About seven out of ten restaurant owners in Damascus manage invoices using excel and the WhatsApp app alongside a notebook on the counter. That's when excel becomes a problem in Syria: the moment orders start scattering between phone, Facebook, and WhatsApp without landing in one place.
In one restaurant, the phone order was written on paper, the Facebook order printed from the desktop, and the WhatsApp order read off the phone. Each went to the kitchen differently. The result: lost orders, duplicate orders, and customers waiting longer than necessary.
The operational problem
When an order comes from three separate channels, precious time is lost just collecting the information. That time means an empty table or a customer changing their mind. At peak hours, staff begin manually transferring orders between paper and digital.
If the owner relies solely on excel, they enter the order after cooking is done, leading to missing or incorrect data. Around seven out of ten business owners invoice this way — that's not efficient operation.
Monthly closing when relying on excel and paper can take between five and ten working days. During that period, the owner has no precise profit figure, and an incomplete invoice may slip unpaid.
Delay in moving orders causes stock confusion. Sometimes a key ingredient runs out without anyone knowing because the order wasn't recorded. Then there's no time to reorder from the supplier.
Why off-the-shelf tools fall short
Many owners think a ready POS system will solve the entire problem. In reality, these systems are limited:
- They don't unify all channels like phone, Facebook, and the WhatsApp app into one screen.
- Their reports are usually fixed, not showing daily operational details.
- They don't support instant stock updates based on unrecorded orders.
- They don't facilitate integration with other workflows (like accounting) without lengthy setup.
- They don't consider multi-language or quick new staff training.
TRBD's fix
A practical move is building a custom app that collects all orders in one place. Mobile app development and web platform development are official services that deliver this.
Project steps:
- Operational assessment session to understand current order flow.
- Design a user-friendly interface showing all orders with their source.
- Develop the system to link phone, Facebook, and WhatsApp app.
- Deploy the app to kitchen and cashier stations.
- Train staff on entering and receiving orders.
Scope includes UX/UI design, full-stack development, API integration with order channels, and ongoing maintenance.
Expected outputs: sequentially numbered orders, daily operational reports, monthly closing in under 48 hours within the first quarter.
Sample table
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| Intake | All orders enter one screen |
| Sequence | Assign a number to each order |
| Dispatch | Order goes to kitchen instantly |
| Acknowledge | Kitchen presses when order is done |
How a client starts with us
You can send a message via email info@trbd.net or WhatsApp Turkey https://wa.me/905537323153 or WhatsApp Syria https://wa.me/963992367582 to request a free initial order flow assessment.
Toward a new operational model for Damascus restaurants
Restaurants that rely on excel and paper to record orders suffer losses not just in cash but in service reputation. With rising order channels like the WhatsApp app and Facebook, merging these streams has become essential.
Expect restaurants adopting a unified order screen to see fewer lost orders within weeks. Support tickets in the first two months are heavy, then drop sharply.
In Damascus's market, competition may shift from food quality to operational efficiency. A restaurant that can send orders from all channels through one system will win customer satisfaction and manage profits precisely.
Recommendation: review your order flow. If there are unmerged channels, consider a project to unify them. The time and money saved will recover the investment quickly.