Pricora. Big possibilities for small venues

We live in an amazing time. Artificial intelligence helps solve complex tasks, smartphones replace many separate devices, and modern technology lets us automate almost any process.

And yet, more than once I saw small cafés, bars and restaurants still writing down sales, expenses and purchases in an ordinary notebook. When I asked why they didn't use dedicated software, the answers were almost always the same:

“Expensive. Complicated. It's easier for us this way.”

And I partly understand them. For a small family café, buying equipment, installing software, training staff and paying constant fees can be a serious financial burden. Especially when every euro counts. But one question wouldn't leave me alone: why does technology, which is supposed to make work easier, turn out too complicated or too expensive for exactly the people who need it most?

The notebooks were only part of the picture. I saw old, worn menus with new prices stuck over the old ones. Owners couldn't always afford to order a new menu from the printer every time the price of a few dishes changed. Stock was often counted approximately. Suppliers were rarely changed, not necessarily because the existing ones offered better terms, but because there simply wasn't time to find and compare alternatives.

At the same time, some recipes stayed unchanged for decades. And I believe there is special value in that. Beloved dishes, traditions, the owner's character and the atmosphere are exactly what bring guests back.

But preserving traditions doesn't mean refusing to evolve.

Purchase prices change often, expenses rise, and guests' preferences shift too. What was profitable yesterday can be loss-making today, and a venue needs to react quickly without losing its individuality.

What surprised me most was how dish prices were set. Often the owner roughly estimated the cost of ingredients, added some amount on top and set a price that seemed reasonable. Sometimes they sent someone to the café next door to see how much a similar dish cost there.

But a competitor's price does not determine your profitability. Every venue has its own suppliers, purchase prices, portions, rent and staff costs. If your neighbour sells a dish for ten euros, that doesn't mean it makes sense for you to sell it for the same.

And the saddest part: people could work from morning to night, serve guests, buy ingredients, pay bills, and still not understand why there was almost no money left to grow. Sometimes the problem wasn't the number of guests, but that the owner simply couldn't see the real economics of their venue.

It was out of these observations that the idea of Pricora was born. At first I wanted to create a simple, accessible tool for analysing restaurant prices. So that the owner could calculate the cost of a portion, compare it with available market data and understand how well justified the price on their own menu is.

But as the work progressed, it became obvious that a dish's price doesn't exist on its own. It depends on the recipe, purchase prices, portion size, the venue's expenses and other factors. And stock levels and the movement of ingredients affect how accurately these calculations can be kept up in daily work. You can build an excellent calculator, but if the owner still has to move information between notebooks, spreadsheets and different programs, the main problem remains unsolved.

So the idea grew into an accessible platform-builder for small and medium-sized restaurant businesses.

When I set about creating Pricora, I tried to look at every decision through the eyes of someone running a small café. I pictured his ordinary day: purchasing, preparing the kitchen, serving guests, dealing with staff, suppliers and orders. And in the evening, calculations, paperwork and attempts to work out how much was earned. And I asked myself simple questions. Would I want to buy expensive terminals and special equipment if I already have a laptop, a tablet or a smartphone? Would I pay for dozens of features I don't use? Would I want to spend weeks learning a complicated program?

The answer was obvious. I would need a clear tool that genuinely makes everyday work easier. Quickly check a dish's cost, see stock levels, update the menu, assess profitability, compare prices and organise orders. And all of it without having to enter the same data again and again. That is how one of Pricora's core principles was born:

The owner shouldn't have to adapt to the software. The software should adapt to the owner.

Every venue has its own tasks, habits and budget. One needs cost and market-price analysis. Another, a convenient tool for designing the menu. A third, stock control, order management and additional features. That is why Pricora is being developed as a builder. The owner chooses the tools they need and can add the rest as needed. No mandatory purchase of specialised equipment. No complicated rollout. No paying for features you don't need.

Our goal is to make modern management tools accessible even to a small venue with a limited budget. Depending on the features chosen, the cost can be just a few euros a day. And it is fundamentally important to me that the owner understands what they are paying for and what benefit they get.

A good example of our approach is Menu Studio. And not every guest wants to use only a QR code. I personally like being able to pick up a real paper menu, leaf through it calmly and choose a dish. That is why we didn't want to force venues to give up the format they're used to. With Menu Studio, the owner can design the menu themselves, change prices, descriptions and ingredients, and then prepare an updated version to print on an ordinary printer. And if they prefer professional printing, the same layout can be prepared for the print shop. This means the menu can stay neat and up to date without constant extra costs for redesigning it.

Modern technology should give choice, not take it away.

Some prefer traditional table service. Others want to take orders through a QR menu. For some, it's enough to start with price analysis. Pricora should be useful to all of them.

They have analysts, purchasing specialists, professional management systems and access to large volumes of market information. The owner of a small family café usually can't afford to maintain such a staff. But why should that mean he has to make decisions almost blind?

I wanted to give independent venues access to information and tools that help them understand costs, control profitability, find their bearings in market prices and react faster to change. Not to turn them into small copies of restaurant chains. Quite the opposite. So that they can keep their traditions, favourite recipes, individuality and closeness to guests, while still using modern management capabilities. Pricora is being created for independent venues across Europe, from restaurants in capital cities to small family cafés in small towns.

Many small cafés, bars and restaurants are not just businesses. They are their owners' life's work. People put their own money, strength, character and soul into them. They cook themselves, welcome guests, know their regulars and create an atmosphere that can't be reproduced by following instructions. It is precisely such venues that make our cities alive and different from one another.

But after a long working day, owners often have to deal with purchasing, calculations, paperwork and other administrative tasks. That time could be spent on guests, cooking favourite dishes, developing the venue, family or simply resting. That is why, for me, Pricora is not only about prices and automation. It is about giving people back time for what they truly love.

I don't intend to teach restaurant owners how to cook, welcome guests or love their work. Many of them do it far better than I do. Pricora doesn't replace the owner's experience and doesn't make every decision for them. Technology cannot solve absolutely every problem, and good decisions always require understanding the specific venue. But much can be done more simply, faster and more affordably.

I want them to have more time for what they love, more opportunities to grow and fewer reasons to worry about tomorrow.

That is the idea of Pricora.

— Igor, founder of Pricora