The WDPW blog is a library of practical, vendor-neutral guides for restaurant operators — how to choose a POS, cloud vs traditional systems, controlling food cost, kitchen operations, and Egyptian tax compliance (ETA e-receipts). Written to be useful whether or not you use WDPW.
Choosing a restaurant POS comes down to a few decisions that matter more than feature lists: cloud vs legacy, whether you're locked into hardware, how it behaves offline, multi-branch control, tax compliance, and how painful migration will be. This guide walks through each with a checklist you can use.
A cloud POS stores data centrally and updates automatically, so you can manage the restaurant from anywhere and scale without servers. A traditional POS keeps data on-site — robust at scale but heavier to run. For most restaurants, cloud wins on cost and flexibility, provided it works offline.
Restaurant POS cost in Egypt depends on the pricing model, not just a headline number. Watch for per-cashier licenses, required hardware, and separate payment fees. A flat-plan cloud POS like WDPW starts at EGP 15,000/year with unlimited devices and no hardware — compare total cost for your setup.
A Kitchen Display System (KDS) is a screen in the kitchen that replaces paper tickets. Orders appear as digital cards in prep lanes with timers and priority cues, and the kitchen bumps each one when it's ready. A KDS cuts misfires, speeds up service, and keeps stations coordinated.
ETA e-receipts are electronic receipts submitted to the Egyptian Tax Authority. A compliant POS issues them automatically on payment, submits them, and records an immutable end-of-day Z-report. Refunds are handled as credit notes against the original order. Here's how it fits together.
Food cost percentage is the cost of ingredients divided by the revenue they generate. Multiply by 100 to get a percentage; most restaurants target roughly 28–35%. Recipe costing in a POS calculates it automatically by deducting ingredients on every sale. Here's the formula and an example.
QR ordering lets guests scan a code at the table or counter to view the menu, order, and pay from their phone — no app to install and no waiting for a server. The order goes straight to the kitchen. It shines during a rush and for takeaway.
A loyalty program rewards repeat guests so they visit more often and spend more. The two common models are points (earn and redeem) and tiers (status levels with growing perks). The best programs are simple to understand and attached to the sale automatically.
Managing multiple branches is a control problem: one consistent menu and pricing, centralized staff and permissions, connected inventory, and reporting you can compare across locations — without editing each branch by hand. A cloud platform is what makes that practical.
Food waste quietly erodes margin, and most of it is invisible until you measure it. The fixes are unglamorous but effective: recipe-level tracking, sensible par levels, FEFO for perishables, waste logging, and variance reports that reveal where stock actually goes.
Opening a restaurant in Egypt means turning a concept into a licensed, staffed, supplied operation with the systems to run it — including ETA tax registration and a POS that supports it. This is a high-level checklist; confirm licensing and tax specifics with a professional advisor.
