The 9 Best Restaurant Scheduling Software & Apps in 2024
The best restaurant scheduling software platforms reviewed and compared: Get info on features, pricing, pros & cons and more below.
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![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/62bcbf12c58655051fe3b923_7shifts%20icon.jpeg)
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Top Restaurant Scheduling Software
Managing staff schedules is among the most challenging parts of running a successful restaurant business. Last-minute leave requests, unplanned shifts, and miscommunication among team members can severely hurt productivity and cost a restaurant thousands of dollars.
As economies around the world are bouncing back from the pandemic restrictions, coping with new ones, or dealing with rapidly-shifting demand, it makes sense that among the restaurant owners surveyed by Finances Online in their 2022 report, 55% consider staffing the top challenge they’re facing.
To make sure you avoid the pitfalls of inadequate scheduling and staffing practices, we’ve handpicked some of the best restaurant scheduling software for your business.
In this detailed guide, we’ll cover the top restaurant scheduling tools, describe their strengths and weaknesses, evaluate their features, and examine their pricing plans.
To find the best scheduling software for restaurants, we meticulously evaluated a plethora of tools drawing upon demos, testing, user feedback and expert insight. To be featured, tools must excel on three pivotal criteria: staffing features, ease of use, and pricing.
- Staffing Features: We prioritized products with comprehensive staffing features, as this is one of the main challenges restaurants face. The software tools we picked all offer robust functionalities, including shift planning, team communication, employee availability management, and shift swapping.
- Ease of Use: User-friendliness is essential in the fast-paced restaurant industry. We focused on software that stands out for its intuitive and straightforward interface. These solutions all offer a hassle-free setup, streamlined navigation, and efficient workflows.
- Pricing: Budget considerations can be paramount for restaurant businesses. We sought out companies with competitive and transparent pricing models. The chosen solutions offer flexible subscription plans, affordable pricing tiers, and features tailored to the unique needs of dining establishments.
To delve deeper into our rigorous evaluation process, you can always have a look at our post on how we select the finest HR tech.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a79684004f6e7a6c30/65c62d4fd0a98ca655828b84_zach.jpg)
Need Help? Talk to an HR Software Advisor!
Tell us more about your company & an HR Software Advisor will help you find the right software
![Connecteam](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/66471393ad74f9bcfc630709_2eb9cf79-d85e-4c42-b830-38b3ba6e5ea1.png)
Connecteam
![Connecteam](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/66471393ad74f9bcfc630709_2eb9cf79-d85e-4c42-b830-38b3ba6e5ea1.png)
Connecteam boasts a comprehensive collection of scheduling, time tracking, and employee management at a competitive price. Even the free plan provides excellent value: it accommodates up to 10 users and offers job scheduling, checklists, forms, task management, and time tracking.
PROS
- Intuitive and easy-to-use scheduling interface.
- Customizable shift templates.
- Real-time notifications for schedule updates.
- Employee self-service for availability and shift swaps.
- Integration with GPS and geofencing.
- Competitive pricing. Free for up to 10 users.
- One of the only fully-mobile HR tech tools for deskless workers
- Very adequately-priced for all it entails, SMB-friendly
- Quite open to feedback, having implemented user suggestions as features in the past.
CONS
- Occasional app crashes.
- Limited offline functionality.
- In the communication hub, the app offers no confirmation that messages were sent and/or seen.
- Certain features that some teams consider essential, such as GPS-tracking, are only available in the higher-tier pricing plans.
![Connecteam-restaurant-scheduling-software-screenshot](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/667028ac4d8730256f61ac1a_connecteam-scheduling-app.png)
Connecteam lives up to our expectations with a range of features designed for workforce management in the demanding food service industry. The platform provides restaurant managers with tools to create detailed schedules, track employee hours, and effortlessly manage shift changes.
The scheduling interface is particularly our favorite. There are a handful of pre-made templates managers can use to build schedules quickly, plus these templates are quite flexible. They can easily be adjusted to meet your restaurant settings, whether it’s daily, weekly, or monthly schedules. Additionally, the drag-and-drop feature makes it easier to assign shifts.
Mobile-friendliness was another criterion we looked into when assessing this vendor. Much to our relief, they fulfilled this request. Connecteam has an employee self-service where restaurant workers can set their availability and request time off directly from their mobile devices. Plus, the availability of shift swaps streamlines the whole process of finding replacements for everyone involved.
The in-app notifications are pretty handy for keeping your staff informed in real time. Through Connecteam, they get alerts about new shifts, changes to their schedules, and whether their time-off requests were approved.
Those with multiple locations or specific job roles may wonder if Connecteam supports the creation of job-specific schedules. Yes, it does. As a manager, you can assign shifts based on roles to make sure that each position is adequately staffed.
The only real downfall of this restaurant scheduling app is that it can crash sometimes. Though not an everyday thing, this may cause some inconvenience in the daily operations of managers and workers.
On another note, Connecteam won’t be a good fit for those prioritizing offline restaurant management features.
20,000+ users from brands like Subway, Chick-fil-A, and Biggby Coffee have used Connecteam for their restaurant scheduling.
Job scheduling is a part of Connecteam’s Operations Hub product. This Hub has four plans:
- The Small Business Plan: Free for up to 10 users.
- Basic: $29 per month billed annually for the first 30 users, $0.5 per month for each additional user.
- Advanced: $49 per month billed annually for the first 30 users, $1.5 per month for each additional user.
- Expert: $99 per month billed annually for the first 30 users, $3 per month for each additional user.
Best For
Connecteam is best for small restaurants, mid-sized chains, and franchises that require robust scheduling software that can also do task management and time clock.
![Deputy](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/62bcb1387f7ac859964b42e8_Deputy%20icon.png)
Deputy
![Deputy](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/62bcb1387f7ac859964b42e8_Deputy%20icon.png)
Deputy is a robust restaurant scheduling app. It stands out from its competitors due to its AI scheduling capabilities that make workforce management easier. Simply enter your team data and let Deputy take care of everything from shift scheduling to payroll.
PROS
- Create AI optimized employee schedules
- Eliminate no-shows with quick replacements
- Track unproductive time and breaks with precision
- Create AI optimized employee schedules
- Eliminate no-shows with quick replacements
- Track unproductive time and breaks with precision
CONS
- Limited reporting functionality
- Once published, upcoming schedules can’t be changed
- Limited reporting functionality
- Once published, upcoming schedules can’t be changed
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/630bfd4693121875f018b1d6_deputy-website.jpg)
Deputy is packed with valuable features. Its AI-powered employee scheduling gives it an edge over its competitors. The software is best for small restaurant owners who like to free up their time to focus on growing their business.
- Hubspot
- Ace Hardware
- Bondi Vet
- Silk Hospitality
- Dallas Air
- Au bon pain
Deputy offers a 31 day free trial. The paid annual plans are:
- Scheduling - $2.5/user/month
- Time & Attendance - $2.5/user/month
- Premium - $4.5/user per month
- Enterprise - Custom pricing
Best For
Medium to large organizations, especially those with frequent shift changes such as hospitality and retail.
We use Deputy to schedule 24/7 global operations with three shifts staffed with team members in multiple time zones. We have two managers who approve work hours and time off for 42 team members. The managers can view team members' availability and shift preferences, and they can see on the upcoming weeks' schedules who will be out based on approved time off requests. Managers can also see, based on each team member's hourly and overtime rates, how much labor cost a schedule will incur. The tool is also used to determine how many additional staff are needed.
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I appreciate that it has all of the functionality you would expect from a scheduling system for a very reasonable price. As an admin, I like that I can see who is out on leave, any pending time off requests, and who is running late all at a glance. It also has a few additional features that you would not expect that are nice, such as announcing birthdays and anniversaries.
We purchased Deputy in December 2020 and are still using it for our global hourly team members. We needed to be able to have a scheduling application that worked with different shifts and time zones. Additionally, we needed it to integrate with BambooHR, since BambooHR does not have its own native scheduling application. The integration we needed was one that would push approved work time and paid time off over to BambooHR to be included in the US payroll. Other considerations included needing to allow shift swapping and needing to have different time off types for different groups of employees.
I highly dislike the fact that they do not seem to prioritize maintaining their integration with BambooHR. We've put in multiple help tickets over the course of more than a year trying to get the sync issues resolved, and it always goes nowhere. The reason this is a big deal is that people's approved hours and time off requests and balances are not being pushed over to the HR/Payroll system. This creates confusion for employees and has even resulted in people not being paid correctly more than once. So we no longer even bother relying on the integration and just assume it won't work properly and enter everything manually. The poor customer support on this issue combined with the lack of resolution is why we are actively evaluating alternative solutions.
Deputy has more functionality and customization than a solution like WhenIWork, and it's more likely to comply with timekeeping requirements for employees than something like Toggl which is designed for contractors. Deputy does not allow you to manage occurrences and warnings based on your company's time and attendance policy like TeamSense.
Make sure you consider the type of workforce and what wage and hour laws apply to them, including recordkeeping requirements, overtime criteria, maximum workweek, etc. Confirm that the system you're going to purchase is capable of complying with the requirements. Make sure the system you purchase will play nice with your other tools and is not redundant. Solicit feedback and gain buy-in from key stakeholders like supervisors/managers, IT, and Accounting before selecting a system.
Honestly, it seems to function the same as it did 2+ years ago. And the customer service has not gotten any better.
It works best for small to mid-sized organizations with compatible payroll systems.
Anyone who also uses BambooHR for HR and Payroll might have issues. Very large organizations might need something with more bulk action options, protected leave management, and corrective action warnings.
![7shifts](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/62bcbf12c58655051fe3b923_7shifts%20icon.jpeg)
7shifts
![7shifts](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/62bcbf12c58655051fe3b923_7shifts%20icon.jpeg)
7Shifts is an excellent scheduling solution for most small restaurants. It offers an intuitive drag-and-drop scheduling tool that adjusts itself based on employee availability. It also has features to let you analyze attendance trends, forecasts, etc.
PROS
- Easy-to-use shift management features
- Match top employees with important shifts
- Maximize profitability through labor cost management
- This software has a lot of integration options, making it easier to streamline aspects of your business like sales. You can, for example, connect to point of sale systems like Square and Toast so you can easily accept credit card and NFC payments as well as inventory and financing.
- A fully-featured software that helps you manage team schedules, timesheets, tasks, communications, and much more, within a mobile-friendly platform.
- Their free plan features basic scheduling and ATS functionalities to get your restaurant up and running, and it can accommodate as many as 30 users per location.
CONS
- Once published, you can’t edit reports
- Customer support may not be available on weekends
- Web and mobile app synchronization doesn’t always work
- The platform’s scheduling can be a drag for teams with global remote workers because the shifts are only scheduled in CST timezone.
- The system, sometimes, does not synchronize employee’s mobile shift data with admin data. So shifts could be created and published on the manager’s end and the employees might not receive it.
- Doesn’t allow you to edit schedules before publishing. If a mistake is made, the schedule will have to be deleted and created again.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/630675da81ecc652948af9cd_7Shifts-screenshot.jpg)
7Shifts is an employee scheduling solution specifically for the restaurant industry. It helps restaurant managers maximize profitability and save time through excellent third-party integrations. Even the free version of the app offers extensive functionality and is good enough for a small team.
This makes 7Shifts one of the best free employee scheduling software for small-medium restaurants.
7Shifts offers the following subscription plans:
- Free - Up to 30 employees + basic scheduling features
- Entree - $29.99/location/month
- The Works - $69.99/location/month
Best For
I use 7shifts to schedule the restaurant team shifts / tips and to manage their attendance. Once a week I use the platform to schedule maintenance and inform the team of their working hours, their pay rate and their tipping management. The software became a crucial tool for us in the last 3 months. As an admin, I am in charge of managing the workflow and reporting to the CEO every month. The software does most of the work since it generates automated reports and notifies the staff of any changes in their schedules so the software in general reduced 70% of my work in that area.
- Easy to use: The software offers a friendly user interface.
- Everything in one place: the software has all the features gathered on the front page that allows you to manage everything at once.
- POS integration: 7shifts offers integration with POS and any other sales and finance-related software.
I advised the organization to use 7shifts after we reached more than 15 employees at the restaurant. At first, we were using an HR administration automation tool that our tech team was working on but since the working schedules and shifts in the restaurant were different from the hotel staff I had to come up with a solution. Because we were facing some internal communication issues and the restaurant manager was having a hard time keeping up with the attendance, 7shifts was a great tool that helped us manage the attendance ratio to simplify the internal communication between the staff, the check-in and check-out, and last but not least, tasks and logbook. We have been using it for 3 months now.
- The mobile version doesn't support some features like notifications and leaves
- You can't sort employees or shift based on dates or other criteria
- The reports are hard to read and understand. You need to be a professional to do so.
I prefer that software that is simple but covers most of the important areas needed. The pricing is so much more reasonable than any other software that offers the same services. I would like to add that the software is easy to be implemented and to be customized for any business.
As a current user, I would say the most important criteria is the type of business you are running since the software is oriented toward the restaurant industry so when you are assigning shifts the job types you will find in the software are: server, host manager, waiter, etc. If you are not a restaurant, I would suggest using a more generalized app like QuickBooks time or When I Work.
Since I only started using it for 3 months, I don't have much information but with each update, the software became more and more user friendly and the one thing I could say that evolved is the customer support since they added a 24h line to help with any bug.
Yes, the application would be a great fit for any company that operates in the food, beverages, and restaurant industry. And also, it's good for an organization with a few staff members, since the software is free for any business with 10 or fewer employees. It will also fit businesses that hire people seasonally.
7 shifts would not work well for any company that is not in the hospitality industry and any company that has more than 2000 employees since the software has some bugs in notification and log features and the higher the number the bigger the problem.
![Buddy Punch](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/63b29f93244df71dfac1d029_Buddy%20Punch-%20Logo.png)
Buddy Punch
![Buddy Punch](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/63b29f93244df71dfac1d029_Buddy%20Punch-%20Logo.png)
As a scheduling software tool, Buddy Punch excels in the restaurant use case thanks to its intuitive interface and advanced features, such as GPS tracking and an excellent employee mobile app.
PROS
- Intuitive interface reduces training time for restaurant staff
- Advanced GPS tracking for location-based workforce
- Seamless integration with popular payroll systems
- Real-time notifications and alerts for shift changes
CONS
- Available only in English
- No real-time monitoring features via desktop screenshots
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/66628395e07cd7ecb7bc39a6_Buddy%20Punch-Time-card.png)
Buddy Punch offers a comprehensive time tracking and scheduling solution— good for dynamic restaurant environments. Employees can easily punch in and out via mobile or desktop, allowing efficient management of the kitchen, waitstaff, and delivery personnel. The advanced GPS tracking in the Premium Plan ensures real-time location monitoring, which is particularly beneficial for field roles.
Integrations with payroll systems like QuickBooks and ADP simplify payroll processing, reducing admin overhead. Additional features like PTO tracking and facial recognition enhance security and ease of use. Although available only in English, Buddy Punch’s strengths in integration and usability make it a strong choice for restaurants.
Starbucks, YMCA, State Farm, and The University of Michigan.
Pricing ranges from $2.99 to $5.99 per user per month, depending on the plan. A 14-day free trial is available.
Best For
Good bet for restaurants, bars, and coffee shops of all sizes that need efficient scheduling, time tracking, and payroll integration.
![ZoomShift](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/63e6fd8fa668093ee4279a06_Zoomshift-Logo.jpg)
ZoomShift
![ZoomShift](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/63e6fd8fa668093ee4279a06_Zoomshift-Logo.jpg)
ZoomShift makes it incredibly easy for employees and managers to navigate the app. The user interface is intuitive yet simple. In addition, the app developers are responsive to user feedback about adding or modifying features.
PROS
- Manage staff scheduling on the move
- Color-coded schedules
- Forecast labor costs and hours with ease
- Manage staff scheduling on the move
- Color-coded schedules
- Forecast labor costs and hours with ease
CONS
- Updates too often for an employee scheduling software, which some customers may find confusing
- Some reports indicates that the tool tends to crashes and disconnects from the server
- Accidentally deleted shifts cannot be retrieved
- Updates too often for an employee scheduling software, which some customers may find confusing
- Some reports indicates that the tool tends to crashes and disconnects from the server
- Accidentally deleted shifts cannot be retrieved
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/63097b8f12a7f333f62ec92b_ZoomShift-website.jpg)
ZoomShift is a fantastic schedule creation tool. Its user interface is intuitively designed to help new users access the essential features of the software with ease. ZoomShift is best for small restaurants that experience seasonal highs and lows.
ZoomShift has the following pricing plans:
- Free trial - Up to 14-days
- Starter - $2.5/user/month (monthly billing) or $2/user/month (annual billing)
- Premium - $5/user/month (monthly billing) or $4/user/month (annual billing)
- Enterprise - Custom pricing
The Starter and Premium plans come with a 14-day trial.
Best For
We use zoom daily. It's used to schedule meetings, it's integrated with google calendars so it's easy to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Zoom is used for both one-on-one meetings as well as group company meetings. Zoom is also used when we have meetings with our external stakeholders.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/6582cbe32d3cc2d13a8fe8b1_zoom-my-personal-meeting.png)
- It's integration with Google Calendars makes it easy to schedule meetings
- The new notes feature makes in meeting collaboration very easy
- The recording feature makes it simple for us to go back and review meeting information
We use Zoom so that we can collaborate with our globally diverse team. Since we have team members from around the world it's difficult to communicate some things asynchronously so there is a need to have some form of live group communication. We have been using Zoom for almost 4 years now and it has been an excellent video meeting platform so far since it's easy to use.
- There are times when the Camera feature of Zoom doesn't share well
- Having both Camera on and screen sharing can take a toll on the system's processing power
- The chat feature is limited
Zoom is better than its competitors because it offers a smoother video experience, more tools around collaboration and the ability to schedule meetings in advance
People should think about about how long they want to meet, what type of systems will the participants be using and also the level of control they want to have during the meeting
Zoom has significantly improved with the inclusion of its new AI and collaboration features, which cut the need for other third-party software that would usually be paired with Zoom.
Zoom is good for organizations that have many video meetings
Zoom isn't good for organizations that don't do a lot of video meetings
![Sling](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/63b2c6644af388264716079b_Sling-%20Logo.png)
Sling
![Sling](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/63b2c6644af388264716079b_Sling-%20Logo.png)
Sling is an excellent tool for restaurants with multiple locations. Even the free version of the app allows unlimited users and locations. The mobile and desktop apps are stable and free.
PROS
- Get alerts when total labor cost exceeds the budget
- Use projected sales data to view labor costs as a percentage of sales
- Predictive alerts minimize OT cases
- Get alerts when total labor cost exceeds the budget
- Use projected sales data to view labor costs as a percentage of sales
- Predictive alerts minimize OT cases
CONS
- Mobile app notifications don’t come through sometimes, as reported by some users
- The time clock can’t be customized for different roles
- Mobile app notifications don’t come through sometimes, as reported by some users
- The time clock can’t be customized for different roles
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/630ba511b93ad16d92c03b0e_sling-website.jpg)
Sling is among the best restaurant scheduling software you can find for free. Its scheduler provides organization-wide awareness. You can add unlimited users and locations. The tool works best for small restaurants looking for a comprehensive scheduling solution on a budget.
- Free - Packed with features, unlimited users, and locations
- Premium - $2/user/month
- Business - $4/user/month
Best For
![Push Operations](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/630bdf882c537c90051cb072_push-operations-icon.jpeg)
Push Operations
![Push Operations](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/630bdf882c537c90051cb072_push-operations-icon.jpeg)
Push Operations stands out for its outstanding payroll management capabilities. It’s easy to navigate and incredibly fast, saving managers hours weekly.
PROS
- POS system integration
- Eliminate break violations through proactive alerts
- Customized reporting
- POS system integration
- Eliminate break violations through proactive alerts
- Customized reporting
CONS
- Some users have reported issues like a confusing interface, long loading times, and the platform logging out randomly.
- Some users have reported issues like a confusing interface, long loading times, and the platform logging out randomly.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/630be0b506e2854097f106c1_push-operations-website.jpg)
Push Operations is a small business. This allows them to provide personalized customer service. Push stands out for its cloud-based payroll management system that saves lots of managerial time. The software is best for multi-location restaurants with 50+ employees.
The pricing plans are as follows:
- Starter - $5/user/month
- Pro - $6/user/month
- Premium - $10/user/month
- 50+ users - Custom pricing
You can book a demo before making a purchase.
Best For
![Planday](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/630bee617974bb6813b9eb0e_Planday-icon.jpeg)
Planday
![Planday](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/630bee617974bb6813b9eb0e_Planday-icon.jpeg)
Planday offers some of the most critical scheduling app features at an affordable price. Out of all the software we tested, Planday’s app stood out for its visual appeal and after-sales support. That being said, most users are able to figure out and use the app on their own.
PROS
- Automatic punch clock alerts prevent OT cases.
- Easily manage employee schedules, payroll, and timesheets.
- The app is highly customizable to suit the needs of your business.
- The development team is proactively fixes bugs and frequently releases new app updates
- Automatic punch clock alerts prevent OT cases.
- Easily manage employee schedules, payroll, and timesheets.
- The app is highly customizable to suit the needs of your business.
- The development team is proactively fixes bugs and frequently releases new app updates
CONS
- Daily reports don't show weekly overtime until the last day of the week.
- According to some reviews, the customer service has room for improvement.
- Limited mobile app functionality.
- The app asks for way too many access permissions on its host device which may be considered invasive by users.
- Compared to its competitors, such as Deputy, Zoomshift, and Sling, Planday offers a much less affordable solution.
- Daily reports don't show weekly overtime until the last day of the week.
- According to some reviews, the customer service has room for improvement.
- Limited mobile app functionality.
- The app asks for way too many access permissions on its host device which may be considered invasive by users.
- Compared to its competitors, such as Deputy, Zoomshift, and Sling, Planday offers a much less affordable solution.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/630bf0442bfac33799a19fa5_planday-dashboard.jpg)
Planday is most suitable for shift-based restaurants with multiple teams working with their schedules because it allows managers to create different schedules for different groups.
For this reason, the software is an excellent match for the needs of modern restaurants, bars, pubs, and similar businesses.
Ida Beate Wenstad, the restaurant manager at Heim in Norway, says that Planday makes it easy for her and her employees to plan their workdays and shifts without worrying about making calls to colleagues for shift management. She goes on to say that Planday allows her to maintain a bird’s eye view of the business while maintaining control over weekly staffing budgets.
Some of Planday’s prominent customers are Shell, Sophie’s, Riddle & Finns, Enoteca Da Luca, and Rumba Cabana.
The paid plans for Planday are:
The Starter and Plus plans come with a free trial. It’s important to note that the packages are sold in increments of five users. For example, if you have 13 users, you’d be billed for 15.
Best For
Planday is best for shift-based, labor-intensive restaurants with multiple locations that require forecasting and labor planning tools.
Planday allows us to plan our internal shift schedule effectively so that there is no confusion and constant coverage. We use Planday to track our customer success and other key operations shifts. The tool allows us to make quick edits to the shifts. It also clearly displays them for team members to review without issues. Planday allows team members to track their timeshare which simplifies the process of reviewing the productivity of team members
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/6582c673beec25a008502d34_Planday-Edit-User-Information.png)
- The simple layout that shows the schedule clearly
- The ability to make quick adjustments to the schedule
- The overall user experience is intuitive
It's difficult to maintain all of the scheduling between our internal team. It's also difficult to track the productivity of other team members in a globally diverse team when some team members don't operate on set schedules. Planday tackles both of those problems with one product. We use it to track the timeshare of the team members as well as coordinate with select team members..
- The site has some longer load times when signing in after a long time
- The color scheme of the website could be better (Personal opinion not that there's anything wrong with it)
It provides a very intuitive experience to manage the entire shift process, from scheduling, tracking time and executing payroll
You should think about the number of members on your team that need to be on the shift and also the type of shift system that you have.
The product is constantly adding new features.
It's good for all organizations that have a shift system.
It wouldn't be good for organizations that predominantly operate on mindshare and are more deadline based rather than time spent.
![When I Work](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/62bb882cfac4e85140c1c463_When%20I%20Work%20icon.png)
When I Work
![When I Work](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/62bb882cfac4e85140c1c463_When%20I%20Work%20icon.png)
When I Work offers a solid scheduling solution for small restaurants on a budget. The app takes an essentialist approach to workforce management by filtering out extra features and focusing on delivering high-quality employee scheduling and time tracking features.
PROS
CONS
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/630c04128a3e7a69b8eb71e0_when-i-work-website.jpg)
When I Work is a powerful employee scheduling tool. Its ability to give managers an organization-wide view of staff scheduling makes it stand out. Even though businesses of all sizes use it, When I Work is ideal for employee scheduling software for small or medium-sized restaurants on a budget.
The paid plans are:
- Small Business - $2/user/month
- Enterprise - Custom quote
The Small Business plan comes with a free trial of up to 14-days.
Best For
I run payroll, so I use When I Work mainly for its outputs of time data, but I am very familiar with the tool and how it functions. Typically I review folks' shifts, correct any clock-ins or clock-outs, and ensure that no one has overclocked. I then download all of the timesheet data and transform it so that it's able to be loaded into our HRIS tool.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/64a3b00461e591bf7a9856aa_When%20I%20Work-Forward-Mail-Spreadsheets.png)
I really like how easy it is to use, and how easy it is for the end user - it's very intuitive. When I Work also has out of the box integrations with some payroll tools, like Gusto. In addition, I really enjoy how many features it provides to encompass a broad range of types of hourly workers.
The decision to purchase When I Work pre-dated my time, but the intention was for our business to be able to track time for all types of workers. I've personally used it for approximately 4 years now, and have come to grow very accustomed to it. It provides a very robust platform to track time, holidays, and more.
I really dislike how buggy and slow When I Work is - although this is something that can be fixed. I also dislike its lack of reporting features. Also, and this is quite specific, but I dislike that end users can edit their names - it makes it difficult to use data if an end user can edit their personal information without an admin's access. Also, the security permission features within the tool aren't quite as robust as I would've hoped for.
I haven't used other time-tracking tools, but I know When I Work is one of the most sought after scheduling and time tracking tools. I've explored and researched Workday Time Tracking, which would integrate better with our systems, but it's not as robust as When I Work. Our company enjoys When I Work due to its open API and the ability to build on top of the tool.
If you prefer intuitive use and ease of building on top of the tool, then it's worth it. If you like clean data, and a tool that isn't as buggy, then this might not be for you.
In my time using the tool, it's gotten less buggy, but not much has changed overall. However, I can say I never have issues with the tool being "down" like other tools.
Certainly a startup who needs to manage fewer than 1000 hourly employees. This system starts to see flaws and limitations after this threshold. This should be considered in the purchasing discussion, since it's very hard to migrate off of a time tracking and scheduling tool.
A larger company with several thousand hourly workers who need time tracking and scheduling.
![Homebase](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/62ba57c74358653956d343b2_Homebase%20icon.png)
Homebase
![Homebase](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/62ba57c74358653956d343b2_Homebase%20icon.png)
Homebase’s ability to present a centralized view of company-wide scheduling makes it unique. This centralized view offers customizable dashboards for users. Along with its paid features, the app offers a robust free plan that’s good enough for the needs of most small restaurants.
PROS
- Separate dashboards for managers and employees
- Real-time communication features allow for schedule changes on the move
- Requesting and approving paid time off is easy
- Great scheduling templates help managers streamline work
- Separate dashboards for managers and employees
- Real-time communication features allow for schedule changes on the move
- Requesting and approving paid time off is easy
- Great scheduling templates help managers streamline work
CONS
- Limited third-party integration support
- Additional features are somewhat expensive
- Limited third-party integration support
- Additional features are somewhat expensive
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/630c096e63875f584dad9492_homebase-website.jpg)
Homebase is one of the best restaurant employee scheduling applications. It allows restaurant owners to manage their team’s schedule, make changes, and send out alerts to employees accordingly. Homebase is best for hourly teams, which is why it’s well-suited to the restaurant industry.
Best For
![Schedulefly](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/630c0d2643f2eb74577faa45_schedulefly-icon.jpeg)
Schedulefly
![Schedulefly](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/630c0d2643f2eb74577faa45_schedulefly-icon.jpeg)
Launched in 2007, Schedulefly, to this day, remains one of the easiest apps to use. The software has a loyal user base of over 7000 restaurants.
PROS
- Coordinate with your team easily with one-click schedule sharing and instant notifications.
- Employees can trade shifts without a hassle by direct coordination.
- Requesting time off is a breeze with the option to add notes for more context.
- Coordinate with your team easily with one-click schedule sharing and instant notifications.
- Employees can trade shifts without a hassle by direct coordination.
- Requesting time off is a breeze with the option to add notes for more context.
CONS
- The tool does not offer a mobile app which significantly reduces its utility for off-site workers.
- The mobile site has very limited functionality and is not optimized for mobile experience which we found makes some of the workflows take longer.
- Does not integrate with any third-party software which means it cannot become a part of your existing HR and payroll process.
- The tool does not offer a mobile app which significantly reduces its utility for off-site workers.
- The mobile site has very limited functionality and is not optimized for mobile experience which we found makes some of the workflows take longer.
- Does not integrate with any third-party software which means it cannot become a part of your existing HR and payroll process.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5dbc34a89684007e327a6c35/630c0de363875ff7afb1114e_schedulefly-screenshots.jpg)
Wes Aiken, the founder of Schedulefly, was a restaurant employee during his college years. Schedulefly was born as a result of the gaps Wes noticed in how employee scheduling is done in the restaurant business. Therefore, it’s safe to say that Schedulefly is specifically designed with restaurants in mind.
As a result, you get a tool that’s light, accessible from any web browser, and offers an efficient employee scheduling solution. As a restaurant, you can also take advantage of Schedulefly’s kitchen and menu management features. However, it’s worth noting that this isn’t the best software for large restaurants due to its limited features in terms of design, scalability, and security.
Sup Dogs, Baked & Wired, Le Farfalle, Avery Brewing
Schedulefly offers a simple pricing structure based on the number of staff you need to create accounts for. You can start with $30 per month for up to 19 users and scale up to 79 people at $60 per month. Beyond that level, you can request a custom quote.
Schedulefly offers a 30-day free trial for you to see whether the software meets your requirements. You don’t need a credit card to sign up.
The different pricing slabs offered by Schedulefly are:
Best For
Schedulefly is best for restaurants on a budget that are only looking for basic scheduling features.
What is Restaurant Scheduling Software?
Restaurant scheduling software is a program/app that allows restaurant managers to organize and automate scheduling processes for their staff with a host of features. These features include a customizable scheduling tool, attendance tracking, task management, etc.
According to a recent survey, restaurant managers spend as much as 20% of their time working on employee schedules every week. Restaurant scheduling software does the hard work for you, freeing up your time as a restaurant manager to focus on more important pursuits.
How much does restaurant scheduling software cost?
For small restaurants that only have a handful of employees with fixed shifts, most scheduling software offers basic features for free. But for more extensive operations, the subscription fee is typically between $1 - $4 per user per month or at a fixed price of $14 to $35 per month for unlimited users.
Last Advice: Which Is The Best Restaurant Scheduling Tool For You?
Restaurant schedule software is in high demand, and for good reason. It allows restaurant managers to automate operational work and focus on other aspects of their jobs.
When choosing scheduling software, managers need to carefully consider the features on offer. It's vital to match business needs with software features.
Restaurant sizes and needs vary widely. Therefore, it's hard to name a single software as the best one for all situations.
However, we hope our detailed analysis of some of the best available options will help you make the right choice.
We recommend that you try these tools since most of them offer free plans. For those without, you can schedule a demo and have their team give you a run down of the tool.
As a last piece note, most of the software here is all about scheduling. If you find that most feature lists don’t cover all that you’d need, that could be a sign that you need a more complex solution, like Workforce Planning Software.
About Us
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- Our goal at SSR is to help HR and recruiting teams to find and buy the right software for their needs.
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- SSR lists all companies we feel are top vendors - not just those who pay us - in our comprehensive directories full of the advice needed to make the right purchase decision for your HR team.