 FCFA |
| Payment updates (Wave/OM) | 12% | 60,000 FCFA |
| Monitoring & uptime | 8% | 40,000 FCFA |
Mini case study
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Kossi, manager of a 4-restaurant chain in Lome, loses about 22% of bookings to no-shows: 60 covers/week at 9,000 FCFA margin, roughly 540,000 FCFA/week. He invests 9M FCFA in a custom platform, maintenance 500,000 FCFA/month. SMS follow-ups plus Wave deposits drop no-shows to 13%, recovering about 220,000 FCFA/week, plus a 19% covers uplift via online booking. Payback in roughly 9 months.
FAQ
What does custom multisite booking software cost in Lome? 2026 order of magnitude: 6-14M FCFA depending on sites and integrations (mobile payment, SMS, POS). A single-site pilot can start around 3-4M FCFA.
What is the go-live timeline? 8-14 weeks for a full multisite platform, 4-6 weeks for a first restaurant. Migrating existing data adds 1-2 weeks.
What does monthly maintenance cost? Expect 300,000-700,000 FCFA/month, covering support, enhancements, security and above all Wave and Orange Money connector updates.
Is Wave and Orange Money payment really integrated? Yes, natively: booking deposit, order payment and refund on cancellation, with automatic reconciliation. It is the main lever against no-shows.
How do you concretely cut no-shows? Mandatory Wave/OM deposit, SMS confirmation at D-1 and H-3, and an automatic waitlist. Well-configured chains see 30-45% fewer no-shows.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your number of restaurants, covers volume and target budget (6-14M FCFA) and we price the priority scope. 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.
