The 10 Best Restaurant scheduling software and Apps [2024]

Introduction

Restaurant scheduling software is transforming the difficult world of restaurant management. The task of effectively managing employee schedules in an industry recognized for its dynamic and fast-paced environment is enormous. Restaurant operators are frequently confronted with striking a delicate balance between employee availability and changing client needs while maintaining high service standards and operational efficiency. The restaurant scheduling app plays an important role here.

These advanced solutions are designed expressly to address the restaurant industry’s unique difficulties. These programs transform how restaurants manage their most valuable asset—their employees—by providing features such as real-time shift updates, simple shift shifting, and connectivity with other restaurant management systems. 

Implementing such employee scheduling software speeds the scheduling process and dramatically improves employee happiness and retention, which is critical in an industry notorious for high turnover.

In the competitive restaurant industry, using the potential of efficient restaurant labor scheduling software is more than simply an operational choice; it is a strategic must. Restaurant operators that use these advanced scheduling systems may assure optimal worker utilization, which leads to increased operational efficiency and better customer service.

What is Restaurant Scheduling Software/App?

Restaurant scheduling software is a program/app that enables restaurant managers to organize and automate shift scheduling activities for their employees using a variety of functions. These features include a configurable scheduling tool, attendance monitoring, task management, and more.

A recent poll found that restaurant managers spend up to 20% of their time working on employee schedules each week. Restaurant shift scheduling software provides the heavy lifting for you, freeing up your time as a restaurant manager to focus on other vital tasks. 

Essential Features of Restaurant Scheduling Software

When selecting the best restaurant scheduling software, search for vital features that meet your business’s particular requirements. Here are some key aspects to consider:

Self-service tools for employees

Look for software that allows employees to clock in and out digitally, whether using a time clock or a mobile app. This tool will enable you to track employee hours and attendance correctly.

Look for employee scheduling software that allows employees to request time off digitally. This tool streamlines the request process and assures proper management of staff absences.

Employees may exchange shifts or seek shift coverage using employee scheduling, which streamlines the procedure and decreases the pressure on management. This feature encourages flexibility and collaboration among staff members.

Mobile-friendly restaurant scheduling apps

Consider software that includes mobile applications or a mobile-friendly user interface. This enables team members and supervisors to view calendars, and monthly schedules, make modifications, have internal communication, swap shifts, drop shifts, and communicate while on the road, increasing convenience and flexibility.

Mobile apps that deliver push notifications for schedule updates, shift reminders, and other essential notifications keep everyone informed and up-to-date.

Given the nature of the restaurant business, mobile accessibility is an essential aspect of scheduling software. Managers and employees may monitor and manage schedule changes while on the road, thanks to the scheduling tool’s mobile accessibility. This flexibility is especially useful for on-the-go management and employees who require manager approval for their schedules outside of business hours or while away from the restaurant.

Integrations with payroll and time tracking

Ensure that the restaurant rostering software is compatible with your current payroll and time tracking systems. This enables the correct and efficient transfer of data, removing the need for human data entry and decreasing mistakes.

It is critical to consider these qualities in the context of your restaurant’s specific needs and team communication. Consider your team size, schedule complexity, and any unique compliance or reporting requirements.

Time tracking is an important feature in restaurant scheduling software that extends beyond simple attendance logging. It accurately records the work hours of each employee, which is critical for accurate payroll calculations and labor costs. This function is extremely useful for conforming to labor rules and regulations and minimizing unintended infractions due to overtime or underpayment.

Furthermore, time monitoring provides clear insights into work trends, allowing management to make data-driven decisions for future scheduling and ensuring that labor resources are used most effectively and efficiently.

Real-time updates

Real-time updates are an essential feature of current shift scheduling applications. This feature guarantees that any modifications to the schedule are promptly updated and accessible to all employees. It helps to reduce uncertainty and ensure that everyone is on the same page. Whether a shift is changed, a new schedule is released, or a shift is canceled, real-time updates keep the entire team informed and ready.

User-friendly interfaces

The efficiency of any program is heavily dependent on its simplicity of use. Restaurant scheduling software includes a user-friendly interface that is simple to utilize. This is especially important in the restaurant industry, where time is of importance and not everyone is aware of internet. A simple user interface makes it easy to create schedules, manage shifts, view shifts, and manage personnel availability and time off requests.

Benefits of Implementing Restaurant Rostering Software

Cost reduction

Effective scheduling is critical to managing labor expenditures, which are one of the major expenses in the restaurant industry. Restaurant scheduling software allows for more precise staffing, reducing over-staffing during slack periods and understaffing during high times. Restaurants may minimize labor expenses by synchronizing staff schedules with customer demand, eliminating waste while assuring adequate staffing to provide outstanding service.

Time-saving 

One of the most obvious advantages of using restaurant scheduling software is the large amount of time it saves. Traditional scheduling systems are sometimes time-consuming, requiring manual modifications and continuous back-and-forth communication. The restaurant employee scheduling system automates most of this process, allowing managers to develop, distribute, and update schedules more quickly. This automation saves time that may be better spent on other parts of restaurant management, such as customer service or employee management.

Accuracy in scheduling

Restaurant scheduling software improves accuracy in the scheduling process. Managers may avoid typical scheduling problems like duplicate booking or scheduling someone unavailable by using tools such as automatic conflict detection. Accurate scheduling enables a smoother operation since the correct people are available at the right times, with no last-minute surprises.

Improved staff satisfaction 

The flexibility and transparency given by scheduling software can boost employee happiness and morale. Employees have greater control over their schedules because of features such as shift swapping and mobile access, which accommodate their demands and reduce conflicts. Higher employee satisfaction levels frequently translate into reduced turnover rates, which is especially useful in the restaurant business, where worker retention may be difficult.

Reduced scheduling errors

One of the most important benefits of deploying staff scheduling software is the significant reduction in scheduling mistakes. These mistakes can cause operational interruptions, higher labor expenses, and even legal concerns in situations of noncompliance with various labor laws and rules. The program helps maintain compliance with work-hour laws and reduces the risk of errors associated with manual scheduling.

Improving Overall Restaurant Operations

The underlying benefit of restaurant scheduling software is that it improves overall restaurant management. Streamlined scheduling results in a more structured and effective business, with employees properly aligned with consumer demand. This efficiency can enhance the entire client experience since well-managed employees are better able to focus on offering high-quality services.

Top 10 Restaurant Scheduling Apps/Software in 2024

1. KNOW

KNOW is the best scheduling software aimed at streamlining restaurant operations by replacing many tools with a single, strong platform. The only tool managers need is to improve frontline operational performance, create happy staff, and save a lot of money!

• Single tool for restaurant management: Businesses are tired of paying for several software subscriptions, and employees are dissatisfied with the confusion and higher training requirements that come with using many apps.
• Team management: KNOW tackles these challenges by combining employee scheduling, employee management and compliance tracking into a single user-friendly software.
• Digitize your work: You can digitize all operational checklists, paperwork, and audits with KNOW and get rid of all the hassles of manual paperwork. Keeps all personnel up to date on the latest schedules and operational updates.
• Reduce errors: A single, simple interface makes the user experience easier. You can also share real-time requests and reports from the ground, including images, videos, and supplementary information. The KNOW app helps you inform every employee of firm procedures, alerts, news, and rules. It streamlines numerous activities, improving productivity while decreasing time spent on administrative duties.This all-in-one method saves money while simultaneously increasing production, making KNOW the best tool for effective and streamlined restaurant rostering software.Best For: KNOW is the best for the restaurant industry. It excels in task management, real-time communication, and performance monitoring, making it an indispensable tool for ensuring operational efficiency and compliance.
  

  2. Jolt:

•  Jolt is a strong operations execution software that runs on smartphones and tablets, making it easily accessible and user-friendly for businesses in a variety of industries, including restaurants, retail, and hospitality. 
• Furthermore, the program has performance monitoring features that enable managers to monitor employee productivity, identify areas for development, and reward top performers. By combining these critical operations into a single, mobile-friendly platform, Jolt assists businesses in increasing productivity, maintaining high standards, and ultimately providing superior service to their consumers.
• Jolt is utilized by hundreds of worldwide businesses, including Smoothie King, Jimmy John’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Legoland, Marriott, Chevron, and Cinemark.

Best For: The Jolt app is ideal for optimizing operations in the restaurant, retail, and hospitality industries by increasing team responsibility, assuring digital food safety compliance, and improving worker performance.

3. 7shifts:

• Make more lucrative judgments. Every day, you’ll receive the information you need to make the best team and operational choices. Meet your labor objectives with schedule enforcement, optimum labor tracking, and real-time reporting. 
• Increase operational efficiency. They’ll help you get your operations in order and reduce common errors. Easily manage compliance, payroll processing, and monitoring activities using digital checklists. 
• Get your time back. With all of that increased productivity, you’ll have more free time to focus on providing excellent guest experiences. You may now schedule more easily, communicate more effectively, and calculate tips automatically. 
• Improves team retention. You’ll have access to the resources you need to establish effective restaurant teams. Monitor staff engagement, mood, and satisfaction to cut turnover by 13%.

Best For: The 7shifts software is ideal for streamlining employee scheduling in restaurants, since it provides simple drag-and-drop features, real-time updates, and attendance monitoring, making staff management more effective in small establishments.

4. Push Operations:

• This cloud-based software provides a full solution for handling HR, payroll, time tracking, and staff scheduling, all from a single, user-friendly interface. Consolidating these important operations reduces administrative responsibilities, allowing firms to manage their personnel more efficiently. 
• The platform contains apps for both employees and supervisors, allowing for easy schedule modifications, shift exchanges, and time off approvals. These characteristics guarantee that scheduling is adaptable and sensitive to the demands of the company and its employees.
• The program also connects with point-of-sale (POS) systems, allowing for real-time labor cost tracking when shifts are scheduled. This connectivity not only aids in the maintenance of correct payroll records but also enables managers to optimize workforce levels based on sales data, therefore boosting cost management and operational efficiency. 
• The software’s cloud-based structure means that all information is securely saved and accessible from anywhere, making it convenient and flexible for organizations of any size.

Best For: The Push Operations software is ideal for combining HR, payroll, time tracking, and scheduling into a one, user-friendly platform, simplifying labor administration and enabling smooth POS connectivity for real-time labor cost tracking.

5. Crunchtime:

• Crunchtime is a software system that specializes in managing multi-location operations. The program has complete inventory management features, allowing restaurants to properly track and manage their stock levels, reducing waste, and optimizing ordering operations.
• Crunchtime also excels in personnel scheduling, enabling managers to generate, alter, and optimize staff schedules based on real-time data, therefore improving labor efficiency and lowering expenses. The platform facilitates learning and development activities by providing tools for training and skill development, ensuring that employees are well-prepared and educated about their tasks. Food safety is another crucial area where Crunchtime excels, with capabilities that assist restaurants in monitoring and maintaining compliance with health and safety laws, lowering the likelihood of penalties. 
• Crunchtime also streamlines key operational processes, such as task management and daily checklists, making it easier to maintain high operating standards across several locations. Finally, the program has comprehensive audit features, allowing organizations to perform thorough inspections and ensure that all operational elements comply with company and regulatory requirements.

Best For: The Crunchtime app is ideal for managing restaurant operations across multiple locations, as it provides powerful features for inventory management, personnel scheduling, food safety, and operational audits, assuring uniformity and efficiency globally.

6. Connecteam:

• Connecteam is a mobile-first workforce management platform that includes a full collection of capabilities to enable firms with deskless teams to increase communication, retain employees, and boost operational efficiency.
• Connecteam enables managers to automate their business procedures and focus on business growth while freeing up staff to be more productive, professional, and happy. Save time and increase productivity with mobile-first custom checklists, forms, and reports; schedule shifts and monitor work hours with a GPS time clock.
• Simplify employee communication, improve professional skills, manage daily activities, and much more, all in one app. Active Directory Single Sign-On (SSO) provides a safe and quick login for system administrators.

Best For: The Connecteam app is best suited for managing deskless teams because it includes mobile-first technologies that improve communication, expedite task management, measure work hours, and increase employee engagement, making it excellent for field operations.

7. Schedulefly:

• Schedulefly is a powerful software application that streamlines the scheduling and communication procedures for restaurants and other hospitality enterprises. Its user-friendly interface enables managers to effortlessly construct and maintain personnel schedules, ensuring that shifts are sufficiently manned and that any modifications or alterations can be handled quickly and simply. 
• Schedulefly’s most notable feature is its extensive personnel directory, which gives managers instant access to staff contact information and availability, making it simpler to arrange shifts and connect with the team.
• In addition to scheduling, Schedulefly improves team cooperation by allowing managers to send key information, such as training materials, corporate regulations, or announcements, directly to employees. 
• Schedulefly provides a multi-unit dashboard for organizations with several locations, allowing them to see an overview of scheduling and operations across all sites. This consolidated perspective enables managers to monitor and manage workers in several locations, providing operational consistency and making it easy to address staffing requirements or transfer resources between units. 

Best For: The Schedulefly software is ideal for streamlining staff scheduling and communication in restaurants. It provides an easy platform with a people directory, document sharing, and multi-unit management, making team cooperation easier and more efficient.

8. Ameego:

• The Ameego team has extensive experience in the restaurant business. In reality, they are seasoned folks who have spent years in Winnipeg donning various hats, such as serving, bartending, and more.
• During this period, one thing remained consistent: scheduling was sometimes the most awful aspect of the work. Aside from keeping track of who could work which shifts, schedules transferred over from the previous week did not account for budgets, making it impossible for staff members to swap shifts, and communication was sometimes problematic.
• Managers can construct balanced, lucrative calendars using Ameego with a single touch, saving hours of critical time each week.

Best For: Ameego is the best tool for setting balanced and successful staff schedules in the restaurant sector, since it provides easy shift management, budget tracking, and simplified communication, saving managers hours of time each week.

9. SpotOn:

• SpotOn has purchased Dolce software, which is now part of the SpotOn Teamwork solution. SpotOn Teamwork is a comprehensive solution for simplifying and improving the efficiency of everyday operations in restaurants and other service-based enterprises. It reduces the need for many distinct solutions by combining critical services like scheduling, tip distribution, payroll administration, labor cost analysis, and staff collaboration into one platform, lowering complexity and optimizing operations.
• The software’s scheduling tools enable managers to easily generate, update, and distribute staff schedules, ensuring that shifts are always covered and employees are aware of their work hours. Tip distribution is another crucial element that allows for the correct and equitable allocation of gratuities among staff members based on their hours worked or specialized jobs, hence maintaining transparency and employee satisfaction.
• SpotOn Teamwork makes payroll processing more efficient by automating calculations based on time spent, including tips, overtime, and other variables.

Best For: The SpotOn app is ideal for integrating restaurant operations by combining scheduling, payroll, tip distribution, and labor cost analysis on a single platform, assuring accuracy and efficiency while synchronizing effortlessly with your POS system.

10. Synergy Suite:

• SynergySuite is a worldwide provider of award-winning restaurant management software to major global restaurant chains. SynergySuite is a complete back-office software system that addresses all important operational areas for restaurants and hospitality organizations. Its inventory and buying management tools enable firms to successfully maintain stock levels, manage supplier relationships, and automate ordering procedures, ensuring that they always have the necessary components and supplies on hand without overstocking, which can result in waste.
• The software’s recipe pricing capabilities allow managers to accurately assess the cost of each meal, taking into account product prices, portion sizes, and preparation expenses. This guarantees proper pricing and contributes to profitability by offering clear insights into margins.
• Food safety is another critical area where SynergySuite shines, with solutions that assist restaurants in adhering to health requirements by monitoring temperature logs, controlling expiration dates, and keeping compliance records.

Best For: SynergySuite app is best for managing restaurant back-office operations, including inventory, purchasing, food safety, scheduling, and cash management, all within a single platform, enhancing efficiency and business intelligence across locations.

Why KNOW?

The KNOW app is a full restaurant rostering software that includes functions like employee scheduling, managing shift handovers, generating and monitoring employee availability, and tracking attendance via mobile check-in/out.

It allows restaurant owners and managers to organize and tell employees about their shifts, and work schedules, handle last-minute adjustments easily, and keep all personnel up to date in real time. This feature streamlines the scheduling processes while improving communication and compliance across team members through numerous channels and controlling labor costs.

By combining these elements into a single app, KNOW transforms restaurant operations, making it an indispensable tool for effective management.

Experience the benefits of streamlined scheduling and enhanced operations—join KNOW today!