7 Best Restaurant Scheduling Software & Apps in 2022

Know your top 7 best restaurant scheduling software and apps for 2022.

The “restaurant scheduling software free” is a type of software that helps restaurants and other service providers manage their schedules. There are many different types of restaurant scheduling software, but these 7 are the best in 2022.

The finest restaurant scheduling software and applications make it simple to generate regular schedules, send out shift notifications, and enable staff to switch shifts. For labor forecasting, they also create payroll and sync with point-of-sale (POS) systems. We identified the seven best restaurant scheduling software for 2022 after examining 19 common platforms.

• Overall, Homebase is the best option for restaurants of any size, including those with many locations.
• Deputy: Ideal for catering companies and restaurants that need additional staff during peak seasons.
• Food trucks and small businesses will benefit from the Sling.
• SocialSchedules: Best for places that provide alcohol, such as pubs, or for those that need to monitor certifications.
• Best for franchise restaurants is 7shifts.
• Planday is best for restaurants with a lot of growth potential.
• ZoomShift is ideal for eateries that are only open for a portion of the year.

Are you a novice when it comes to staff scheduling? Learn the fundamentals by reading our guides.

Best Restaurant Scheduling Software & Apps Compared

Best Overall Restaurant Employee Scheduling Software: Homebase

Homebase

4.83 OUT OF 5 STARS FOR THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE

What We Enjoy

• Interface that is Simple to use
• Per plan, there is no restriction to the number of workers.
• Job advertising and applicant monitoring are included in the Plan that is completely free.
• Time clocks are included in the Plan that is completely free.

What Isn’t There

• Only one place is included in the free edition.
• There have been some reports of login troubles with mobile devices.
• Only in higher plans can you take a break from tracking.

Pricing at Homebase

• Free trial for 14 days
• Basic (Free): One location, unlimited workers, scheduling, time clocks, messaging, and recruiting are all included.
• All in Free Plus team communication, performance monitoring, and remote tools ($19.95/month/location)
• All in Essentials Plus labor costs, time off limitations, PTO monitoring, and permissions ($49.95/month/location)
• All in One ($99.95/month/location) includes All in Plus plus onboarding, employee papers, HR, and compliance.

Homebase is our top-rated staff scheduling software, with a 4.83 out of 5 rating for restaurant scheduling software. Restaurants will benefit from the Version that is available for free, pricing, and forecasting capabilities, and the recruiting options are frosting on the cake. It can scale with you, with higher plans adding HR assistance and additional features.

The free edition includes all of the features you’ll need to keep track of staff clock-ins and manage scheduling. The job board and application monitoring tools are a bonus for eateries with high turnover. The premium plans may take scheduling to the next level, and you can receive anything from forecasting to PTO management to HR compliance help, depending on how much you choose to spend each site.

Do you need payroll services? For $35/month + $4 per user/month, Homebase provides native payroll, which includes tax filings, employee onboarding, and limitless payroll runs.

It’s simple to publish a schedule on both a desktop and a mobile device. (Image courtesy of Homebase)

Features of Homebase

• The great free edition of Homebase includes a schedule creator, shift trading functionality, templates, basic time-off tracking, and the option to see and authorize time off. It enables for employee communications and feedback at the conclusion of the shift. You may also provide pay advances. It also includes basic recruiting tools. You may also store time sheets and reports for up to 90 days and create payroll timecards. This may be all you need to get started with the Homebase program. The majority of the others have Plan that is completely frees, but they restrict the amount of individuals who may use them or provide fewer features. (However, Sling enables for an infinite number of destinations.)
• Homebase gives Deputy a run for its money when it comes to labor forecasting tools. The Budget Forecasting Toolbar also contains the most recent weather prediction, so you can plan for an extra waiter in the outside sitting area or schedule fewer personnel if a heavy blizzard is on the way.
• Scheduling: The Plan that is completely free includes schedule templates that you may change and store for future use, but higher plans feature automatic scheduling as well as pre-set guidelines for breaks and overtime for your state. You may leave remarks, activate geofencing (a useful feature for caterers), and post available shifts. Some apps, such as 7shifts, allow managers to clock out for forgetful staff, but Homebase (and Sling) can do it automatically.
• Restaurant features: Restaurants with high and low seasons, such as those in tourist locations, will benefit from the by-location pricing. Homebase, like the majority of the schedulers on our list, works with popular POS software to make it simple for cashiers to clock in and out. Restaurant 365 for accounting and BevSpot for beverage management are also integrated. You may assign shift notes so that employees know whether they are on cleaning duty, working the drive-through, or working behind the bar. You may also assign different responsibilities and salary rates, which is useful if you have a waiter who bartends on occasion.
• Your managers may make announcements, conduct staff performance assessments, allow time off, see employee availability, and get notifications when workers clock in late. Employees may organize shift swapping by messaging each other or their team; all you have to do is authorize it. You can also share events with others and enable them to comment on them. This is quite typical of most scheduling software.
• A mobile app is essential for staff communication. Homebase had a 4.8 out of 5 rating from over 29,400 reviews at the time of writing this article. It has an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 from 14,350 votes for Android. People complained about anything from calendars not updating to not being able to clock in.
• HR and payroll operations or integrations: Homebase distinguishes itself by including recruiting capabilities, which is a welcome addition in such a high-turnover market. (7shifts also has tools for hiring.) Performance management features are included in paid plans, while labor costs is included in the top plans. Advisors, document storage, an employee handbook builder, and other features are included in the All-in-One package. It also has robust compliance capabilities, such as the ability to monitor certifications, breaks, and overtime. It also warns you if your state’s labor regulations change, which is another way it distinguishes itself from the competition.
• User-Friendliness: Homebase gets high marks from users for the desktop and mobile versions, with an average of 4.57 out of 5 over multiple user review sites. Users say it’s easy to set up and quick to get the hang of. The mobile app includes scheduling functions, so you are not tied to a computer. Customer service is live via chat, phone, or email, and there are help guides and video tutorials.

Read our Homebase review to learn more.

Deputy: Best Restaurant Employee Scheduling Software for Seasonal Restaurants & Catering

Deputy

4.64 OUT OF 5 STARS FOR THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE

What We Enjoy

• Excellent client service
• Forecasting techniques that are effective
• For individuals with just a few persons on their calendars, a discounted pricing option is available.
• A powerful mobile app

What Isn’t There

• Only 100 shifts per month on the Plan that is completely free, which is restricted in functionality.
• Customers have complained about integration issues.
• Only under the Enterprise plan can you forecast.

Pricing by Deputy*

• 31-day free trial
• Starter (for free): 100 shifts per month, 100 timesheets per month, PTO management, and newsfeed
• Starter Plus unlimited shifts and timecards, auto-scheduling, payroll integration, tasking, reporting, switch shift, performance, and time clock ($4.50/user/month)
• Flexi ($2/active employee/week, 50 cents/inactive employee/week): Same features as Premium; best if <50% of employees are active at a time
• Premium Plus sophisticated demand planning and analytics, training, and location processes (Enterprise (Custom)).
• Unlimited shifts, auto-scheduling, PTO management, newsfeed, and tasking for just $2.50 per user every month
• Unlimited time sheets, payroll connectivity, POS integration, PTO management, and newsfeed tasking are all available for just $2.50 per user per month with Time and Attendance.

*A minimum monthly expenditure of $10 is required.

Deputy also makes our list of the finest staff scheduling software because of its ability to handle various locations and jobs. Its Flexi Plan is a tremendous benefit for caterers or restaurants with predictable high and low seasons, since it allows inactive staff to stay in touch with the team without having to pay full price. Others on our list allow you to archive inactive workers but not to maintain them in newsfeeds or allow them to seek time off.

It also has top-notch analytics and labor forecasting in its Enterprise Plan. The platform—which is available in over 90 countries, with 24/7 support for each region—earned a 4.64 out of 5 in our evaluation. Users give Deputy high praise for its User-Friendliness, and the tools are top-notch. It took a hit in our scores primarily because its time and attendance tool costs extra and it lacks live phone support. The forecasting tools, which we found impressive, are only in the Enterprise Plan. If this is a deal-breaker for you, consider Homebase.

Deputy offers a User-friendly interface that allows you to create a schedule in minutes. (Image courtesy of Deputy)

Features of a Deputy

• Flexi Plan: The Flexi Plan is Deputy’s Premium Plan at a discounted rate for seasonal enterprises or caterers that have considerable workforce fluctuations throughout the year. Instead of archiving or dismissing workers who are not working that week, you place them on inactive status. They continue to get messages (and training), as well as the ability to seek leave and update their profile. When you need all hands on deck, your skilled personnel will be only a click away. This is a plan that no other scheduler on our list possesses.
• Forecasting: Deputy’s Enterprise Plan allows you to forecast personnel requirements based on sales, deliveries, appointments/reservations, and other signals you may configure. You may use its research to create rules that guarantee you have the bare minimum of personnel, and it will warn you if you are booking too many workers. When automatically establishing a schedule, you may use the forecasting tools; most software just provides an analysis.
• Scheduling: Deputy is the only app on our list that offers separate scheduling and time tracking plans, or you can receive both in the Premium or Flexi Plans. Scheduling offers drag-and-drop shifts and compliance regulations like break times, work hour limitations for minors, time off, overtime, shift-swapping, and more, much like the rest of the schedulers on our list, but it also includes auto-scheduling. Geofencing is included in time and attendance, and it generates timesheets for you to review. It also syncs with your payroll program. Managers may also monitor who is on duty, taking a break, or running late.
• Deputy’s mobile app received a 4.8 out of 5 rating from roughly 2,500 users on iOS and a 4.6 out of 5 rating from about 10,600 users on Android. The compliments were generally positive, though not detailed, and the objections were few and diverse. It came in second only to 7shifts as the best Scheduling on the go app.
• While most of these functions are available in the other apps on our list, Deputy offers the whole package. If you arrange a “clopening,” when the same individual shuts one night and opens the next, it will notify you. It provides shift analysis instead of displaying the information as a job list, so you can determine whether you’ve overstaffed. It can record video announcements to put on the newsfeed, much like 7shifts, which is an excellent tool for training demonstrations. You may also do staff health screenings, which is something that the restaurant industry is worried about even if COVID-19 isn’t an issue.
• Deputy, like SocialSchedules, enables firms in Fair Work Week areas remain compliant by documenting schedule adjustments, computing the needed predictability pay, and collecting employee permission to change. Deputy is one of the finest at connecting to common POS and payroll systems, with over 40 interfaces.
• User-Friendliness: Users on multiple review sites gave it an average of 4.55 out of 5 across the board. This puts it above average, with 7shifts having the highest scores (4.69). There are videos, a good selection of how-to articles, and unlimited 24/7/365 chat support.

Check out our Deputy review.

Sling: Best Restaurant Employee Scheduling Software for Food Trucks & Small Restaurants

Sling

4.45 OUT OF 5 STARS FOR THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE

What We Enjoy

• Plan that is completely free
• Simple to use
• Per plan, there are no limits on the number of sites or staff.
• All paid plans provide labor costs and forecasting.

What Isn’t There

• Only the top plan has auto-scheduling.
• A time clock is not included in the free edition.
• Shift-swapping is not possible in the Version that is available for free.

Pricing for Slings

• Shift templates, timetables, and alarms are all free, as are shift availability, time off requests, news sharing, and mobile access.
• Premium ($2/user/month): Plan that is completely free + mobile time clock, time sheets, early clock-in prevention, shift swaps, messaging, budgeting, overtime tracking, Google calendar sync
• Premium + auto-assigning, kiosk time clock, reports, salary support, no-shows, late arrivals, task management, dedicated account manager ($4/user/month): Premium + auto-assigning, kiosk time clock, reports, salary support, no-shows, late arrivals, task management, dedicated account manager

Sling is one of the most affordable restaurant staff scheduling systems we looked at, with no monthly minimum. We prefer it for small eateries and food trucks because of the pricing point, even if it’s utilized by Subway, KFC, and Taco Bell. Its mobile app is one of the best-rated, and it has the fewest complaints of any of the Scheduling software we looked at (at the time of writing).

It received a 4.45 out of 5 star rating in our review. It received a flawless grade for reporting and received a good score for price, with affordable monthly rates even at the corporate level. It received less marks since it lacked live phone assistance and an offline option. It scored good points for Popularity, but it didn’t have as many user reviews as others on our list, so it took a penalty in that category.

Employees may easily clock in using the smartphone app. (Image courtesy of Sling)

Features of the Sling

• Mobile App: While it wasn’t the most popular app among consumers, it was the most consistent across platforms. Sling’s iOS app received 4.7 out of 5 stars from 22,500 users, while the Android app received 4.7 out of 5 stars from 4,520 users. It received few complaints—the fewest of those on our list—and was generally regarded as simple and trustworthy.
• Openings, closings, thorough cleanings, and inspection preparations all function better when the crew understands what they’re doing. Sling has a powerful tasking feature that allows you to give tasks to people or teams, create and store task templates for repeating activities, and provide feedback to managers. Homebase, on the other hand, allows you to add comments to your calendar but does not include task lists.
• Most of the functions on Sling can be found in other applications, but we particularly enjoy how it records unavailability and time off since it can be used for compliance—for example, construct unavailability guidelines for younger employees so that they aren’t scheduled during school hours. The program can automatically allocate shifts depending on availability and qualifications thanks to the Business plan. You may establish boundaries on when early workers can clock in, and the time clock, like Homebase, will automatically clock them out at the conclusion of the shift.
• Employee communications: In addition to task lists, Sling (like the others on our list) includes messaging and an interactive news feed, allowing you to keep your staff informed about the latest developments, whether it’s a new policy or a reminder to push the nachos. Employees may request shift swaps and get reminders regarding shifts and clocking in via the app.
• Restaurant features: Employees may have many positions at a restaurant, such as waiter and bartender. While several applications allow you to apply various pay, Sling also warns you if you attempt to book someone for a task while they are currently doing another. You’ll also discover tools to help you keep compliant with minor labor rules, track overtime, and set up projects for basic restaurant duties.
• HR and payroll integrations: Managing payroll is as simple as approving time sheets on your desktop or mobile device and sending them to your payroll processor or as an XLS or CSV file. Budgeting and holiday pay regulations are also available via Sling. Sling has a limited number of interfaces, however it does work with POS software like as Toast, Square, and Restaurant Manager. Consider Deputy or 7shifts for additional choices.
• User-Friendliness: While Sling didn’t receive as many user reviews as most of the software on our list, it did generate a solid 4.5 out of 5, averaged across multiple third-party review sites. Managers enjoyed the User-Friendliness and said the Plan that is completely free gave them everything they needed. Employees also thought it was easy and appreciated the reminders. There are video tutorials and illustrated how-to articles, but support is only by email.

Check out our Sling review.

7shifts: The Best Employee Scheduling Software for Restaurant Franchises

7shifts

4.35 OUT OF 5 STARS FOR THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE

What We Enjoy

• User-friendly
• Overtime regulations and compliance
• Integrations with POS systems

What Isn’t There

• Limits on the number of workers per plan
• Many of the features are only available in the higher-tiered programs.
• Only use the top plan for auto-scheduling.

Pricing at 7shifts

• Free trial for 14 days
• Comp (free): Up to 10 workers, one location, scheduling, time off, time clock, team chat, recruiting tools, and employee engagement monitoring
• Appetizer ($19.99/month/location): Up to 20 workers can be compensated, time sheets can be edited, multiple salaries may be paid, SMS alerts can be sent, POS connection can be done, and reporting can be done.
• Entrée ($43.99/month/location): Appetizer plus up to 30 workers, schedule templates, labor budget and sales projections, PTO/break/overtime monitoring, and read receipts are all available.
• Entrée Plus unlimited workers, weather, stations, and sophisticated budgeting, labor alerts, manager log book, payroll, and compliance tools ($76.99/location/month)
• Gourmet (Custom): Overview of work and operations, machine learning auto-scheduler, and task management

7shifts is a restaurant management system with powerful features including tip pooling, a highly rated mobile app, and connection with dozens of POS systems. While Homebase allows for limitless employees per site, 7shifts provides lower base costs and gives franchises and restaurants with numerous locations discounts. If you desire a plan with a certain tool, it also has a useful a la carte menu of extras (paid per month, per location).

• $6.99 for an overview of operations
• $12.99 for task management

• $24.99 for tip pooling
• $14.99 for a manager’s log book

7Shifts received a 4.35 out of 5 on our criteria, scoring 4+ in all aspects but losing a percentage here and there due to the fact that certain features are only available in the most costly plans. It also suffered a setback due to the absence of live phone help.

7shifts has a lot of useful tools for scheduling, clocking in, and reporting. (Image courtesy of 7shifts)

Features of 7shifts

• Several of the programs on our list feature per-location pricing and allow you to manage numerous locations. 7shifts is unique in that it allows you to work with it in groups or independently as required. After example, your bustling downtown site will have different scheduling and job requirements than your quieter restaurant on the outskirts of town. On both mobile and desktop, you can link all of the places and switch between them. You can compare sales, labor, and employee engagement statistics across several sites with the Operations add-on.
• While 7shifts offers some amazing Scheduling software such as templates and rules, auto-scheduling is only available with the Gourmet Plan—but it is based on machine learning. Other programs, such as Homebase, provide this feature in their lower-cost subscriptions. The time clock distinguishes itself from the competition not only by being able to interact with your POS system, but also by recording clock-ins and outs when the Wi-Fi is down and synchronizing later. This is a capability that only Homebase and Deputy have.
• Reminders and messages to employees help them arrive on time and stay informed about future events or news. On the app, employees may swap shifts, seek time off, and adjust their availability, all with management permission and schedule updates. Text and email may also be used to send announcements. You may submit videos, such as for training, much as with Deputy, and 7shifts includes a reader-receipt feature that lets you know which workers watched the message.
• This app received a 4.8 out of 5 rating from roughly 900 users on iOS and a 4.7 out of 5 rating from around 3,270 users on Android, making it one of the highest ranked on our list. There were some difficulties last year following an Android upgrade, but they seem to have been addressed, and there have been few complaints as of this writing.
• Restaurant features: Of all the scheduling software we looked at, only 7shifts was created with restaurants in mind. It works with around a half-dozen POS systems, the most of which are geared toward the restaurant sector, as well as ExpandShare, a restaurant training platform, and HigherMe, a restaurant and retail employment tool. For the safety of your personnel and diners, 7shifts offers COVID-19 screening questions. It also has a tip reporting tool, as well as a tip pooling option.
• HR and payroll functions and integrations: In addition to the Integrations with POS systems, it connects with more than a dozen payroll systems like QuickBooks, Gusto, and ADP. Missed or late shifts are flagged to ensure payroll accuracy. The Scheduling software help you maintain compliances for breaks, split shifts, and overtime. The manager logbook, something only a few applications like SocialSchedules have, makes it easy to identify opportunities or problems and communicate between shifts. One standout is the end-of-shift feedback survey to make sure you identify problems before they boil over.
• User-Friendliness: 7shifts is one of the top user-rated scheduling software applications on our list, with 4.69 out of 5 across multiple review sites; it’s gotten rave reviews (as of this writing). Employees and managers loved the interface and said it was Simple to use and that the support team was great. Support is only available by ticket, so that’s high praise. You will find video and illustrated how-to articles, plus templates and guides.

Check out our 7shifts review.

SocialSchedules: Best Restaurant Employee Scheduling Software for Pubs & Restaurants Serving Alcohol

SocialSchedules

AVERAGE RATING: 4.14 OUT OF 5

What We Enjoy

• Labor law compliance techniques that are effective
• Scheduling on the go
• Version that is available for free
• Manager logbooks are included in paid programs.

What Isn’t There

• Plan that is completely free stores data for only 28 days
• Bugs in the mobile app
• A time clock is not included in the starter plan.

Pricing for SocialSchedules

• Free trial for 14 days
• Basic (Free): 10 employees, one location, mobile app, scheduling, messaging, availability, and PTO management
• Basic Plus unlimited employees, multiple locations, overtime monitoring, and management logbooks ($15.99/month/location)
• Starter Plus time and attendance, POS/payroll connection, labor law compliance, certification management, advanced reporting ($39.99/month/location)
• Custom (Enterprise): A dedicated support contact, a bespoke API, unique reports, and custom features

SocialSchedules is a scheduling and time clock software that includes powerful compliance capabilities to complement its superb scheduling and communication features. Because it contains capabilities for checking health and other certificates, we suggest it for enterprises concerned not just with labor rules but also for bars, pubs, and restaurants that serve alcohol.

It earned 4.14 out of 5 on our rubric. It earned excellent scores for pricing and User-Friendliness. However, it took a large hit because you cannot create custom reports and its sales forecasting tools are only available if you integrate with a compatible POS system.

With templates and locked days, you can rapidly create a shift plan. (Image courtesy of SocialSchedules)

Features of SocialSchedules

• Compliance: A lot of the scheduling software we looked at allows you to establish pay rates, restrict hours, and check for compliance violations like overscheduling someone. The Premium Plan, on the other hand, sweetens the deal by including tools that monitor certifications and notify you when an employee’s certificate is due to expire. Store certificates for 7shifts and Planday.) You may also construct disclaimers for workers to read as they clock out, which is a useful method to gain written consent to schedule or policy changes, which can help with Fair Work Week compliance.
• Scheduling: SocialSchedules features timetables and templates, but its personalized availability feature sets it apart from the competition. Employees have the opportunity to establish several availability sets, each with their own start and end dates. This makes it easy for them to plan a trip or prepare for the start of the school year. Managers may also impose lock days, during which employees are unable to drop or exchange shifts. (This is also a feature of Homebase.) This might come in handy for key occasions like wedding receptions.
• Employee communications: You may notify staff of the new schedule, send private and group messages, make announcements, and send reminders, just as you can with other restaurant scheduling software. Workers may swap shifts, and supervisors might invite an employee to fill a vacancy. Managers may use a logbook to monitor receipts, share photographs (such as of the refrigerator that wasn’t cleaned at closure), and add papers, much as they can with Homebase and 7shifts.
• Mobile app: The iOS app received 4.5 out of 5 stars from 470 reviews, while the Android app received 4.1 out of 5 stars from 380 votes. The user interface was acclaimed by users, however they lately complained about login troubles. Check out Sling or 7shifts if your employees are reliant on their applications.
• Features of the restaurant include: SocialSchedules, like 7shifts, includes a tips reporting feature built into the time clock. It works with Heartland Restaurant, POSitouch, Restaurant Manager, and Square, among other restaurant POS systems. The certificates tracking feature allows you to keep track of food handling training and other key qualifications for your company. You may also categorize shifts so that waiters know where they’ll be working, and give addresses with maps to those delivering to or catering an event.
• HR and payroll connections and functions: The majority of HR’s responsibilities revolve on compliance and certification management. Issues like clocking in early following a break are instantly communicated to managers. You can run reports to check how your employees are doing, and if you have POS software, you can also bring in sales data, build labor vs. sales reports, import time cards to payroll, and more.
• User-Friendliness: Users on average gave it 4.51 out of 5 across multiple review sites. Both managers and employees said it was very Simple to use, especially for part-time workers. There are illustrated how-to articles on the website and a chatbot that can also reach a live person. The Enterprise plan includes dedicated live support, and there are set-up services available.

Take a look at our SocialSchedules review.

Planday: Best Restaurant Employee Scheduling Software for Larger & Growing Restaurants

Planday

3.96 OUT OF 5 STARS FOR THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE

What We Enjoy

• The user interface is simple.
• Tools for adhering to labor laws
• Scheduling for many departments
• Available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe.

What Isn’t There

• The monthly minimum for higher plans is rather hefty.
• Users are sold in five-user increments.
• Bugs in the mobile app

Pricing for Plandays*

• Free trial for 30 days
• Starter ($2.49/user/month); minimum of $24.90/month: Punch clock, scheduling, and time regulations are ideal for a single location, but there is no support.
• Plus ($3.99/user/month); minimum of $94.80/month: Starter package includes 20 users, payroll reports, integrations, shared contracts, various locations, onboarding, and support.
• Pro ($6.49/user/month); minimum of $354.50/month: Plus, 50 users are included, as well as smart planning analytics, auto-scheduling, configurable permissions, and an open API.
• Enterprise (Custom): Professional plus organizational structure, cross-national norms, and enhanced reporting

*After a five-employee minimum, plans are available in five-employee increments.

Like Deputy, Planday is available in multiple countries—the US, Canada, the UK, and most of Europe. Its pricing and department-level Scheduling software make it a better choice for larger restaurants and those that are growing. Like 7shifts, it can also be good for multiple locations.

While it got a perfect score for Scheduling software, the pricing and a glitchy mobile app hurt its overall ranking. It received a 3.96 out of 5 in our evaluation.

Planday’s price and toolkit make it more suitable for multi-location restaurants with several locations. (Image courtesy of Planday)

Planday Highlights

• Planday is the only platform that offers a Force Read feature, which makes it similar to every other scheduling software in that it allows you to contact people or groups. Before an employee can use the app—even to clock in—they must first read and acknowledge a message. This is a wonderful way to communicate essential information, such as new training, an upcoming event, or a notification that a popular item has sold out.
• Planday has department settings that can also have multiple schedules—use this for locations or separating kitchen and dining schedules—while others on our list allow multiple schedules, Planday also has department settings that can have multiple schedules—use this for locations or separating kitchen and dining schedules. Planday will guarantee you don’t double-book individuals that work in various departments. Auto-scheduling, like roughly half of the products on our list, is in the top plan (Pro).
• Planday, like the other applications on the list, allows you to send messages to groups or individuals and includes a news area on the site for announcements or training. It allows employees to seek time off and swap shifts. One feature that stands out is the ability to select preferred hours. This feature is not available in every applications.
• Restaurant features include the ability to add shifts to the clock, which is useful for bringing in additional assistance for an unexpected rush. Caterers and delivery personnel will appreciate the punch clock’s location-specific time monitoring. While it lacks certification tracking like SocialSchedules, it does allow you to save licenses in the documents area and monitor talents so you don’t have to book a waiter to bartend.
• Mobile app: On iOS, the app received 4.5 out of 5 stars with around 3,300 reviews, while on Android, it received 4.3 out of 5 stars with about 5,400 votes. It needs an Android 6 or above operating system, which might present issues for workers who use older phones. It was one of the most glitch-prone schedulers on our list. Consider 7shifts, Sling, or Deputy for the finest mobile app.
• HR features and integrations: You may connect to over 20 payroll software and a variety of restaurant POS systems, including Lightspeed, Lavu, and FlexyBox. Users like the payroll integration, with one user claiming that it outperforms Deputy, especially when it comes to holiday monitoring. You may use the forecasting tools to look at staff hours, expenses, and performance. You may use the program to keep track of vacation, overtime, personnel information, and more.
• User-Friendliness: Users on G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius gave Planday an average of 4.38 out of 5 stars. While a great score, it’s nonetheless on the lower end for the software on our list. Users said it was generally Simple to use and praised the department scheduling, but had problems with employee use (probably due to the mobile issues). There were also complaints of poor support (during the lockdown), and one person mentioned an annual contract. If you need help, you can peruse illustrated articles or contact live chat support during business hours.

Check out our Planday review.

Restaurant Employee Scheduling Software for Seasonal Restaurants: ZoomShift

ZoomShift

3.93 OUT OF 5 STARS FOR THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE

What We Enjoy

• In the off-season, plans might be placed on hold.
• Included are a time clock, time sheets, and payroll reports.
• Syncs with external calendars
• Demonstrates an employee’s willingness to work a shift.

What Isn’t There

• No Plan that is completely free
• Live assistance is limited.
• There are no integrations.

Pricing for ZoomShift

• Free trial for 14 days
• Schedule, availability, time off, shift cover requests, time sheets, time clock, payroll report, automated reminders, calendar app sync ($2.50/user/month)
• Starter + overtime warnings, shift regulations, time sheet rules, GPS time clock, and activity records ($5/user/month)
• Preparing for the Enterprise (Custom):

To create our lineup, we used ZoomShift, which is the most user-friendly restaurant scheduling software. It only costs you for active users and enables you to pause your plan while preserving your data, making it an excellent solution for seasonal eateries. Subway and Jimmy Johns, among other eateries, utilize it.

With 3.93 out of 5 in our evaluation, its software worth considering if you want schedules, time tracking, and payroll reporting. It takes a hit on scoring because it lacks Integrations with POS systems except through API. However, users love the simplicity of it, and it allows custom reports.

ZoomShift may not only display time that is unavailable, but it can also show time that someone would want to work. (Image courtesy of ZoomShift)

Features of ZoomShift

• Plan holds and active member pricing: ZoomShift is a wonderful option if your restaurant has long-term slowdowns or periods when you shut for a month or a season. It, like Sling, only charges active users. It does, however, allow you to put your plan on pause while you aren’t using it without losing your data, something no other scheduler does. With its Flexi Plan, Deputy gets close, but active users are still required.
• Restaurant features: You can set requirements for picking up a shift so that the right people are doing the right job. The seasonal planning and User-Friendliness make it a good choice for restaurants with high staff turnover or staff that only works at certain times of the year, like the college student that serves tables over the summer.
• Scheduling: It allows you to copy schedules or store them as templates, much like other applications. It can monitor time off, but it’s also unusual in that it can track when an employee is ready and willing to work a shift that isn’t scheduled on a regular basis. It does not have auto-scheduling, but it does include a labor forecasting tool. The schedule may be synced with Google Calendar, iCal, and Outlook. The time tracker is incorporated, allowing you to create time sheets as well as set up clock-in/out regulations and geofencing. You can keep track of missed shifts, late arrivals, and other information.
• Employee communications: ZoomShift, like the other scheduling software on our list, allows you to distribute schedules to employees, provide available shifts, and enable employees to exchange shifts. It contains event notifications, group conversations, and direct communications, as well as alerting management about overtime and violations of shift restrictions (such as clocking in early).
• Users gave this app the lowest rating on our list, with 2.9 out of 5 stars from roughly 50 reviews for iOS and 4.1 out of 5 stars from about 200 votes for Android. The software is simple, but not everything users want, and there have been complaints of bugs.
• HR and payroll capabilities and integrations: You can approve time sheets and generate payroll reports, which you can save as CSV or XLS files to import into a payroll platform. You can create your own reports, but there aren’t many available out of the box. Unless you upgrade to the Enterprise Plan, which includes an API tool, it also lacks connectors with other products.
• User-Friendliness: Users on average gave it a score of 4.56 out of 5 across several user review sites, which is high for software, but just over average for the software on our list. Small businesses liked it best, praising the simplicity and saying it gave them all the tools they needed. Larger businesses with more complex needs wanted additional features.

Take a look at our ZoomShift review.

How We Picked the Best Restaurant Scheduling App

We began our search by seeking for scheduling software that was affordable for a small family business yet had features that could handle several locations and sophisticated requirements. We needed mobile applications, shift switching, and time off planning, but we also needed interfaces with the top restaurant POS systems and the capacity to comply with labor and health regulations.

Homebase is at the top of our ranking, earning a total score of 4.83 out of 5. It includes features such as personnel scheduling, time clocks and sheets, team communication, hiring, onboarding, and labor compliance that restaurant management need.

Click through the headings below to see our complete assessment criteria for the best restaurant scheduling software for staff.

25%

Functionality of Scheduling Software

30% of the overall score

We favored software with transparent pricing and starting plans at under $4 per user, per month. Where places charged by location (like Homebase) or required custom quotes, we assumed a restaurant with 20 employees. We also looked for Plan that is completely frees and trials. Homebase had a perfect score in this category, with several others just behind because of their custom-priced enterprise plans.

25% of the overall score

We searched for the most crucial features here, such as shift swapping, a mobile app with messaging, PTO management, and scheduling tools like forecasting and rule-setting for state law compliance. With everything we were looking for, Homebase and Planday hit it out of the park.

10% of the overall score

We can’t substitute the experiences of real-world consumers no matter how much time we spend on research and testing. We analyzed the quantity of reviews and user ratings on notable sites such as Capterra, G2, and TrustRadius. We also searched for reports of stuttering mobile applications. Because it had less reviews, Deputy received a perfect score, whereas Sling received a 4.63 out of 5 rating.

10% of the overall score

Reports are often used to analyze shifts, tardies, and time-off requests, as well as to prepare time sheets for payroll. The key factor here was whether or not you could produce bespoke reports that were one-of-a-kind. Only SocialSchedules did not have this option, since it was only available in their more premium subscriptions.

25% of the overall score

An Interface that is Simple to use, a mobile app that is easy for employees to learn, and training and online resources are vital to successful scheduling software. All the software on our list fit the bill, so we also considered integrations, particularly with restaurant POS systems. Homebase and SocialSchedules ranked best overall here.

*Percentages based on total score

Conclusion

Managers spend an average of 3.14 hours each week establishing schedules, according to Clockify, not including time spent dealing with last-minute modifications. The finest shift scheduling software makes it simple to establish accurate schedules free of mistakes, overtime, or compliance breaches, and empowers staff to source their own cover as required.

Overall, we found Homebase to be the best scheduling software for restaurants. It is Simple to use for both managers and employees and is full of features. With by-location pricing that allows unlimited employees, it’s easy on the budget too. Try the Version that is available for free, or jump right in with one of its paid plans today.

Pay a visit to Homebase

The “best free restaurant scheduling app” is a software that allows users to create and manage their restaurant schedules. It will be one of the top 7 best restaurant scheduling software & apps in 2022.

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