10+ Best Restaurant Scheduling Software & Apps in 2025

• We love Deputy’s in-depth scheduling capabilities.
• The mobile and desktop applications are easy to use.
• Deputy provides kiosk options for time tracking.

We purchased and have used Deputy for four years to manage staff scheduling and time-off needs. Even after switching HRIS systems, we continued using Deputy because it effectively handled scheduling.

We chose Deputy because it integrated seamlessly with our HRIS and provided the perfect scheduling solution for our company. Its flexibility and ease of use have made managing shifts much simpler.

• Deputy lacks robust reporting capabilities.
• The system is not intuitive for administrators during setup.
• Deputy does not integrate well with our HRIS time-off management.

Deputy integrates with several different HRIS systems, making it a flexible option for many businesses.

• What specific scheduling and time-off needs is your organization trying to address with Deputy?
• Do you plan to change company policies or procedures related to pay structures or time-off management?
• Do you prefer customizable, easy-to-read, and simple-to-create scheduling tools?

Deputy has made updates to better accommodate full HRIS functionality.

Deputy is ideal for small to medium-sized organizations, particularly those with multiple locations.

1. User-friendly interface in both the app and the web-based platform
2. Easy to manage a high-volume of team members
3. Solved our problems of needing a centralized scheduling system for multiple locations and a reliable time-keeping app

I utilized when-i-work while employed with JAG Physical Therapy. I have 8 months' experience utilizing the system. It was purchased to be a schedule management system to schedule, track time and attendance, and communicate with our hourly employees. The pain points leading to purchase included a need for an all-access central scheduling system that can accommodate multiple site locations. The key benefits included the ability to keep track of time off, employee availability, and manage shift swaps with a few clicks.

1. The chat feature is clunky. We chose to utilized WhatsApp instead for security purposes
2. Difficulty with integration into ADP payroll system
3. Various aspects of the clock in/clock out logistics, with GPS tracking. This led to extra work when people forgot to clock in or out and had to manually enter

I preferred When-I-Work's App vs Deputy, however preferred the web-based interface of Deputy. It was easier to find settings for changes, easier to copy and duplicate shifts in a series with customization.

1. Cost - When-I-Work is an affordable choice for what you get
2. Other systems in your workplace - check for the ability to integrate
3. Comparison of chat features vs other options - have to find what works best for you. Would be better if when-i-work was encrypted.

It became more user-friendly over the 8 months I utilized the app. The customer service team was helpful in solving challenges that arose.

Any multi-location entity

I can tell you that there are several things that I really like about the software. Here are a few of the main pros:

1. Ease of use: 7shifts is very intuitive and easy to use, even for someone who is not tech-savvy. The interface is clean and simple, and the features are well-organized and easy to access.

2. Flexibility: 7shifts is highly customizable, which has been great for us as we have a large and varied workforce. We can set up our scheduling rules and preferences, and the system automatically generates optimal schedules based on our needs.

3. Communication: 7shifts has greatly improved our communication with our team. We can easily send messages and announcements to our employees through the app, and they can quickly and easily request time off or shift swaps. This has helped to reduce conflicts and improve morale among our team.

Overall, I have found 7shifts to be a great solution for managing our scheduling and time-tracking processes. The ease of use, flexibility, and communication features has been particularly helpful, and I would highly recommend it to other organizations.

Our organization purchased 7shifts in order to streamline our scheduling and time tracking processes. Prior to using 7shifts, we were using a combination of spreadsheets and paper schedules, which was time-consuming and often led to errors or conflicts. We were looking for a tool that would allow us to easily create and manage schedules, track employee hours, and communicate with our team.

One of the key benefits of using 7shifts has been the ability to quickly and easily create schedules, even for a large and varied workforce. We can customize our scheduling rules and preferences, and the system automatically generates optimal schedules based on our needs. We can also easily communicate with employees through the app, and they can quickly and easily request time off or shift swaps.

Another benefit has been the time tracking feature, which has helped us to track employee hours and ensure compliance with labor laws accurately. We can easily view and export timesheets, which has streamlined our payroll processes.

Overall, we have been using 7shifts for about a month, which has been a game changer for our organization. It has saved us time, reduced errors and conflicts, and improved communication with our team.

There are a few things that I think could be improved about the software. Here are a few cons:

1. Glitches: Like any software, 7shifts occasionally has glitches or bugs. While these are usually resolved quickly, they can be disruptive to our operations when they occur.

2. No GPS tracking: 7shifts does not offer GPS tracking, which can be a downside for organizations with mobile or remote employees who need to track time and location.

3. Mobile app limitations: While the mobile app is useful for checking schedules and communicating with employee’s on-the-go, it can be a bit clunky and slow at times. It would be great to see some improvements in this area.

Overall, while there are a few things that I think could be improved about 7shifts, I still find it to be a great solution for managing our scheduling and time-tracking processes. The pros outweigh the cons for us, and we have been very satisfied with the value we have received from using the software.

• In my experience, one thing that sets 7shifts apart from its competitors is its focus on the restaurant industry. While other scheduling and time-tracking software options are more general-purpose, 7shifts is specifically designed to meet the needs of restaurants, with features like shift swapping, time off requests, and menu item tracking.
• Additionally, I have found that 7shifts has a more user-friendly interface than some of its competitors, which makes it easier to train new employees on how to use the software. The scheduling process is also very intuitive and easy to use, which has helped us to save time and reduce scheduling errors.
• In terms of similar tools that I have used, I have found that 7shifts compares favorably to other scheduling and time-tracking software options. While there are certainly other good options out there, we have found that 7shifts meets our needs well and provides good value for the cost.
• Overall, while there are certainly other scheduling and time-tracking software options available, I believe that 7shifts is a strong choice for organizations in the restaurant industry. Its focus on this industry and its user-friendly interface set it apart from some of its competitors, and we have been very satisfied with our experience using the software.

When buying a tool, it's important to consider several key criteria to ensure that you get the best value for your money. One important factor is the tool's quality and durability, which can affect its lifespan and how well it performs. Another important factor is its functionality and features, which should align with your needs and intended use. It's also important to consider the price and your budget, as well as any additional costs such as maintenance or replacement parts. Lastly, you should also look at reviews and feedback from other users to get a sense of the tool's performance and reliability.

As we have just started using the tool, I cannot provide much information on this.

7shifts is a great tool for businesses in the food and hospitality industry, such as restaurants, cafes, and bars. It's designed to help managers and employees streamline their scheduling processes, track labor costs, and manage time-off requests, which are all important aspects of managing a successful restaurant or hospitality operation. Additionally, 7shifts has several features that are tailored to the unique needs of these types of businesses, such as shift swapping, automatic scheduling, and integrations with popular POS systems. Overall, if you're running a food or hospitality business and need a reliable tool to help manage your scheduling and labor costs, 7shifts is definitely worth considering.

1. Buddy Punch has a very intuitive user interface.
2. It is a complete tool with time tracking, scheduling, and leave tracking, and it has great payroll integration, allowing us to retire other inefficient, legacy, and more manual processes.
3. It offers good pricing and is value for money, considering the functionality you receive in return.

We were using a timesheet system already. It was a free, open-source system, but as we grew and our needs became more complex, the system could not keep up. The reporting was not good enough, and it didn't have enough automation. It also lacked employee location-based time tracking, which was becoming essential now that our employees were going remote. Buddy Punch provided greater automation, more self-service, and location-based time tracking. I have used it for about 18 months.

1. There wasn't an option for phone support. Online chat is good for simple problems but not as effective for more complicated issues. Typing takes a long time, so a phone support option would be helpful.
2. If you make an error when punching in or out, it is not easy to go back and fix it.
3. The software can be a little slow and glitchy at times.

It offers great value for money. You get a lot of features for the price. I found the chat and email support fast and responsive, better than others, though I would still prefer the option of phone support. The scheduling tool and geofencing apps are the best available for a time-tracking tool.

Geofencing is becoming essential if you have a remote or field team.

Feature-rich time clock and scheduling functionality is crucial, especially in this hybrid and remote working world where people work flexibly. Collaboration is key.

The geofencing functionality has become more robust and easy to use. The scheduling tool has also gradually increased its functionality.

Organizations with field and remote workers can benefit from Buddy Punch.

I like that you can integrate apps like AI to take notes. I like that you can do an appearance filter so you look better. I like that you can hide your own avatar so you don't get video fatigue.

Have used it for many years, 8+, we wanted to have a reliable platform to conduct video calls and meetings, and Zoom has the functionality for break-out rooms, personal meetings, and recurring meetings that can be auto-scheduled in your calendar for ease.

I don’t like that it takes up so much memory and RAM, and slows everything else down. That it's more expensive than others out there. I also don’t like that it has a 45-minute limit and then cuts you off if someone is using a free version.

I like the appearance filter, that you can do breakout rooms, there's a chat, and file sharing area, and a waiting room so that you don't have to let someone in until you are ready.

Cost, functionality - what are you using it for most of the time, and what features are critical to you.

Larger ones, group presentations, workshops, virtual retreats.

• 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.

The app for admins and employees is so well done that they hardly needed any instruction. Scheduling can be tricky for a new user, but once it's set up, changes are simple, and deploying the schedule is a breeze. The connection to payroll was very straightforward and always correct once the hours were approved and downloaded into payroll. Employees knew exactly what was happening and could immediately get a correction in place prior to the payroll download if they made an error.

I was working for a manufacturing company. The warehouse workers were not tracking their time properly when I came on board. They needed a solid solution quickly. To solve this problem, I looked towards the payroll company. I was seeking an app that connected directly to my payroll, provided complete accuracy, and allowed employees to know exactly where they stood at any given time.

Homebase connected beautifully to Gusto, one of their partners. Homebase has a scheduling feature that is very easy to use, allowing easy distribution of new schedules, changes, updates, etc., to employees. I installed this system in a hotel, and the staff loved it. The manager was computer illiterate and struggled a lot with the scheduling feature.

Suggestion: Ensure your manager goes through the Homebase training if they are unfamiliar with timekeeping/scheduling systems. Their help is available most of the time via live chat, and both admins and employees can use it.

I used Homebase for two years. I stopped because of their growing pains, as too many issues popped up. However, when I used it for the hotel, those issues had been resolved.

When they were growing rapidly, getting help could take time. During this time, the transmission of hours into payroll wasn't always working properly, which made the software unacceptable for us. That has since been fixed, as it worked fine for the hotel I put onto the system. The scheduling portion can be cumbersome for a person who is a novice. Ensure users who are doing the scheduling receive training if they're new to timekeeping software.

It's very similar to other timekeeping applications I've experienced. I prefer Homebase over most due to its simplicity and how much the employees liked the app.

Initially, ensure this timekeeping system integrates with your payroll provider, which is the most important. Determine if your employees will use their own cell phones or if you want to have a login portal. The best system for me was biometric, but adding that piece can be expensive. Employees did not mind having the app on their phone; they actually loved the feeling of control Homebase gave them. If you're seeking software that will help with scheduling your team, this one does well.

From the time I used it, they had many growing pains, including internal staffing changes and getting them up to speed. That's been resolved as far as I can tell from the hotel. This is a really good application for employees and employers.

Homebase is very good for hourly scheduled employees in hotels, restaurants, and other service-oriented businesses.