Best Restaurant Scheduling Software (2024) for happier teams

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When the restaurant is busy, it can be tough to keep track of who is on duty when. This is why software that lets you book restaurant reservations is helpful. As if you had a personal assistant whose only job was to keep your employees in order. You can easily make, change, and share schedules with this software. This saves you time and trouble. Because I’ve worked in the food service industry, I know how important it is to have a reliable way to plan things.

If you want to schedule events at a restaurant, software is better than whiteboards or spreadsheets, which can be hard to use correctly and take a lot of time. With it, managers can quickly switch shifts, text workers to let them know about changes, and keep everyone up to date on what’s coming up. Plans are easier to make with this software, and it also gives staff more power.

They can see what shifts are coming up, clock in and out, and talk to their managers or coworkers if they need to all from the same platform. Another great thing about restaurant scheduling software is that it works well with other important tools like accounting software, point-of-sale (POS) systems, and tools for managing employees. It makes sure that everything works well and that all the different parts of running a restaurant work together better.

What is Restaurant Scheduling Software?

Restaurant scheduling software is a program or app that has many features that help restaurant managers organise and automate the scheduling of their staff. Some of these features are a scheduling tool that you can change, tracking of attendance, managing tasks, and more.

A recent poll found that restaurant managers spend up to 20% of their weekly time making schedules for their employees. Software for making reservations at restaurants does the work for you, so as a manager, you can spend your time on more important things.

Best Restaurant Scheduling Software Comparison Table

One of the hardest parts of running a successful restaurant business is keeping track of the schedules of your staff. Surprise shifts, last-minute requests for time off, and confusion between team members can really slow down work and cost a restaurant a lot of money.

Feature	Sling	Restaurant365	Jolt	Planday	Deputy
Target Industries	Retail, Hospitality, Services	Restaurants, Bars, Hospitality	Retail, Hospitality, Healthcare	Retail, Hospitality, Services	Retail, Hospitality, Services
Scheduling Features	Drag-and-drop scheduling, Shift templates, Availability management, Time clock integration, Task management, Overtime tracking	Drag-and-drop scheduling, Shift templates, Availability management, Time clock integration, Cost forecasting, Labor law compliance	Drag-and-drop scheduling, Shift templates, Availability management, Time clock integration, Employee communication tools, Team messaging	Drag-and-drop scheduling, Shift templates, Availability management, Time clock integration, Budgeting and forecasting, Real-time analytics	Drag-and-drop scheduling, Shift templates, Availability management, Time clock integration, Communication tools, Analytics and reporting
Communication	Basic employee messaging	Built-in team messaging	Employee communication tools, Team chat	Company announcements, Team messaging	Announcements, Team chat, Individual messaging
Pricing	Per-user, per-month	Per-user, per-month	Per-user, per-month	Per-location, per-month	Per-user, per-month
Ideal for	Small and medium-sized businesses	Restaurants, bars, and other hospitality businesses	Businesses of all sizes in various industries	Retail, hospitality, and service businesses	Retail, hospitality, and service businesses

Best Restaurant Scheduling Software

The best software and apps for restaurant scheduling make it easy to make schedules that everyone sticks to, let employees know about their shifts and any news, and let people switch shifts. They also do payroll and sync with point-of-sale (POS) systems in restaurants to plan for staffing needs.

Sling

Feature	Description
Scheduling	Easily create and manage employee schedules
Time tracking	Track employee hours with precision
Communication	Facilitate team communication with in-app messaging
Labor cost	Monitor labor costs and optimize scheduling
Reporting	Generate insightful reports for better decision-making
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For my small business, I can now use my favourite cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) system thanks to Sling. It’s great. The simple interface makes it easy to manage orders and tables, and the low price is great for my small business. It’s easy for me to use Sling because it works well with other important tools like Toast and QuickBooks. This makes it a good choice for small and medium-sized businesses.

Restaurant365

Feature	Description
Accounting	Streamline financial management with built-in tools
Inventory	Track and manage inventory levels effortlessly
Reporting	Access detailed reports for better business insights
Scheduling	Create optimized schedules for restaurant staff
Integrations	Seamlessly integrate with other restaurant software

I’ve found that Restaurant365 is a complete solution for managing restaurants that are bigger or part of chains. It’s not just a point-of-sale (POS) system; it comes with tools for managing inventory, setting up displays in the kitchen, and even taking care of customer relationships (CRM). It’s a good choice for businesses with more complex needs because it has extra features like online ordering, table reservations, and loyalty program.

Jolt

Feature	Description
Task management	Assign and track tasks efficiently
Time tracking	Monitor employee work hours accurately
Compliance	Ensure regulatory compliance with customizable checklists
Communication	Foster team communication through messaging

Jolt has been my first choice for a mobile point-of-sale system because it is flexible and easy to move around. Jolt is great for restaurants that need to run quickly because it works on iPads and other tablets.

It might not have as many advanced features as Sling or Restaurant365, but it’s a good choice for businesses that value mobility because it’s easy to take orders, process payments, and make reports.

Planday

Feature	Description
Shift planning	Plan and manage employee shifts effortlessly
Time tracking	Track employee work hours with precision
Communication	Facilitate team communication with messaging
Payroll	Streamline payroll processes with integrated tools
Reporting	Access insightful reports for workforce optimization

Since I started using Planday, it’s never been easier to manage my staff. It does a great job of making schedules, keeping track of employees’ hours, and processing payroll as workforce management software.

It’s saved my restaurant a lot of trouble, especially when it comes to managing the staff well. That being said, it’s important to know that Planday doesn’t come with a POS system or any other features that are specific to restaurants.

Deputy

Feature	Description
Scheduling	Create and manage employee schedules with ease
Time tracking	Track employee hours accurately and efficiently
Task assignment	Assign tasks to employees and monitor progress
Compliance	Ensure regulatory compliance with built-in features
Reporting	Access detailed reports for performance evaluation

Deputy has been shown to be a reliable software for managing employees. It handles scheduling, keeping track of time, and payroll all at once. Deputy is different because it can connect to many other types of restaurant management software, such as point-of-sale (POS) and kitchen display systems. This ability to connect has made it an important part of my overall toolkit for managing a restaurant.

The Importance of Efficient Scheduling in Restaurants

Overall, effective scheduling is a key part of restaurants’ success and profits because it keeps labour costs in check, improves service quality, raises revenue potential, and makes the workplace a good place to be for workers.

1. Optimising Labour Costs: Restaurants can better use their staff by making sure that the right number of people are scheduled at the right times to meet customer needs when they use effective scheduling. Restaurants can keep service quality high while cutting down on labour costs by not hiring too many or too few workers.
2. Improving Service Quality: When restaurants have the right number of staff, they can serve customers quickly and with care. If there are enough servers, they can focus on giving great customer service, taking accurate orders, and meeting guests’ needs quickly.
3. Cutting Down on Wait Times: Restaurants can handle busy times and keep wait times to a minimum by making good schedules. By hiring more people during busy times, restaurants can speed up service, cut down on wait times, and make all of their customers happier overall.
4. Maximising Revenue Potential: Restaurants can make the most of revenue opportunities by planning their schedules well so that they have the right number of staff on hand during busy times and special events. By making sure they have enough staff, restaurants can serve more people, get more tables turned over, and make more money.
5. Keeping employees happy and motivated: Scheduling that is fair and consistent is good for morale and happiness among employees. Restaurants can keep employees longer, keep turnover low, and create a positive work environment by giving staff predictable hours, enough breaks, and ways to balance work and personal life.
6. Compliance with Labour Laws: Efficient scheduling helps restaurants follow labour laws and rules about when to schedule workers, how much overtime they can work, and when they need breaks. Restaurants can avoid costly fines, legal disputes, and labor-related risks by keeping a close eye on and managing their employees’ hours.
7. Boosting Productivity: Well-thought-out schedules help restaurants get the most out of their employees’ work and performance. Restaurants can improve operational efficiency throughout the day, cut down on downtime, and streamline workflows by clearly assigning tasks and responsibilities.
8. Helping Staff Communicate: Well-organized and clear schedules make it easier for restaurant staff to talk to each other, which makes it easier for front-of-house and back-of-house teams to work together and coordinate. Restaurants can cut down on confusion, mistakes, and service interruptions by making sure that everyone knows what their job is.

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