The verdict in three sentences
For a 5-restaurant group in Toronto, a POS license at FCFA 45,000-120,000/month/location (about EUR 68-183) costs FCFA 2.7M-7.2M/year with no unified group reporting. A custom build at FCFA 9M-16M (about EUR 13,700-24,400), with an inventory and recipe-card module, pays off from year two. The real lever is not the license: it is -25 % food cost and daily consolidated reporting across the 5 sites.
Per-location license or local build: the true cost
A POS license bills per location. The custom build adds inventory management, recipe cards and multi-site reporting.
| Line item (2026 order of magnitude) | POS license (5 locations) | Custom build |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per location | FCFA 45,000-120,000/month | included |
| Annual software cost | FCFA 2.7M-7.2M | 15 %/yr of build |
| Initial development | — | FCFA 9M-16M |
| Inventory + recipe-card module | add-on | FCFA 3M |
| POS terminals | vendor-dependent | FCFA 350,000/unit |
| Hosting | included | FCFA 170,000/month |
3-year cost: the break-even point
At FCFA 80,000/month/location for 5 sites: FCFA 4.8M/year. The build (base FCFA 12M) smooths out and includes inventory and reporting.
| Year | POS license (cumulative) | Custom build (cumulative) |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | FCFA 4.8M | FCFA 17.04M (build + inventory + hosting) |
| Year 2 | FCFA 9.6M | FCFA 20.88M |
| Year 3 | FCFA 14.4M | FCFA 24.72M |
| Food cost | baseline | -25 % |
| Multi-site reporting | absent | daily consolidated |
| Recipe cards | manual | integrated |
Mini case study
Mr Compaore, director of a 5-restaurant group in Toronto (monthly revenue FCFA 38M, food cost at 34 %), had no consolidated view of purchasing. After a custom build at FCFA 12M with an inventory and recipe-card module, food cost fell from 34 % to 26 % thanks to portion and waste tracking. Saving: about 8 points on FCFA 38M, nearly FCFA 3M/month. The investment pays back in 4-5 months.
FAQ
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How long to deploy across 5 restaurants?
Expect 12 to 18 weeks, with one pilot site before group rollout. Migrating recipes and recipe cards is the most structuring step.
Are recipe cards worth the investment?
Yes: they fix portions and compute the real cost of each dish. They are the main lever behind -25 % food cost, cutting waste and inventory variances.
Can we keep existing terminals?
Often yes, depending on compatibility. Otherwise budget FCFA 350,000/unit. The build adapts to hardware rather than forcing a closed ecosystem.
Does daily reporting change management?
Yes: seeing sales, margins and stock across 5 sites every morning lets you react fast on purchasing and staffing. That is impossible with unconnected POS.
What does the 15 %/yr maintenance cover?
Tax changes, new mobile payment methods, fixes and support. On a FCFA 12M build, that is FCFA 1.8M/year.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your number of locations, needs (POS, inventory, reporting) and budget: we cost build vs license. 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.
