ICE invoices in cafés and restaurants: a practical guide
Published
A sales rep or an office team finishes lunch and asks for an invoice with their company's ICE. If nothing is ready, that means ten minutes of searching, a handwritten note and a guest left waiting. Here is how to make that moment simple and clean. For the exact rules that apply to your business, your accountant remains the right person to ask.
Start the free trialICE in a nutshell
The ICE (Identifiant Commun de l'Entreprise) is a 15 digit number given to every company in Morocco. It identifies the company the same way across the different administrations. Your venue has its own, and so does your guest's company.
When a business guest asks for an invoice with their ICE, it is usually so they can put it through their company's books. An incomplete or badly written invoice is a problem for them, so it pays to get it right the first time.
What to prepare once and for all
Gather your own details: name or company name, address, ICE, tax ID (IF), trade register number (RC), and any other details your accountant tells you to include. They appear on every invoice, so there is no reason to copy them by hand each time.
Use continuous invoice numbering with no gaps or duplicates, and agree with your accountant on how amounts are shown (before tax, VAT, total including tax). Once the template is approved, leave it alone.
At the table: ask the right questions
Ask for the details before preparing the invoice, not after: the exact company name and its ICE. The easiest way is to let the guest write them down or show a company document, rather than dictate them over the noise of the room.
Check that the ICE has exactly 15 digits. It is the simplest check and it prevents most errors. Read the company name back to the guest before printing.
The invoice must match exactly what was served and paid. If the guest wants an invoice for their share of a shared meal only, say so clearly and invoice just their items.
Print, send, file
The guest leaves with a printed invoice, or receives it on their phone, for example by WhatsApp, if they would rather not carry paper. Either way, keep a copy on your side.
File invoices by month and hand them to your accountant with the month's sales. An invoice with no trace in the till, or a sale invoiced twice, raises questions you do not need.
Special cases
The guest has already paid and comes back later for an invoice: find the sale first (date, time, table, amount), then issue the invoice for that sale. If they cannot remember the day, ask for their receipt or card slip.
The guest wants an invoice for a rounded-up amount, or for items they did not have: say no politely and explain that the invoice shows what was served. It is a simple rule, the same for everyone, and it protects your venue too.
Train the team in five minutes
A waiter who does not know what to do goes looking for the owner while the guest waits. Show the whole team once: which details to ask for, how to check the 15 digits, who prepares the invoice and where the copy is filed.
Decide who is allowed to issue invoices. In many venues it is only the manager or the person on the till, which limits mistakes and favour invoices.
Common mistakes
Writing invoices by hand in an unnumbered pad, copying an ICE with 14 or 16 digits, invoicing an amount different from the bill, leaving out your own details (ICE, IF, RC), or issuing an invoice days later without being able to find the sale. All of these go away with a single template and a clear rule for the team.
Putting it into practice with Tablilo
In Tablilo, when a business guest asks for an invoice, you enter the company name and its 15 digit ICE. Your venue stays the issuer, so your ICE, IF and RC appear on the invoice. It prints on the printer set up for invoices or goes out by WhatsApp.
Every payment shows in the sales export with the invoice noted, which makes your accountant's month-end easier. You can try the whole flow free during the trial.
Related features
- ICE invoice for restaurants and cafésA company invoice with the guest's 15-digit ICE, issued by your venue (ICE, IF, RC), printed or sent by WhatsApp in seconds.
- Receipt printer and cash drawer for snack bars and cafés58 or 80 mm thermal printer, bar and kitchen tickets, bills, cash drawer and Z report: the till for your snack bar or café in Morocco, with Tablilo.
- Reports and anti-theft alerts for your tillRecorded cancellations, tables closed unpaid, cash difference, accountant export and a manager login: see what happens in your café, even when away.
- Split bill for restaurants and cafésSplit the bill on the phone: everyone pays their own items, equal shares or a set amount. Cash, the venue's card terminal or its own online payment.