GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGY · WEST AFRICA FIRST · GLOBAL EXPANSION
The Core Thesis
Don't fight Toast in their backyard. Win the market they can't profitably serve.
Toast has 6,000 employees, US-centric hardware, and pricing built for American margins. West Africa's restaurant market is large, fast-growing, and almost entirely unserved by serious POS software. ROMS enters with zero competition, software-only deployment, native payment integration, and Terra's existing West Africa presence. Win Accra and Lagos first. Use that traction and the global narrative to enter the US as something Toast can never be — the restaurant OS that works everywhere.
Why Africa First
NO COMPETITION
Toast, Square, and TouchBistro have essentially zero presence in Ghana and Nigeria. Loyverse (free, basic) has some adoption but no real support and no mobile money. ROMS enters an open field. First-mover advantage in a market this large is worth more than marginal share in the US.
ZERO HARDWARE FRICTION
Software-only is a massive advantage in Africa. Toast requires $2,000+ in proprietary hardware. ROMS runs on the Android tablet the owner already has. No shipping, no customs, no installation. A restaurant in Accra can be live on ROMS in under an hour after signing up.
TERRA'S WEST AFRICA PRESENCE
Terra's existing West Africa family network and community relationships provide warm introductions to restaurant owners — access and credibility that a US startup launching cold would never have.
LOCAL PAYMENT RAILS
Flutterwave and Paystack are world-class processors built for Ghana and Nigeria. Mobile Money penetration exceeds 60% in Ghana. Integrating these natively makes ROMS feel like a local product. Toast cannot offer this. ROMS can — and it's built in from day one, not bolted on.
FASTER PRODUCT-MARKET FIT
No entrenched competitors means restaurants try ROMS on the value proposition alone — not requiring you to displace a Toast contract. Faster feedback loops. Cheaper iteration. Real PMF without competitive noise and lock-in objections that dominate US sales conversations.
THE GLOBAL NARRATIVE
When ROMS enters the US, it arrives with something no US competitor can claim: it already works in Accra and Lagos. That story — the global restaurant OS — is a genuine differentiator that Toast cannot copy. They are American by design. ROMS is global by design.
Three-Phase GTM
01
GHANA LAUNCH
Month 1–6 · Accra first
10–20 restaurants. Founder-led. In-person. Build the first case studies in a real market with zero competition.
02
NIGERIA EXPANSION
Month 4–12 · Lagos
20–50 restaurants. Ghana case studies as proof. Paystack integration. Nigeria is 7× Ghana's market size.
03
US MARKET ENTRY
Month 12–24 · DMV → National
Enter via West African and Caribbean restaurants in DMV. The cultural bridge between Africa operations and broad US expansion.
Key Strategic Decisions
Launch market
West Africa (Ghana first, Nigeria second). Compete where you can win, then use that to enter where competition is fierce.
DECIDED
Hardware model
Software-only. Any Android tablet or iPad. Zero logistics, zero customs, zero install complexity. No proprietary hardware ever.
DECIDED
Payment processing
Flutterwave + MTN Mobile Money (Ghana). Paystack + OPay (Nigeria). Stripe added for US Phase 3.
DECIDED
Sales motion
Founder-led, in-person for first 20 customers. Will travels to Accra. No remote-only selling until PMF is proven.
DECIDED
US entry angle
Immigrant-owned restaurants (West African, Caribbean) in DMV. Cultural bridge between Phase 2 and broad US expansion.
DECIDED
Competitive positioning
Price + independence + global reach. Not feature competition — structural and economic differentiation.
DECIDED
Market Analysis
WEST AFRICA RESTAURANT MARKET · COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE · SIZING
West Africa — Market Overview
Ghana Formal Restaurants
50k+
Accra alone: ~10,000
Nigeria Formal Restaurants
500k+
Lagos alone: ~100,000
Mobile Money Penetration
60%+
Ghana adults — MTN, Vodafone Cash
POS Software Adoption
<5%
Most restaurants still manual
Ghana — Launch Market
Population
~33 million · Accra metro ~3 million · English official language
Currency
Ghanaian Cedi (GHS) · ~$0.07 USD · More stable than NGN
Payment rails
MTN Mobile Money, Vodafone Cash, Flutterwave · Card penetration growing
Internet
Reliable in Accra city center · Patchy in outskirts · Offline mode required
Hardware
Android dominant · iPhones in upper market · Both must be supported
Terra presence
Family network + community relationships in-market · Warm introductions available
Nigeria — Phase 2 Market
Population
~220 million · Lagos metro ~15–20 million · English official language
Currency
Nigerian Naira (NGN) · More volatile than GHS · Price in NGN accordingly
7× Ghana · Lagos restaurant scene rivals any African city in scale
Restaurant scene
Fine dining, Afrobeats culture, fast-casual chains · Higher spend per cover
Risk
More complex regulatory environment · Higher currency volatility
Market Sizing
MARKET
ADDRESSABLE (TECH-READY)
REVENUE AT 1% PENETRATION
Ghana (Accra focus)
~3,000–5,000 restaurants
30–50 restaurants = $900–1,500/mo MRR
Nigeria (Lagos focus)
~20,000–50,000 restaurants
200–500 restaurants = $9,000–22,500/mo MRR
West Africa combined (Year 2)
~25,000–55,000 restaurants
$30–50k MRR achievable by month 18
US market (Year 2+)
~1,000,000+ restaurants
Multi-million MRR long-term opportunity
Competitive Landscape — West Africa
COMPETITOR
WEST AFRICA PRESENCE
HARDWARE
LOCAL PAYMENTS
PRICING
ROMS ADVANTAGE
Toast
None
Proprietary ($2k+)
No
$110–165/mo + hardware
Everything — they don't exist there
Square
Minimal
Optional hardware
No Mobile Money
$60/mo
Local payment rails, local support
TouchBistro
None
iPad required
No
$69–399/mo
Full advantage across all dimensions
Loyverse
Present (free tier)
Any device
No local payments
Free / $25/mo
Full POS features, local payments, real support
ROMS
Launching here
Any Android or iOS
Flutterwave, Paystack, Mobile Money
$13–25/mo (USD equiv.)
Built for this market from day one
MARKET SUMMARY: West Africa is the largest underserved restaurant market with world-class payment infrastructure and zero serious POS competition. ROMS isn't entering a crowded market — it's creating the category in a region where the category doesn't yet exist.
Ideal Customer Profile
WHO TO TARGET · WHAT THEY NEED · HOW THEY BUY
Phase 1 ICP — The Accra Operator
THE ACCRA OPERATOR
PRIMARY TARGET · PHASE 1
A restaurant owner in Accra managing 1–3 locations. Educated, smartphone-first, frustrated with manual processes. Already uses WhatsApp for business and Mobile Money for payments. A pragmatist who switches when the value is undeniable — not an ideological early adopter.
Business Type
Fast-casual, mid-range, café. 1–3 locations. 5–50 covers per service.
Monthly Revenue
GHS 5,000–50,000/mo. Can afford GHS 360/mo easily if ROI is obvious.
Current Tech
Android phone, WhatsApp for orders, maybe Excel, cash + Mobile Money.
Pain Points
No sales visibility, manual errors, staff theft risk, no end-of-day reporting.
Decision Maker
The owner — directly. No procurement. Decision in 1–2 conversations if trust is established.
"Internet connectivity." "Staff won't learn it." All solvable with offline mode and simple UX.
What Wins Them
In-person relationship, 30-min demo on their own device, 14-day trial, one local reference.
Phase 2 ICP — The Lagos Chain Operator
THE LAGOS CHAIN OPERATOR
PHASE 2 TARGET
A more sophisticated operator running 2–5 locations in Lagos. Tech-savvy, already using some digital tools. The Afrobeats dining scene has created a class of restaurant entrepreneurs building genuine brands who need real operational infrastructure — multi-location reporting, inventory, staff management.
Business Type
Multi-location fast-casual or brand-driven restaurant. 2–5 locations. 20–100 covers.
Monthly Revenue
NGN 500k–5M/mo. ROMS at NGN 22k–30k/location = easy ROI story.
Current Tech
May use Loyverse or basic local POS. Looking to upgrade. Already uses Paystack.
What Wins Them
Ghana case studies, Paystack integration, multi-location dashboard, lower price than US alternatives.
Phase 3 ICP — US Bridge Customer (DMV)
THE IMMIGRANT RESTAURANT OWNER — DMV
PHASE 3 BRIDGE
A West African or Caribbean restaurant owner in DC/Maryland/Virginia. Culturally connected to the markets where ROMS already operates. Trusts the brand because of its Africa presence. Frustrated with Toast's pricing and hardware lock-in. The natural cultural bridge between Phase 2 and broad US expansion.
Why They Switch
ROMS already used in their home country. Lower price than Toast. No hardware lock-in.
Channel
Diaspora community networks, African restaurant associations, word of mouth.
Payment
Stripe for card. May also want Flutterwave for customers paying with African cards.
Expansion Path
DMV win → US case studies → broader independent restaurant market → compete on price and freedom.
ROMS is the restaurant operating system built for the world — not just for America.
Run on any device. Integrate with local payments wherever you are. No proprietary hardware. No American pricing for non-American margins. One system that works in Accra, Lagos, Manila, and Atlanta — with the local payment rails and local pricing that makes it actually usable, not just technically compatible.
Three Differentiation Pillars
Price
30–60% LESS THAN TOAST
Toast starts at $110/mo plus $2,000+ hardware. ROMS starts at $13/mo with zero hardware cost. For a restaurant on thin margins — especially in West Africa — this is the difference between affordable and not. Price opens the door. Product keeps them.
Freedom
NO HARDWARE LOCK-IN
Toast's proprietary hardware creates switching costs that trap restaurants for years. ROMS runs on any device the restaurant already owns. Switching to ROMS costs nothing in hardware. Switching away from Toast costs $2,000–5,000 in write-offs. Independence is a structural advantage.
Global
BUILT FOR EVERYWHERE
Multi-currency from day one. Flutterwave, Paystack, Mobile Money, Stripe — built in, not bolted on. Offline mode for unreliable connectivity. No competitor can honestly say they were built for Accra and Atlanta simultaneously. ROMS can — because it already is.
Core Message by Audience
FOR THE ACCRA RESTAURANT OWNER
PHASE 1
"Run your restaurant like a business, not a guessing game." Real-time sales data, digital orders, Mobile Money payments, and end-of-day reports — on the phone you already have. No expensive hardware. No complicated setup. No American pricing. Built for restaurants like yours.
FOR THE LAGOS CHAIN OPERATOR
PHASE 2
"One dashboard for every location. Zero compromises on payment." Paystack and Flutterwave built in. Real-time inventory across locations. Staff management and sales analytics that actually work in Nigeria — not just in San Francisco.
FOR THE US INDEPENDENT RESTAURANT
PHASE 3
"Everything Toast does. None of what Toast costs." Full-featured POS at 40% of Toast's price. No proprietary hardware. No 3-year contracts. Runs on your existing iPad. And unlike Toast, ROMS works in every country you might ever expand to — because it already does.
WHAT NOT TO SAY: Do not position ROMS as "like Toast but cheaper." That framing makes ROMS a discount option. The positioning is independence, global capability, and fair pricing — not bargain-basement. "We're cheaper" loses. "We're built differently for a different world" wins.
Pricing Strategy
WEST AFRICA TIERS · PAYMENT PROCESSING · US PRICING
✓ Up to 3 terminals ✓ Full analytics ✓ Inventory + staff ✓ All payment rails ✓ Menu management
CHAIN
₦22k
per location/month · ~$15 USD
✓ Everything in Standard ✓ Multi-location dashboard ✓ Consolidated reporting ✓ Priority support
Payment Processing Partners
Flutterwave (Ghana + Nigeria)
1.4% domestic + $0.30 per transaction. Card, bank transfer, Mobile Money. Best cross-border option. Primary processor for Ghana launch.
Paystack (Nigeria primary)
1.5% + ₦100 per transaction. Nigerian-built, dominant in Nigerian market. Operators already trust and use it. Primary for Nigeria Phase 2.
MTN Mobile Money (Ghana)
~0.75–1% for merchant receipts. Essential for Ghana — primary payment method for many customers. Must be integrated before Ghana launch.
Stripe (US Phase 3)
2.9% + $0.30. Standard for US market. Add when ROMS enters the US. Not needed for Africa phases.
PAYMENT PROCESSING REVENUE
Option A — Referral (start here): Refer restaurants to Flutterwave/Paystack and collect a referral fee. No complex compliance needed. ~$50–200 per restaurant per year.
Option B — Sub-merchant (Phase 2): Become a payment facilitator under Flutterwave's sub-merchant program. Generates 0.3–0.5% of all GMV processed through ROMS. How Toast generates most of its revenue. Requires more setup but scales significantly.
Recommendation: Start with Option A. Activate Option B when monthly GMV exceeds $500k.
Option A: $50–200/restaurant/yrOption B: 0.3–0.5% of GMV
✓ Everything in Professional ✓ Multi-location dashboard ✓ Consolidated reporting ✓ API access ✓ Dedicated support
Sales Playbook
FOUNDER-LED SALES · IN-PERSON PROCESS · ACQUISITION CHANNELS
PHASE 1 RULE: The first 20 customers must be closed by Will in person. No remote-only selling. No email campaigns. Get on a plane to Accra. Walk into restaurants. Build relationships personally. The product doesn't have case studies yet — you are the case study.
Founder-Led Sales Process — Step by Step
Step 1 — Identify
Walk the Accra restaurant districts: Osu, Airport Residential, East Legon, Dzorwulu, Labone. Target restaurants with 5–50 covers that are actively trading. Not street food. Not fine dining. Mid-range, owner-operated, busy.
In person
Step 2 — Open
Don't lead with the product. Ask about their biggest operational headache. "How do you track your sales at the end of the day?" "How do you know if a table paid?" Listen for the pain. The pain is your pitch, not ROMS features.
Step 3 — Demo
Pull out your phone. Show ROMS running live — an order flowing from table to kitchen to payment settled via Mobile Money. Demo takes 10 minutes. The question is whether the pain is strong enough to act. If yes, go to Step 4.
Step 4 — Activate Trial
Offer 14 days free. Set it up on their device before you leave — that day. Never let them self-install. Install it yourself, show one staff member the basics, leave your WhatsApp for support. Every minute of friction between interest and activation kills the deal.
Step 5 — Follow Up
WhatsApp check-in Day 3. Day 7 check-in. Day 12 — call them. Walk through what the reports are showing. On Day 14 ask for the subscription. If they're using it, they'll pay.
Step 6 — Referral
Every paying customer is asked for two referrals within 30 days. "Who else do you think would benefit from this?" Restaurant owners know each other. One customer in Osu can open five doors. Never skip this step.
Always
Acquisition Channels — Priority Order
TERRA AGRICULTURE NETWORK
PHASE 1$0
Terra's existing West Africa agricultural relationships include food distributors and supply chain contacts who know restaurant owners personally. A warm introduction from a trusted agricultural supplier is worth 10 cold approaches. Brief Agriculture contacts before the Ghana trip. Ask for 5 restaurant introductions minimum.
FOUNDER IN-PERSON CANVASSING (ACCRA)
PHASE 1$2k–3.5k trip cost
Walk the restaurant districts daily. 5 restaurants visited per day, 3 conversations, 1 trial activated. 10 days of focused canvassing = 10 trials = 5–7 paying customers at typical conversion. One 10-day Accra trip closes the first cohort of customers.
INSTAGRAM — RESTAURANT OWNER TARGETING
PHASE 1–2$200–500/mo
Instagram is how West African restaurants market themselves. Every restaurant worth targeting has an account. Follow, engage, DM with a tailored message. Run targeted ads ($5–15/day, target: restaurant owner/manager, location: Accra/Lagos). Not for closing — for generating warm leads that Will then calls directly.
FOOD BLOGGERS & LOCAL MEDIA
PHASE 1–2$500–1,500
Ghana and Nigeria have active food blogging communities. A feature in a well-followed Ghana food media outlet reaches every restaurant owner who follows the industry. B2B credibility signal, not consumer marketing. One well-placed story about ROMS's launch in Accra creates inbound interest from operators who see it.
REFERRAL PROGRAM
PHASE 1–21 month free per referral
Every paying customer who refers a new customer gets one month free. The referred restaurant gets a 14-day trial plus 50% off the first month. Restaurant owners in West Africa have tight community networks — word of mouth is the primary trust signal. One happy customer in a district can open 3–5 doors.
RESTAURANT ASSOCIATIONS (PHASE 2)
PHASE 2$0–500 membership
Ghana Tourism Authority, Restaurant and Food Service Association of Ghana, Lagos Chamber of Commerce. Speaking at or sponsoring an industry event puts ROMS in front of 50–200 qualified decision-makers at once. Phase 2 channel — by then ROMS has case studies to present.
DMV DIASPORA COMMUNITY (US PHASE)
PHASE 3$500–2,000 events
The DC/Maryland/Virginia area has one of the largest West African diaspora communities in the US. Sponsor community events, partner with diaspora business associations, target immigrant restaurant owners who already know ROMS or trust it because of its Africa presence. The cultural bridge into the US market.
Launch Plan
MILESTONES · BUDGET · PHASE GATES · MRR TARGETS
Phase 1 — Ghana Launch (Month 1–6)
Geography
Accra — Osu, Airport Residential, East Legon, Labone, Dzorwulu
Target
10 paying restaurants by month 3. 20 by month 6.
MRR Target
20 restaurants × GHS 360/mo (~$25) = ~$500/mo MRR
Sales motion
Founder in-person Accra trip (10 days min). Terra Agri warm intros. Canvassing. Referral from customer 1.
Support
Will handles all support via WhatsApp for first 20 customers. Under 4-hour response time.
Phase gate
10 paying customers AND positive NPS before starting Nigeria. Don't rush Phase 2.
50+ combined customers. Lagos agent active. US market scouted. First DMV trials.
US SCOUT
Month 18
$15,000–25,000
100+ Africa customers. 10+ US customers. Head of Growth hired. Stripe live.
US ENTRY
Month 24
$40,000–60,000
200+ customers across three markets. ROMS funding Terra Finance and RE via PIOS.
ENGINE LIVE
Product Requirements
MUST-HAVES BEFORE LAUNCH · NICE-TO-HAVES · ARCHITECTURE NOTES
LAUNCH GATE: ROMS cannot go live in Ghana until every MUST-HAVE below is complete. Nice-to-haves can ship post-launch. Do not add features. Remove blockers.
Must-Haves Before Ghana Launch
Offline Mode
ROMS must function fully without internet — take orders, process transactions, print receipts. Sync to cloud when connectivity restores. Non-negotiable for Ghana/Nigeria. This is the single most important technical requirement for the Africa launch.
BLOCKER
Android Support
iOS alone is insufficient for West Africa. Android tablet support is mandatory — Android dominates the Ghanaian and Nigerian device market. Must run on Android 8.0+ without degraded performance.
BLOCKER
Mobile Money Integration
MTN Mobile Money for Ghana. OPay / PalmPay for Nigeria. This is the primary payment method for a significant portion of restaurant customers in both markets. No Mobile Money = half the transactions don't work.
BLOCKER
Flutterwave Integration
Card and bank transfer payments via Flutterwave. API is well-documented and free to integrate. Required for Ghana launch. Paystack added for Nigeria Phase 2.
BLOCKER
GHS Currency Support
All pricing, invoicing, and reporting in Ghanaian Cedi. Multi-currency architecture from day one — adding NGN and USD later should require config only, no code changes.
BLOCKER
Bluetooth Receipt Printing
Thermal receipt printers (Bluetooth) are standard in West African restaurants. Must support major models (EPSON, Star, Sunmi). Customers expect physical receipts.
BLOCKER
WhatsApp Support Channel
Not a product feature — an operational requirement. A ROMS WhatsApp Business account must be the official support channel before launch. WhatsApp is how business is conducted in West Africa. Email support alone will not work.
BLOCKER
Nice-to-Haves — Ship Post-Launch
Inventory Management
Important but not required for first 20 customers. Basic order management and payment processing proves the value. Add in v1.1.
V1.1
Staff Management / Permissions
Useful for multi-staff operations. Not required for a single owner-operator. Add when targeting larger restaurants in Phase 2.
V1.2
Multi-Location Dashboard
Required for Chain tier but not for Phase 1 single-location targets. Build when 3+ chain customers are requesting it.
V1.2
Online Ordering
Integrate with WhatsApp ordering or a basic web menu. High value addition. Not required at launch.
V2.0
Loyalty / Customer CRM
High retention value once restaurants have enough repeat customers to track. Phase 2+ feature.
V2.0
Kitchen Display System (KDS)
Replaces paper tickets in the kitchen. Relevant for larger restaurants. Not a first-20-customer requirement.
V2.0
ARCHITECTURE NOTE: Multi-currency, multi-language, and multi-payment-rail must be baked into the architecture from day one — not added as afterthoughts. Every line of code written now that assumes USD or Stripe will cost 10x to fix later. Build the abstraction layer now. It adds perhaps 20% to development time and saves months of painful refactoring before every new market entry.
Unit Economics
CAC · LTV · GROSS MARGIN · CHURN · BREAK-EVEN
WHY THIS MATTERS: MRR milestones are targets. Unit economics are the math that says whether those targets are achievable. A business where LTV is lower than CAC is a business that loses money with every customer it acquires — no matter how fast it grows. Know these numbers before you spend a dollar on acquisition.
Core Unit Economics — West Africa Launch
Target CAC (Ghana)
$150
Cost to acquire one paying customer. Includes trip cost, time, ads.
Avg MRR per Customer
$22
Ghana Standard tier ~GHS 360 ($25). Blended with Starter (~$13).
Monthly Churn Target
5%
Restaurant industry avg is 6–10%. Target below industry with active CS.
LTV (at 5% churn)
$440
Avg revenue per customer over lifetime. LTV = MRR ÷ churn rate.
LTV:CAC Analysis — The Core Health Metric
LTV Formula
Average MRR ÷ Monthly Churn Rate = $22 ÷ 0.05 = $440 LTV per customer at 5% churn.
CAC (Phase 1 — founder sales)
~$150 per customer. Accra trip ($2,500) ÷ 20 customers acquired = $125 trip CAC + ~$25 ads and referral costs. Highly efficient because founder is doing the selling.
LTV:CAC Ratio
$440 ÷ $150 = 2.9:1. Minimum healthy ratio is 3:1 — close but tight at Phase 1. Improves significantly in Phase 2 as CAC drops via referrals and the commission agent model.
CAC Payback Period
$150 CAC ÷ $22 MRR = 6.8 months to recover acquisition cost. Target under 12 months — achievable. Accelerates as average MRR per customer increases with upsells.
Phase 2 CAC (Lagos agent)
$75 per customer ($50–100 commission per activation). LTV:CAC improves to ~5.9:1. Much healthier. The agent model is the right economic structure for Phase 2.
US Phase 3 CAC (digital)
$400–800 per customer (Google Ads + sales time). US LTV at $99/mo Standard and 4% churn = $2,475. LTV:CAC of ~3.5–6:1. Viable but requires the higher US pricing to work.
CHURN IS THE MOST IMPORTANT VARIABLE
At 5% monthly churn the average customer stays 20 months. At 8% (restaurant industry average) the average customer stays 12.5 months. That gap cuts LTV by 37%:
This means keeping churn below 6% is not a customer success goal — it is a financial survival requirement. Every percentage point of churn saved is worth more than adding new customers.
Gross Margin Analysis
Revenue per customer (Ghana Std)
GHS 360/mo = ~$25 USD
AWS / infrastructure per customer
~$1.50/mo at early scale. Drops toward $0.50 as customer base grows.
Payment processing cost
$0 at launch (free API). Under Option B sub-merchant: 0.3–0.5% of GMV.
Support cost per customer
~$2–3/mo (Will's time, WhatsApp). Drops to ~$0.50 with a trained local support agent at scale.
($25 - $0.50 - $0 - $0.50) ÷ $25 = 96%. Infrastructure costs near-zero per marginal customer at scale.
PROCESSING REVENUE UPSIDE
If ROMS activates Option B (payment facilitator sub-merchant under Flutterwave), processing revenue adds significant margin:
Assume a Ghana restaurant processes GHS 10,000/month (~$700 USD) through ROMS.
At 0.4% revenue share: $2.80/month per restaurant in processing revenue on top of subscription.
At 100 customers: +$280/month additional revenue — roughly 13% of SaaS revenue.
At 500 customers processing $700/month each: +$1,400/month additional — growing with volume.
This is the model Toast runs at scale: processing revenue eventually dwarfs software revenue. Not the priority at launch — but architect the payment layer to capture this upside in Phase 2.
Retention Strategy — Keeping Churn Below 6%
30-Day Activation Checklist
Every new customer gets a structured 30-day onboarding: Day 1 setup, Day 3 first order processed, Day 7 first end-of-day report reviewed with owner, Day 14 Mobile Money confirmed working, Day 30 first month analytics walkthrough. Customers who complete all five steps churn at half the rate of those who don't.
CRITICAL
90-Day Success Review
WhatsApp or in-person check-in at 90 days. Review their sales data, show them what the reports mean for their business, identify any feature gaps. This is the moment that converts a passive subscriber into an advocate. If they can answer "ROMS helped me discover X about my business" — they're retained.
At-Risk Detection
A customer who hasn't logged in for 7 days is at risk. A customer who hasn't processed an order in 3 days is at high risk. Monitor login frequency and order volume. Reach out via WhatsApp before they decide to cancel — not after.
Expansion Revenue
Upsell Standard → Chain tier when a customer opens a second location. This increases MRR per customer without acquiring a new customer — the highest-margin revenue motion available. Target every Standard customer who mentions expansion plans.
Community Building
Create a ROMS WhatsApp group for Accra restaurant owners (Phase 1 customers). Peer community increases switching cost significantly — they're not just leaving software, they're leaving a network. Share tips, benchmark data, seasonal insights. Costs nothing, retains customers.
BREAK-EVEN POINT: Fixed monthly costs (infrastructure, insurance, software subscriptions) at Phase 1 are roughly $400–900/month. At $22 average MRR per customer and 82% gross margin ($18 gross profit per customer), ROMS needs approximately 22–50 customers to cover its own operating costs. That's achievable within the first 3 months of the Ghana launch — before any salary is paid. The business is operationally self-funding from a remarkably small customer base.
CONTEXT: The US market is the long-term prize but Phase 3 entry, not Phase 1. This analysis informs positioning and feature decisions now so ROMS is built to compete in the US — even before it gets there. Every product decision made in Africa should be evaluated against whether it helps or hurts US market entry.
US Restaurant POS Market — Overview
US Restaurants
1M+
Total addressable market
Toast Market Cap
$14B+
Proving the market is enormous
Avg POS Contract Value
$1,800
Annual software spend per location
Hardware Lock-In Period
3–5yr
Avg time before restaurants switch
Competitor Deep Dive
TOAST — THE DOMINANT INCUMBENT
BIGGEST THREAT · PHASE 3
Strengths
Market leader. Deep integrations. 6,000 employees. Strong brand in the restaurant industry. Processing revenue model is highly profitable at scale. Aggressive sales force.
Weaknesses
Proprietary hardware lock-in. High pricing ($110–165/mo + hardware). US-only. Complex onboarding. Processing fees are opaque. Customer complaints about support quality at scale.
ROMS Attack Vector
Price + hardware freedom. "Switch from Toast in a weekend — keep your iPads." Target restaurants whose Toast contracts are expiring. $0 hardware cost + 60% lower software cost = compelling math for independent operators.
What NOT to Do
Do not compete on features. Toast has 6,000 people building features. Compete on economics and independence. "We don't have every Toast feature" is not a weakness if the price delta is 60%.
SQUARE FOR RESTAURANTS
MODERATE THREAT
Strengths
Strong brand recognition. Free tier for very small restaurants. Ecosystem (Square Payroll, Square Banking). Easy onboarding.
Weaknesses
Not built specifically for restaurants — it's a horizontal POS. Limited multi-location features. Hardware still required for full functionality. Processing fees are high (2.6% + $0.10).
ROMS Attack Vector
Restaurant-specific depth. Square is a general POS; ROMS is built only for restaurants. Target Square users who have outgrown its restaurant capabilities. The multi-location and inventory gap is where Square users complain most.
Overlap Risk
Square's free tier competes with ROMS Starter. Don't try to win the free tier — compete at Standard and Chain where ROMS has restaurant-specific depth Square can't match.
TOUCHBISTRO
LOWER THREAT
Strengths
Restaurant-specific from day one. Strong feature set for full-service restaurants. Good reputation in the mid-market. iPad-based (some flexibility).
Weaknesses
High pricing ($69–399/mo plus hardware). US and Canada only. No global capability. Complex setup. Complaints about support responsiveness.
ROMS Attack Vector
Price + global reach. TouchBistro has no international story — ROMS does. For any restaurant owner thinking about expansion outside North America, ROMS is the obvious choice.
Opportunity
TouchBistro's Canadian market is a future expansion target where ROMS price advantage and global narrative can replicate the West Africa playbook — open market, less Toast penetration.
US Entry Attack Strategy — Phase 3
Beachhead — Immigrant-owned restaurants
West African, Caribbean, and Afrobeats dining in the DMV. They already know or trust ROMS from its Africa operations. Fastest path to first 10 US customers with zero cold outreach required.
PHASE 3A
Expansion — Toast contract expirees
Target restaurants whose 3-year Toast contracts are expiring. "You're about to re-sign with Toast. Before you do — here's what ROMS costs and here's what you're not locked into." Google Ads on "Toast POS alternative" and "restaurant POS switch" convert at high intent.
PHASE 3B
Wedge — Multi-national restaurant owners
Any restaurant owner with locations in both the US and an international market has a pain ROMS solves that Toast never can: one POS system for both markets. This is a narrow but high-value segment where ROMS has zero competition.
PHASE 3B
Scale — Independent restaurant associations
National Restaurant Association, state-level associations, independent restaurant coalitions. Partner as a technology sponsor. Reach thousands of independent operators who are Toast-curious but price-sensitive. Conference sponsorships, association newsletters, member discounts.
PHASE 3C
THE GLOBAL STORY IS THE US MOAT
No US POS competitor can say what ROMS can say by the time it enters the US market:
"We already process millions of dollars in restaurant transactions in West Africa. We integrate with Flutterwave, Paystack, MTN Mobile Money, Stripe, and every major payment rail in between. We run on any device, in any currency, in any market. And we cost 60% less than Toast."
Toast is a US company that happens to also work internationally (poorly). ROMS is a global company that also works in the US (extremely well). That narrative cannot be reverse-engineered by Toast — it requires actually building operations in Africa first, which they will never do for a $13/month customer.
The Africa-first strategy isn't just a market entry decision. It's building the US competitive moat while generating the revenue to fund it.