The challenge
The owner of a Nairobi restaurant knew they were busy. They just didn't know if they were profitable. Weekends were full, but the cash never seemed to match the effort. The problem: no one knew what each dish actually cost. The Biryani was priced at KES 750 — but was that KES 400 in food cost, or KES 600? Nobody could say.
On top of that, the business was spending evenings manually entering sales into a spreadsheet, reconciling M-Pesa statements line by line, and sending handwritten receipts to the accountant at the end of the month. Three hours of administrative work every single day.
How they use Maamul
Recipe costing down to the ingredient
Every dish on the menu is linked to its ingredients and their current supplier prices. When the price of rice changes, the food cost of every rice dish updates automatically. The owner can see — at any moment — which dishes have the best margins and which are quietly losing money.
Live profitability per dish
At the end of every service, the system shows revenue, food cost, and gross margin — by dish, by category, and by day. The owner can see that the Nyama Choma had a 48% food cost today compared to the usual 42% because they over-ordered on a slow day. That information shapes tomorrow's prep.
Every customer remembered
Every order is linked to a customer profile. The system remembers what they ordered, how often they visit, and whether they're a regular. The kitchen knows to start the usual when a regular calls ahead. Birthday reminders go out automatically.
Accounting without an accountant
Sales, expenses, M-Pesa payments, and supplier invoices are all logged in the same system. The P&L updates in real time. At month end, the accountant receives a clean export — not a box of receipts.
“I used to think I had a revenue problem. Maamul showed me I had a food cost problem on three specific dishes. I repriced two of them and my margin went up 11% without changing anything else.”
Independent Restaurant · Nairobi, Kenya