10+ Best Restaurant Scheduling Software & Apps in 2025
The best restaurant scheduling software platforms reviewed and compared: Get info on features, pricing, pros & cons and more below.
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 65% of the restaurant owners surveyed by 7shifts in their 2025 report 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.
Connecteam
Deputy
When I Work
7shifts
Buddy Punch
ZoomShift
Sling
Push Operations
Planday
Homebase
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Connecteam
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 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.
Connecteam offers tiered pricing based on features and user count, starting at $0 for up to 10 users.
- Small Business: Free for up to 10 users.
- Basic: $35/month ($29 annual) for 30 users; additional users $0.6/month ($0.5 annual).
- Advanced: $59/month ($49 annual) for 30 users; additional users $1.8/month ($1.5 annual).
- Expert: $119/month ($99 annual) for 30 users; additional users $3.6/month ($3 annual).
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for 200+ employees.
- Includes a 14-day free trial; annual plans save two months.
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
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
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 provides flexible plans starting at $0, catering to businesses of all sizes.
- Starter: Free, limited to 100 shifts/month.
- Premium: $6/user/month ($5 annual).
- Scheduling or Time & Attendance: $4.50/user/month.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for 250+ employees.
- HR Add-On: $2/user/month.
- Minimum spend: $25/month for paid plans. Free trial available.
Best For
Medium to large organizations, especially those with frequent shift changes such as hospitality and retail.
My team and I used the Deputy system on a daily basis to manage workplace schedules for our sports medicine department. We had users at multiple levels of system access. Deputy was used separately from our Hospital ADP Payroll system, as we were not permitted to integrate them. Additionally, we utilized the messaging component to share key updates with the team. The key workflows I relied on included creating and publishing schedules, managing time off requests and shift-drop requests, tracking employee hours, and generating reports for tracking and invoicing purposes.
- User-friendly ease of access via the app
- Customization ability in creating shift locations based on our outreach partnership sites
- Very affordable option to address our needs
- Feed features - helpful communication tool
When I worked for RWJBarnabas Health, we purchased Deputy to manage the scheduling, shift details, and communications for the outreach sports medicine team. We utilized it for two years. Our pain points included lack of per diem employee access to outlook schedules and disjointed communication platforms. Key benefits of use included an easy centralized scheduling system that was customizable to make our contracted partners along with an easy-to-navigate app for the end-users
- Lack of / difficulty with integration to our other hospital systems
- Feed - while it was a useful tool, at times, it was clunky; notifications were not always pushed through
- Not all settings and functions are intuitive and easy to find - especially with differences between the web-based version and the app version
I have also used "When-I-Work" as a comparison. I preferred the app interface of When-I-Work. However, I preferred the web-based interface of Deputy, which was much more user-friendly.
- Cost - very affordable option, we paid per user
- Volume of users - was an effective schedule management option for 30-40 users with varying access levels
- Chat function - should seek a platform with a consistent messaging function, both with individual messaging and group messaging
Deputy was receptive to ideas for enhancements during calls with customer service, and the overall experience and user-ease improved during the two years we utilized this service.
Single or multiple-location entities in need of customizable location details
I can honestly not think of a user or organization situation where the tool would not at least be somewhat helpful.
When I Work
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
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.
When I Work offers per-user pricing, starting at $2.50 per user per month.
- Essentials: $2.50/user/month with core scheduling features.
- Pro: $5.00/user/month, adds advanced scheduling and reporting.
- Premium: $8.00/user/month, includes API access and SSO.
- All plans include a 14-day free trial and flexible billing options.
Best For
We use the tool daily to manage day-to-day scheduling of employees, including approving or denying time off requests. It's also instrumental in planning large special events such as fundraisers or camp activities. Additionally, the When I Work app aids in payroll functions, making it an integral part of our operations.
I appreciate that the app has a clean interface and is easy to use, which our employees also seem to like.
Our organization has been using this tool for over 15 months to schedule per diem employees, who are hired as needed. Previously, there was a significant inefficiency in coordinating between management and gig workers, particularly in contacting workers promptly. This platform allows temp workers to schedule themselves at any time of day, effectively resolving the issue and streamlining the scheduling process for gig workers.
Currently, there’s nothing specific that I dislike about the tool.
While there are competitors like UKG and Q-Genda that offer similar services, this tool stands out for our particular needs.
Consider whether you employ many temporary workers and if your workforce is tech-savvy enough to utilize mobile technology effectively. These factors are crucial in determining the suitability of this tool for your organization.
To my understanding, the services provided by this tool have not undergone significant changes since their inception.
This tool is highly effective for small organizations that rely heavily on part-time or temporary workers.
This tool is versatile enough to be beneficial for all types of organizations.
7shifts
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.
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
7shifts was checked and updated daily. It was primarily used to track shifts for kitchen/front of house staff. I would send notifications for open shifts, schedule changes and other relevant info to the team. I would also create wage predictions to forecast for payroll. I would also exercise its template options for tasks.
It has great customer support. 7shifts integrates with accounting software easily. It is user friendly.
My client was a small restaurant with five employees looking for a way to simplify shift scheduling. 7shifts was a cost effective method for a small team to manage their weekly schedules and updates. The company had noticed difficulties and overlap with their previous method of scheduling. I have used this tool for two years.
There are occasionally bug issues with the app. 7shifts has limited role assignments for staff, expansion of options would be helpful. The software has to be thoroughly rechecked for accuracy before processing payroll.
I am a fan of 7shifts because of team feedback. The software allows easy access in allowing staff to swap shifts and it is very user friendly in comparison to competitors.
People should consider the size of their team before purchasing. While 7shifts is reasonably priced, you may spend over $400 yearly depending upon the features you require. The app issues may cause frustration for team members but customer support is swift.
I like 7shifts’ consistency. Updates and notifications have improved greatly over the past years as I grew more familiar with the product and as the restaurant expanded.
Small restaurants/popups
I would not suggest 7shifts for large chain locations.
Buddy Punch
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
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.
Buddy Punch combines a base fee with per-user pricing, starting at $4.49 per user per month.
- Starter: $4.49/user/month ($5.49 monthly) + $19 base fee.
- Pro: $5.99/user/month ($6.99 monthly) + $19 base fee.
- Enterprise: $10.99/user/month ($11.99 monthly) + $19 base fee.
- Free 14-day trial included; no hidden fees.
Best For
Good bet for restaurants, bars, and coffee shops of all sizes that need efficient scheduling, time tracking, and payroll integration.
I use Buddy Punch daily. One of the most important tools we use is the Time Clock software for tracking time efficiently. We also use the scheduling workflow and tool daily. We use the payroll integration functionality to seamlessly send pay data to the payroll team, saving us time. Additionally, we use the built-in calendar to track holidays rather than doing it externally.
- Buddy Punch has a very intuitive user interface.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- If you make an error when punching in or out, it is not easy to go back and fix it.
- 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.
Buddy Punch might be overkill for an organization with under 10 staff who all work in the same office five days a week.
ZoomShift
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
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 offers user-based pricing, starting at $0 for small teams of up to 20 users.
- Essentials: Free for up to 20 users.
- Starter: $1/user/month ($150 annually), adds time tracking and PTO management.
- Premium: $2/user/month ($250 annually), includes geofencing and advanced scheduling.
- Includes a 14-day free trial with no long-term commitments.
Best For
Zoom is used for our organization's virtual meetings on a daily basis. We use Zoom for internal and external communication. It is very reliable for calls, meetings, calendar reminders and even call queues. Zoom has allowed us to continue to work in a hybrid work environment with limited interruptions.
I like that the Zoom platform is user-friendly and easily accessible through web or mobile apps. The reminders of upcoming meetings are extremely helpful for when I am zoned in and lose track of time. It has also provided us with the flexibility needed to remain hybrid and collaborate internally and externally.
Prior to 2019 we only used Zoom for virtual meetings. At the end of 2019 we transitioned to the full platform. When we transitioned we were looking for a more structured platform for our growing organization. We wanted something that was user-friendly for our staff and would allow us to communicate effectively. It worked out great going into the pandemic and already having a virtual plan.
One con to Zoom is the inability to fax directly from the platform. They have created an integration, but this requires an add-on feature that I believe is separate from the platform itself. Another con which is outside of their control is that it is internet based and if you don’t have good service your call/meeting may get dropped. (this is outside of their control)
Compared to the platform we previously used, zoom has more features and is easier to use. Being able to have our phone system and meeting platforms combined provides ease for our staff. Our staff can now use one app versus two which is what they were previously doing. Zoom also continues to come out with more features that are extremely helpful. Most recently the AI feature that provides a read-out from recorded meetings.
Think about the needs of your company and the budget. Consider the growth you are expecting within the year you are purchasing so you can get the proper amount of licenses.
There have been updates to the platform that have added more features. These added features have allowed us to save time on some of our processes. The AI features that are being added are truly showing that we can save time and be efficient as well as effective.
Zoom is a good platform for any size organization. When we first began using the platform we had 25 staff members and we now have 55. Zoom is able to grow with you to meet your needs.
I don’t know an organization that Zoom would not be a good fit for. It continues to evolve and take customer feedback to improve the platform. The only reason I would see it not being a good fit is if the company can’t afford it. In which they offer discounts to lower the cost for you.
Sling
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
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.
Sling provides per-user pricing with free and paid options, starting at $0 for basic scheduling.
- Free: Basic scheduling for up to 50 users.
- Premium: $2/user/month ($1.70 annual), adds labor cost management.
- Business: $4/user/month ($3.40 annual), includes kiosk tracking and PTO management.
- 15-day free trial available for Premium and Business plans.
Best For
Push Operations
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.
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.
Push Operations offers user-based pricing, starting at $5 per user per month for basic features.
- Starter: $5/user/month for payroll and scheduling.
- Signature: Includes multi-location support and additional HR features.
- Supreme: Advanced functionality for enterprise-level needs.
- Minimum spend: $25/month (5 users). Enterprise pricing available.
Best For
Planday
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.
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.
Planday offers flexible, per-user pricing with optional base fees, starting at $2.99 per user per month.
- Starter: $2.99/user/month; basic scheduling for one location.
- Plus: $4.49/user/month + $15 base fee (min. 10 users); multi-location support.
- Pro: Custom pricing for advanced planning tools.
- Includes a 30-day free trial with no credit card required.
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
- 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.
Homebase
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
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.
Homebase offers location-based pricing with free and premium plans, starting at $0.
- Basic: Free for one location, up to 20 employees.
- Essentials: $24.95/month ($20 annual); advanced scheduling and time tracking.
- Plus: $59.95/month ($48 annual); adds hiring and PTO management.
- All-in-One: $99.95/month ($80 annual); includes HR and compliance tools.
- Add-ons like Payroll ($39 base + $6/employee) and Tip Manager ($25/month) available.
Best For
You can use it on a website or an app. Overall, it is the same technique on the website or app. You sign into your company schedule and find your name. Once you find your name, you can click on start shift. When you want to take a break, there is an option for that too. Then you can log back in to end your shift.
It makes it easy to sign in anywhere. It is easy to track how many hours you worked. It is easy to guide through the website/app.
I used Homebase for about 3 years. One of the main reasons our company bought Homebase was because everyone kept forgetting to clock-in through a machine at work so our company wanted to make clock-ins more convenient. I liked it when we transitioned to it, we were able to clock-in whether we were in office or remote. It helped track everyone's work time accurately. It also sent in our hours to payroll according to the scheduled pay time.
Sometimes people still forget to clock in with the app. When I used it about 2 years ago, I wish it sent us notifications to remind us to clock-in or out. The platform does go down sometimes.
I like Homebase because it is made for everyone to use. It is extremely easy to navigate Homebase.
I have more pros than cons for Homebase. I highly suggest the platform. It is organized and easy to navigate.
It is easier for managers or bosses to manage employee hours through the dashboard. It has more visibility on who is on time and who is late.
Medical offices, small organizations, remote workers
Huge corporate offices with over 200+ employees
Schedulefly
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.
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.
Best For
Schedulefly is best for restaurants on a budget that are only looking for basic scheduling features.
Compare the Top Restaurant Scheduling Software
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.
Data shows 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?
Most scheduling software offers basic features for free for small restaurants with only a handful of employees and fixed shifts. But for more extensive operations, the subscription fee is typically between $2.5 and $5 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
- Our goal at SSR is to help HR and recruiting teams to find and buy the right software for their needs.
- Our site is free to use as some vendors will pay us for web traffic.
- 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.
