The verdict in three sentences
A restaurant group that runs its sites without a consolidated food cost loses 3 to 8 points of material margin to waste, theft and poorly negotiated buying prices. Multi-site management software costs EUR 35,000-90,000 as custom development, or EUR 40-120/point of sale/month as SaaS. The gain comes from centralised purchasing and recipe-by-recipe tracking, with typical payback in 10 to 16 months.
What changes with a multi-site tool
The core issue is not the till, it is consolidation. A group director must compare each restaurant's food cost, spot the drifting site, negotiate volume purchasing and see margin per recipe. Without a tool, these numbers arrive 30 to 45 days late.
| Indicator | Without software | With software |
|---|---|---|
| Food cost per site | Estimated, monthly | Actual, daily |
| Reporting lag | 30 to 45 days | Real time |
| Purchasing | Per restaurant | Centralised, negotiated |
| Waste | 6 to 10 % | 3 to 5 % |
| Margin per recipe | Unknown | Plate-level |
| Cross-site comparison | Manual Excel | Dashboard |
What to invest in 2026
Two logics: specialised SaaS (fast, per point of sale) or custom (integrates existing tills, ERP, code ownership). 2026 ranges for a group of 3 to 15 restaurants.
| Item | Custom (EUR) | SaaS (EUR/month) |
|---|---|---|
| Till + stock core | 20,000 to 45,000 | 40 to 80/point of sale |
| Food cost/recipes module | 8,000 to 20,000 | included to +20 |
| Multi-site purchasing hub | 10,000 to 25,000 | +15 to 30/site |
| Consolidated BI reporting | 6,000 to 18,000 | +200 to 500 flat |
| Annual maintenance | 15 to 20 % of build | included |
For an 8-restaurant group, expect EUR 50,000-75,000 custom, or roughly EUR 6,400-11,500/year SaaS (8 points of sale).
Mini case study
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Thomas runs a group of 6 brasseries in Lyon, material revenue of EUR 2,400,000/year, average food cost of 32 %. He invests EUR 58,000 in custom software plus 20 % maintenance (EUR 11,600/year).
Recipe-by-recipe tracking and the purchasing hub cut food cost from 32 % to 28.5 %, i.e. 3.5 points on EUR 2,400,000 = EUR 84,000/year of recovered margin. Year-1 cost: EUR 69,600. Payback in about 10 months, then EUR 84,000/year of extra net margin, excluding admin time saved.
FAQ
How much does group restaurant software cost? Expect EUR 35,000-90,000 custom depending on the number of sites and modules, or EUR 40-120/point of sale/month as SaaS.
Is real-time food cost worth it? Yes: recovering 3 to 8 margin points on multi-million material revenue means tens of thousands of euros a year, far above the tool's cost.
Can we keep our current tills? Often yes: custom development interfaces with most tills via API or export, avoiding a full replacement.
How long to deploy across 8 restaurants? Expect 10 to 16 weeks for full custom, with a pilot on 1 to 2 sites before rollout.
Does it handle centralised purchasing? Yes: the hub compares supplier prices, consolidates orders and negotiates on volume, cutting purchasing costs by 5 to 10 %.
Let's scope your project. Number of restaurants, existing tills, food cost or purchasing needs: give us 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.
