Running a restaurant means juggling people, payroll, and performance, and the biggest challenges often come when a server calls in sick at the last minute or time off requests make scheduling a nightmare and you find yourself short of staff in peak season. Every scheduling challenge impacts guest experience and your labor costs and spreadsheets can’t keep up. The best restaurant scheduling app turns this chaos into a repeatable and compliant process: managers build shift rosters in minutes using saved shift templates, your team gets fairer hours and faster approvals, and you see shift coverage while scheduling.
If you’re searching for the best restaurant scheduling app in 2025, read our guide written for busy restaurant managers or owners just like you. This article will help you pick a tool that actually fits your needs, the size of your team, and supports your plans for growth.
Below, we explain what restaurant scheduling software is, what real-world challenges it solves, and what to look for when choosing the best one for your business. Read on for a side-by-side comparison of the top 6 platforms, a short review of each platform, and a checklist on what to consider so you can easily choose the best employee scheduling software for restaurants like yours.
What is restaurant scheduling software?
Restaurant scheduling software is the control panel for your week. Instead of dragging names across a spreadsheet and hoping nothing changes, you build the roster with smart building blocks. Saved shifts, rotations, and coverage rules are all visible in the same window, helping you make sure that the plan fits your service, not the other way around. It keeps all the moving parts in one place: availability, approved time off, skills by role, even who’s already near their hour limits, so you don’t accidentally schedule someone who shouldn’t be there.
Think of it as a live schedule, not a static file. While you assign FOH and BOH roles, the software flags light stations before doors open, warns you about overtime or missed rest windows, and shows who’s eligible to step in without breaking your own rules. When an unexpected change happens, like someone calls in sick, a private group books late, prep runs longer, you don’t start over. Staff request swaps in the app, you approve in a tap, and the schedule updates for everyone with notifications and read receipts.
Time tracking ties in, too. Clock-ins and breaks roll into clean timesheets, so payroll reflects what people were supposed to work and what they actually worked without end-of-week detective work. And because templates and saved shifts do the heavy lifting, publishing next week’s plan becomes a quick tweak, not a rebuild.
In short, restaurant scheduling software turns chaos into a routine: fair rotations, better coverage, fewer compliance headaches, and a team that always knows where they need to be thanks to geofencing.
Common restaurant scheduling challenges
The challenges of scheduling at a restaurant usually follow the same script: you copy last week’s schedule, tweak it for an hour to accommodate absences, and publish it. Then time off requests pop up, someone calls in sick, or you realize that half your staff would work overtime and you run into compliance issues. Shift coverage becomes a mess, labor costs creep slowly higher, and sweat trickles down your forehead as you try to come up with a solution.
The better way to start doing things is creating restaurant schedules using building blocks. With the right scheduling software, you can save shifts and rotate the tougher ones that staff try to avoid at all costs so that they’re shared fairly throughout the month. While you build the schedule, shift coverage rules ensure that no stations are light on staff before you open for business. Time off requests that you approved long ago and already forgot about show up in the calendar automatically so you don’t accidentally assign a worker the shift who is supposed to be off that day, only to have to redo the whole schedule later. Automatic rest days also make your job easier by making sure your schedule is compliant with break laws and overtime rules without having to do extra math.
With the right scheduling software, day-of changes at your restaurant don’t have to cause chaos. Your team can request shift swaps directly in the app and you can approve the swap easily. Even payroll is easier thanks to scheduling with software that keeps track of hours employees are supposed to work (and actually work) in order to stay compliant.
The bottom line is that shift scheduling software is a lifesaver. Thanks to reusable shift templates, coverage checks, rest-day rules, and easy shift swapping, even something as difficult as shift management can be made simple. The best restaurant shift schedulers on the market make your job a breeze, which in turn makes your team happy.
Comparison Chart: Top 6 Scheduling Software for Restaurants
Before the deep dive, here’s a quick snapshot of where each platform shines. Use it to narrow your shortlist, then skim the detailed notes below.
Quick summary:
- Factorial
All-in-one HR and workforce management (scheduling, time tracking, payroll). Best if you want centralized control across locations.
- 7shifts
Restaurant-first scheduler with labor compliance, comms, and analytics. Known for ease of use and a great mobile experience.
- HotSchedules
Widely adopted in high-volume ops; robust scheduling, labor management, and forecasting.
- Restaurant365
Suite covering scheduling, accounting, and inventory built for multi-location operations.
- Sling by Toast
Scheduling and team comms, tightly integrated with Toast POS. Ideal if you’re already using the Toast system.
- When I Work
Simple, affordable scheduling and messaging for small to mid-size restaurants.
Feature comparison
| Platform | Scheduling | Labor Cost Management | Time Tracking | Mobile App | POS Integration | Multi-location Support | Best For |
| Factorial | Advanced | Yes | Yes | iOS/Android | Yes | Yes | Restaurants wanting all-in-one HR + payroll + scheduling |
| 7shifts | Advanced | Yes | Yes | iOS/Android | Major POS | Yes | Easy scheduling & labor compliance |
| HotSchedules | Advanced | Yes | Yes | iOS/Android | Major POS | Yes | High-volume, multi-location restaurants |
| Restaurant365 | Advanced | Yes | Yes | Web & Mobile | Major POS | Yes | Chains needing scheduling + accounting + inventory |
| Sling by Toast | Advanced | Limited | Yes | iOS/Android | Toast POS | Limited | Toast users prioritizing communication |
| When I Work | Basic | Limited | Yes | iOS/Android | Limited | Limited | SMBs wanting simple scheduling & team messaging |
Best 6 Restaurant Scheduling Systems in 2025 (platform-by-platform)
1. Factorial
Key features:
- Drag-and-drop scheduling with saved & rotating shifts
- Coverage rules by role/station with gap and overtime alerts
- Built-in availability, PTO, and leave management in the schedule
- Shift swaps and open shifts with manager approvals and guardrails
- Automatic rest days, break/OT/minors compliance, and overnight-shift support
- Time clock with geofencing and clean timesheets (planned vs. actual)
- Mobile apps (iOS/Android) for managers and staff
- Multi-location templates, role-based permissions, and payroll/HR/POS integrations
Factorial is an all-in-one business management platform that combines shift scheduling, time tracking, time off management, and other core HR processes. It is easy-to-use and designed to grow with your business. Especially for your restaurant as it automates your shift management and has built-in AI to creation schedules for you seamlessly.
Managers can build shift rosters and use templates for efficiency, see coverage by role while scheduling, and get warnings via notification before adding overtime or missing rest windows. Availability and approved time off live in the same place as the schedule, so you don’t accidentally assign someone who shouldn’t be there.
Staff request shift swaps in the mobile app, you approve in a simple tap. The bank of hours keeps track of hours, so planned vs. actual hours and breaks populate clean timesheets, and payroll exports also speed up the work for finance. For growing teams, multi-location templates, role-based permissions, and reporting on labor costs and overtime make it easier to keep teams happy across sites. Consult our team for assistance and information on POS integrations.
👉 Interested in Factorial? Get your free demo today!
2. 7shifts
Key features:
- Drag-and-drop scheduling with templates
- POS-connected labor forecasting and budgeting
- Mobile apps (iOS/Android) for managers and staff
- Shift swaps and open shifts with approvals
- Time clock and compliance alerts
- Team messaging and announcements
- Integrations with major POS providers (e.g., Toast, Square, Lightspeed)
- Multi-location tools and reporting
7shifts is an app built specifically for restaurants. Managers can drag and drop shifts to build a schedule, see availability and time off in one place, and publish to their staff via a mobile app. 7shifts integrates with popular POS systems, so you can connect your sales data with scheduling to streamline your restaurant ops easily.
The mobile app is useful for staff that want to request swaps or pick up open shifts which managers can approve in seconds. Notifications sent via the app ensure that everyone is kept in the loop.
3. HotSchedules
Key features:
- Drag-and-drop scheduling with templates and labor generation
- AI-assisted forecasting tied to demand/sales
- Mobile apps (iOS/Android) for staff and managers
- Shift swaps, drops, and pickups with manager approvals
- Time & attendance with GPS-enabled clock-ins
- Compliance tools for breaks, minors, and Fair Workweek rules
- Team messaging and announcements
- Multi-location controls and standardized templates
- Reporting and analytics for labor and coverage
- Integrations with major POS and the broader Fourth platform
HotSchedules is a restaurant scheduler built to allow managers to create and publish rosters and publish schedules to the mobile app. Staff can swap shifts, drop or pick up shifts, request time off, sync their calendar, and message their team. Managers can review and approve changes for more control. Notifications make sure that everyone in the team is aligned.
AI-assisted forecasting and labor reporting help you with coverage and planning to keep overtime and overstaffing to a minimum. Compliance is also made easier with rules and alerts to block when a shift would violate your policies. Tools can be customized to help accuracy across multiple locations.
4. Restaurant365
Key features:
- Data-driven scheduling with forecasts
- POS integration for schedule vs. sales alignment
- Time & attendance and mobile app for staff/managers
- Shift swaps, time-off requests, and approvals in one place
- Labor budgeting, overtime alerts, and compliance tools
- Multi-location management and standardized templates
- Payroll & HR suite for hire-to-retire workflows
- Reporting and workforce analytics
Restaurant365 combines scheduling with a larger back-office restaurant management suite, including accounting, inventory, payroll, and HR. Managers can minimize guesswork and build rosters using data on demand in order to cut down on overstaffing and overtime. The mobile app centralizes daily processes allowing staff to consult schedules, handle time-off requests, request and approve swaps, and stay updated all from one place.
The software gives you visibility even for restaurants operating in multiple locations. Standardize templates across several units, monitor labor budgets with warnings for overtime, and generate reports to gain insight into your workforce. All of these features are tied into Restaurant365’s payroll and HR to keep hours, pay, and compliance synchronized.
5. Sling by Toast
Key features:
- Drag-and-drop scheduling with templates
- Mobile apps (iOS/Android) for managers and staff
- Shift swaps, open shifts, time-off requests with approvals
- POS-integration
- Schedule enforcement to prevent early clock-ins on POS
- Forecasting options (projected sales import with Toast integration)
- Team messaging and announcements
- Multi-location tools and reporting
Sling is a restaurant scheduling tool by Toast, the POS ecosystem. It allows you to plan shifts, communicate with your team, and stay on top of coverage. You can sync employee profiles from Toast with Sling, publish schedules to the app, and let your staff request shift swaps or pick up open shifts. Managers approve everything from one place and notifications ensure you are all in step. Admin is made easy especially when you already use Toast – you can compare POS sales data and compare it to labor costs, and even export timesheets directly to Toast Payroll to cut down on time spent on payroll admin. For restaurants already using toast, Sling is a budget-friendly option for restaurant scheduling.
6. When I Work
Key features:
- Drag-and-drop scheduling with templates
- Staff availability, time-off requests, and approvals
- Shift swaps and open shifts with manager approval
- Mobile apps (iOS/Android) for managers and staff
- Integrated time clock with pay rules, breaks, and overtime alerts
- Geofencing options to reduce early/invalid clock-ins
- Team messaging and announcements
- Labor reporting (planned vs. actual) and basic multi-location support
- Payroll integrations
When I Work is great for simple, fast scheduling for restaurants. Managers build and publish schedules with drag-and-drop tools, check availability and time off in the same view, and send updates to a mobile app that is easy for your team to use. Staff can confirm shifts, request swaps, or pick up open shifts without having to email back and forth. Overtime warnings and in-app communication helps keep a close watch over day-to-day changes and ensure proper shift coverage.
The built-in time clock tied to the schedule helps keep payroll clean and geofencing prevents staff from clocking in early, further simplifying payroll. The mix of scheduling, time tracking, and payroll integration makes management much easier than when relying mostly on spreadsheets and email.
Choosing the Best Scheduling Software for Restaurants
Choosing the best shift management app for your restaurant as a manager starts with the problems that actually give you the biggest headaches. You need more than a nice calendar. You need a schedule builder that is efficient, helps compliance, and makes payroll easier. Availability, overtime warnings, PTO, and coverage – you need an overview of all of these in order to remove as much chaos from your day-to-day operations as possible.
Another important thing to keep in mind is planning for the future. What are your plans for growth? The software you choose is just as important as creating your SOP, you should take into account your current headcount, the number of locations you operate in, and what labor laws apply to you currently. You need an app that will support you and your business in its current form as well as support your growth plans. The best app doesn’t keep you confined with limitations and migration difficulties. The best app grows with you and aids you along the way.
FAQs
What is the best restaurant scheduling software?
The best software for restaurant scheduling depends on your needs. Are you looking for something to serve a specific goal? Take into consideration your current needs, but also try to imagine what you will need a few months or years from now as you continue to grow. The best way to determine whether a tool is right for you is by trying it for yourself. Request a free demo and prepare a few questions to make a properly informed decision.
What type of software do restaurants use?
Restaurants use a variety of software for many different purposes. The most common tools found in a restaurant include POS (Point of Sale) software, as well as software for inventory, reservations, accounting, scheduling, payroll, time tracking, and more. With most restaurant managers having started in entry-level positions, it may also be a good idea for restaurants to start using performance management and training software in order to raise the next generation of talent.
How to create a restaurant schedule?
When creating a restaurant schedule, try to forecast labor needs, take employee preferences into account, assign shifts with fairness, and refine your schedule for efficiency.
What is the best app for daily scheduling?
A great app is one that is supported by major operating systems and makes same-day changes easy. Make sure to choose one that sends notifications, but most importantly, an app that your team would actually like to use.
