Employers often encounter challenges when it comes to managing the operational aspects of their businesses, particularly when it involves organizing work schedules for employees. And that’s why here on Naijaknowhow, I’ll be writing about some of the best restaurant scheduling apps.
One key area where these apps excel is in simplifying the creation and management of employee work schedules. They provide tools that make it easier to schedule shifts, taking into account factors like employee availability, skillsets, and labor regulations. Also, these apps facilitate the management of employee payments.
It ensures that staff receive their regular salaries and any additional payments or bonuses promptly and accurately. Furthermore, these restaurant scheduling apps enable businesses to maintain organized records of shifts, making it easier to track and analyze employee performance and attendance.
List of the Best Restaurant Scheduling Apps for Android and iOS
These apps are designed to simplify the intricate processes involved in running a restaurant smoothly and efficiently. Below, we’ll explore some of the best apps available to help businesses in this industry.
1. Restaurant365
Restaurant365 is a handy app designed for restaurants. It makes managing work schedules, shifts, and time off a breeze. You start by creating a restaurant account and then add your employees to it. This way, everyone can stay updated on their work schedule.
In addition, Restaurant365 helps keep track of the restaurant’s finances by automatically recording receipts. At the end of the month, it generates a report showing the restaurant’s income and expenses. The admin can see this report, and others with access can too. It includes charts and a text report.
Moreover, the app lets you chat with your restaurant staff and monitor their time off and whereabouts. It even records when employees leave work during their shifts, storing these details in a separate folder for authorized users to access.
Pros:
- Simplifies scheduling, shift management, and time-off requests.
- Records receipts and generates monthly reports.
- Communication within the restaurant staff through in-app chat.
- Allows tracking of employee time-off and whereabouts.
- User-friendly platform for creating restaurant accounts.
Cons:
- Users may need to learn the app initially.
- Monitoring of employee whereabouts might raise privacy concerns.
2. OpenTable
OpenTable is a big system for restaurants. It helps both restaurant owners and regular people looking for places to eat. Regular people can sign up and find restaurants they like. Owners can use it to plan work schedules and get feedback from customers. As such, it is one of the most helpful restaurant scheduling apps.
Restaurant owners can use OpenTable to make schedules and get opinions from customers. For instance, if they want to add new items to the menu or change when the restaurant opens, they can ask customers for their thoughts. Customers can vote on these ideas, and that helps owners decide.
In OpenTable, restaurant owners can also connect with their employees. Employees can see updates like new menu items or changes in work schedules. It’s a helpful tool for everyone in the restaurant business.
Pros:
- Efficient scheduling for restaurant owners.
- Customer feedback aids decision-making.
- Easy communication between owners and employees.
- User-friendly interface for customers.
- Simplifies the process of introducing changes or new menu items.
Cons:
- Smaller restaurants might find it less cost-effective.
- Reliance on customer opinions could lead to varied feedback.
3. Sling
Sling is one of the popular restaurant scheduling apps used by many businesses, especially in customer service. It helps employers create work schedules for their employees and manage payments. You can manually set up schedules or let the app do it for you.
You can also share the schedule with your employees so they can choose their shifts. The app can track where employees are using GPS. If an employee is not at work on time, it can send a notification.
If you don’t want notifications, it keeps a record of lateness for you to check. This helps identify employees who are often late or leave work early. While Sling isn’t exclusively for restaurants, it works well for them. It’s a handy tool for organizing work schedules and keeping tabs on employee attendance and punctuality.
Pros:
- Efficient scheduling automation.
- Shift flexibility with employee shift selection.
- GPS tracking for employee location.
- Notifications for late arrivals.
- Detailed records for attendance tracking.
Cons:
- Dependency on GPS may raise privacy concerns.
- Learning curve for initial setup.
- Notifications might be intrusive for some users.
- Potential reliance on stable internet.
4. 7Shifts
7shifts is an app that makes running a restaurant smoother. It helps with staff scheduling, tracks work hours, handles time off requests, and manages vacations. What’s great about 7shifts is how easy it is to use. Managers can create work schedules that consider employees’ preferences.
The app sends automatic notifications to all registered staff when there are schedule updates. You can also keep an eye on your restaurant’s sales by connecting your 7shifts account to your payment system. This means every payment made at your restaurant gets recorded in the app. You can then easily track your daily, monthly, or weekly earnings.
It’s easy to manage both finances and work schedules in one place. You can also use 7shifts to organize events at your restaurant. You can plan the menu, count the number of dishes and equipment needed, set the event schedule, and assign work shifts to your staff. Plus, it calculates payments for your employees automatically.
Pros:
- Intuitive and user-friendly interface.
- Automatic notifications to keep staff informed.
- Seamless integration with payment systems.
- Comprehensive financial management, allowing easy tracking of earnings.
- Event organization capability.
Cons:
- Potential dependency on consistent internet connectivity.
- Requires integration with payment systems for full financial tracking.
- Some users may find the app overwhelming due to its feature richness.
5. Acuity Scheduling Client
This is a popular app designed to help business owners and restaurant managers with various tasks. It allows them to schedule work meetings, create restaurant work schedules, and evenly distribute employee shifts. Additionally, the app keeps track of employee time off and absences by using location tracking.
Employees can also use the app to request shift replacements or ask for additional days off. These requests are stored in a separate folder that managers and restaurant owners can access. This feature helps in monitoring and managing the performance of individual employees.
At the end of each month, the app automatically generates reports on employee performance and the overall restaurant operations. These reports can be viewed in the form of graphs, charts, or text reports. This data is valuable for creating comprehensive reports for restaurant owners to assess their business’s performance.
Pros:
- Simplifies work meeting and shift scheduling for business owners.
- Streamlines employee shift requests and replacements.
- Monitor and manage employee time off and absences.
- Detailed reports to assess employee and restaurant operations.
- Convenient and easy-to-use platform.
Cons:
- Tracking employee absences might raise privacy concerns.
- Managers may need time to adapt to the app’s features.
- Monthly reporting cycle may be considered inflexible.
6. SMART Shift
This app is made to help organize work and employee activities. It can automate creating schedules for restaurant staff and manage their shifts. You just need to put the names of your restaurant employees into the app, say how many shifts they can work each week, and the app will make a schedule for you.
You can also change the schedule whenever you need to. The app will send updates to all your employees. The app is part of a big system for restaurants called “Restaurant System Pro.” To use it fully, you have to register your restaurant in this system.
Once you do that, you can use all the app’s features. Many restaurants worldwide, along with other places that need shift scheduling, use this app. Overall, it’s one of the best restaurant scheduling apps helping a lot of businesses.
Pros:
- Automated scheduling which saves time and effort.
- Real-time updates to keep employees informed.
- Seamless integration with the broader “Restaurant System Pro.”
- User-friendly interface.
- Widely adopted by numerous businesses.
Cons:
- Full functionality requires registration in the “Restaurant System Pro.”
- Initial setup may require time and effort to input employee details.
7. When I Work Staff Scheduling
This app is made to help organize work schedules, time off, and employee details. Managers can use it to keep track of staff work quality and reduce issues like absenteeism. To get started, managers need to create an account and share access with all employees.
This way, they can create schedules, and employees can sign up for shifts on a first-come, first-served basis, preventing overloading and schedule misunderstandings. The app also helps monitor time off and work absences. When an employee leaves their work location during a shift, the app records it through their location and sends a notification.
These notifications are saved in a remote folder, accessible at any time. Additionally, there’s a chat for all employees to share important announcements and communicate. The app automatically sends new work schedules to this chat to keep everyone informed.
Pros:
- Simplifies creating and managing work schedules.
- Real-time updates to keep employees informed.
- Employee attendance and absence tracking.
- Features a chat for easy employee communication.
- Intuitive interface for both managers and employees.
Cons:
- Location tracking for attendance may raise privacy issues.
- Managers and employees may need time to learn the app.
8. Altametrics Schedules
This app is designed for establishment managers to simplify daily work organization. The app can automatically create work schedules for each day, either independently or with your input and adjustments. Start by registering your institution’s account and setting up admins to access schedule adjustments and manage employee accounts.
Next, input personal details (names and phone numbers) for all employees. Specify the maximum number of work shifts per week for each employee so the app can evenly distribute them. Once done, you’ll receive an automatically generated schedule that you can then edit as needed.
Employees who are registered can submit requests for shift changes or time off, and these will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. As a manager, you have control over these requests and can make adjustments to the work schedule, including swapping employees if needed.
Pros:
- Quickly generates work schedules, saving time.
- Tailor schedules to individual employee preferences.
- Speeds up scheduling, reducing manual effort.
- Facilitates shift change and time-off requests.
- Gives managers flexibility and control over adjustments.
Cons:
- Requires time for managers to adapt.
- Relies on correct employee data for precision.
- May not suit highly variable schedules.
9. Goldie
Goldie is an app designed for businesses like restaurants and fitness centers. As one of the top restaurant scheduling apps, it helps owners create schedules and manage shifts for their employees. The app replaces traditional planners and schedule boards, allowing easy automation of tasks like table reservations and employee scheduling.
Registered employees can use Goldie to request shift replacements, breaks, or extra days off. Managers have the flexibility to control and distribute these requests manually or automatically. The app also features a chat function for quick communication among employees, along with automatic notifications about updates to the work schedule, shifts, or vacations.
Goldie offers a subscription option with additional features, which can be cost-effective for larger establishments or networks. This subscription is particularly beneficial for managing the increased workload that comes with organizing the operations of such businesses.
Pros:
- Efficient scheduling and shift management.
- Quick communication via built-in chat.
- Automation improves operational efficiency.
- Flexible handling of shift requests.
- Cost-effective subscription for larger businesses.
Cons:
- User may need some time for learning.
- Subscription cost may not suit smaller businessess.
Conclusion
These restaurant scheduling apps offer valuable solutions to streamline the organizational aspects of running a restaurant, saving time and effort while improving the management of employee schedules and payments. Feel free to try any of the apps; it’ll do your business a lot of good!
