7 Best Restaurant Employee Scheduling Software 2021

Homebase Stand Out Features

Users praise the free version for having just what they need for managing schedules, but the paid plans can take scheduling to the next level. For restaurants with high turnover, the job board and applicant tracking functions are gravy.

• Free version: Homebase has an excellent free version with all the basic tools you need: an online schedule builder, shift trade capability, templates, some labor forecasting, and the ability to see and approve time off. It allows employee messaging and has some basic hiring tools. You can also save time sheets and reports for 90 days and prepare timecards for payroll. This appetizer to the Homebase software may be all you need. (OpenSimSim/SocialSchedules, Sling, and 7Shifts also have free plans, but none are as comprehensive as Homebase’s.)
• Forecasting tools: While Deputy has strong labor forecasting tools, Homebase gives it a run for its money. Along with the usual tools, the Budget Forecasting Toolbar also includes the latest weather forecast, so you can plan for another waitperson in the outdoor seating area, or plan on fewer staff when a big snowstorm is coming.
• Scheduling: Even the free plan has schedule templates you can modify and save to reuse, but paid plans include automated scheduling, plus rules for breaks and overtime, already set for your state. You can add notes, set geofencing (a nice tool for caterers), and announce open shifts. Some applications, like 7Shifts, let managers clock out for employee that forgets, but Homebase (and Sling) can do it automatically.
• Employee communications: Your managers can send announcements, conduct employee performance evaluations, approve time off, see employee availability, and get alerts when employees clock in late. Employees can message each other or their team to ask about shift swapping. You can also share events and allow comments. This is pretty typical for most scheduling applications.
• Mobile app: A mobile app is vital for employee communications. At the time of writing this article, Homebase earned 4.8 out of 5 stars with ‎22,354 reviews for iOS. Android users gave it 4.3 out of 5 stars with ‎12,098 votes, which is below average for this kind of application. Some users complained of glitches, especially with calendar sync.
• Restaurant features: The by-location pricing is great for restaurants that have high and low seasons, such as those in tourist areas. While 7Shifts and Deputy take the lead in integrations, Homebase nonetheless has many integrations with POS software, making it easy for cashiers to clock in and out. You can set shift notes so that people know if they are on cleaning duty, drive-through, or behind the bar. You can also assign multiple roles and wage rates, a handy tool if you have a waiter that sometimes bartends.
• HR and payroll functions or integrations: Homebase stands out in that it offers hiring tools, a nice addition for such a high-turnover industry. Only the newly revised SocialSchedules (OpenSimSim) does as much. Paid plans include performance management tools, while the top plans include policies. The All-in-One plan comes with advisers, document storage, an employee handbook builder and more. It also offers strong tools for compliances, such as tracking certifications, breaks, and overtime. It even notifies you if labor laws in your state change—another way it sets itself above the competition.
• Ease of use: Homebase gets high marks from users for the desktop and mobile version, with an average of 4.56 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.

Deputy Stand Out Features

• Forecasting: Deputy serves up tools that let you predict staffing needs based on trends in sales, deliveries, appointments/reservations, and other signals you can set. Deputy can analyze the information and let you set rules so that you can be sure you have the minimum staffing needed and alert you if you may be scheduling too many people. It can also use the forecasting tools when automatically creating a schedule; most software just give you an analysis.
• Scheduling: Deputy alone on our list has separate plans for scheduling or time tracking, or you can get both in the Premium or Flexi Plans. Scheduling includes drag-and-drop of shifts and compliance rules like break times, work hour restrictions for minors, time off, overtime, and more. For extra ease, use auto scheduling. Time and attendance includes geofencing and creates time sheets for you to approve and syncs them with your payroll software. Also, managers can see who’s on shift, who’s on break, and who’s running late.
• Employee communications: You can share messages and announcements on the newsfeed and get notified when they are read. Everyone can send updates, make comments, and collaborate on the mobile app. Workers can trade shifts with qualified teammates.
• Mobile app: Deputy’s app earned 4.8 out of 5 with 3,419 reviews for iOS and 4.5 out of 5 with 8,553 votes for Android. The praise was overall good, if non-specific, and the complaints were few and varied. Along with Humanity, it’s the best mobile application for scheduling.
• Restaurant features: While you can find most of these tools in the other software on our list, Deputy provides the whole enchilada. It alerts you if you accidentally schedule a “clopening”—where the same person closes one night and opens the next. Rather than presenting the information as a task list, it does shift analysis so that you can see if you’ve overstaffed. Like 7Shifts, it can record video announcements to post on the newsfeed—a great tool when demonstrating a new recipe (or the best way to bus a table fast). You can also set up health screening for employees, something the restaurant business is concerned with even outside COVID-19 worries.
• HR and payroll functions and integrations: Like SocialSchedules, Deputy helps businesses in Fair Work Week jurisdictions stay compliant by recording schedule amendments, calculating the required predictability pay, and capturing employee consents to change. With 31 integrations, Deputy competes well against other software on our list, but stands apart in its variety.
• Ease of use: Users on multiple review sites gave it an average of 4.7 out of 5 across the board. This puts it top of the pack, tied with 7Shifts and Sling. There are videos, a good selection of how-to articles, and unlimited 24/7/365 chat support.

Sling Features

• Task features: Openings, closings, deep cleans, and inspection preps all work better when the staff knows exactly what to do. Sling offers a robust tasking function that lets you assign tasks to individuals or teams, create and save task templates for recurring duties, and provide manager feedback.
• Scheduling: You’ll find most of the tools on Sling in other programs, but we especially liked how it tracked track unavailability and time off because you can use it for compliance as well—for example, create unavailability rules for minor workers so that you don’t schedule them during school hours. The Business plan lets the software automatically assign shifts based on availability and qualifications. The time clock lets you set limits on when early employees can clock in and, like Homebase, will automatically clock them out at the end of the shift. This can help cut labor costs.
• Employee communications: Sling offers both messaging and an interactive news feed, so you can keep your employees up to date on the latest news, whether it’s a new policy or a reminder to push the nachos. Employees can use the app to request shift swaps and get reminders about shifts and clocking in.
• Mobile App: While not the top-rated mobile app among users, it was the most consistent between operating systems. Sling’s mobile app earned 4.7 out of 5 with ‎21,900 reviews for iOS and 4.6 out of 5 with 3,758 votes for Android. It had few complaints and was overall considered easy and dependable.
• Restaurant features: Sometimes employees may hold more than one position—waiter and bartender, for example. Many apps will let you apply different wages, but Sling will alert you if you try to schedule someone for a job when they are already working a different one. In addition, you’ll find tools to help you stay compliant with labor laws for minors, monitor overtime, and set up tasks for common restaurant chores.
• HR and payroll functions and integrations: It’s easy to tackle payroll by approving time sheets on desktop or mobile and exporting them to your payroll processor or as an XLS or CSV. It integrates with popular restaurant POS systems like Toast, Square, and Restaurant Manager, as well as Gusto for payroll. It’s working to expand its integrations as well. If you can’t wait, consider Deputy or 7Shifts.
• Ease of use: While Sling didn’t receive as many user reviews as most of the software on our list, it did generate a solid 4.56 out of 5, averaged across multiple third-party review sites. Managers enjoyed the ease of use and said the free plan 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.

7shifts Stand Out Features

• Multi-location tools: Several of the software on our list have by-location pricing and let you manage multiple locations. 7Shifts stands out in letting you work with them together or individually when needed. After all, your busy downtown location is going to have different scheduling and task needs than your less trafficked restaurant on the edge of town. You can connect all the locations and switch between them, both on mobile and desktop. With the Operations add-on, you can compare multiple locations’ sales, labor, and employee engagement data.
• Scheduling: While 7Shifts has some great scheduling features like templates and rules, auto scheduling is only with the Gourmet Plan. Other applications have this function in cheaper plans. The time clock stands out from the competition not only in that it can integrate with your POS, but also that it records clock-ins/outs when the Wi-Fi is down and syncs later.
• Employee communications: Reminders and messages help keep staff arriving on time and informed of upcoming events or news. Employees can trade shifts, request time off, and change availability all on the app, with manager approval and schedule updating. The announcements can be sent by text and email as well. Like with Deputy, you can upload videos such as instructions for preparing a new dish.
• Mobile app: This app earned 4.7 out of 5 with 730 reviews for iOS and 4.5 out of 5 with 2,574 votes for Android. Users gave it good reviews up until the last update, which seems to have introduced some glitches in Android. (The complaints are from June 2020, so check on Google Play to see if they’ve fixed the glitch if that concerns you.)
• Restaurant features: Of all the scheduling software we considered, 7shifts alone was made specifically with restaurants in mind. It integrates with about two dozen POS systems, most of which are focused on the restaurant industry, as well as with ExpandShare, a restaurant training solution, and HigherMe, a hiring app for restaurants and retailers. 7shifts has COVID-19 screening questions for the safety of your staff and diners. It also has a tip reporting feature, including a tip pooling function.
• HR and payroll functions and integrations: In addition to the POS integrations, 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 tools 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.
• Ease of use: 7Shifts is one of the top user-rated scheduling software applications on our list, with 4.7 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 easy 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.

SocialSchedules Stand Out Features

• Compliance: Many of the scheduling software we reviewed have some form of setting pay rates, limiting hours, and checking for compliance breaches like overscheduling a person. However, SocialSchedules sweetens the pot with tools that track certifications and alert you when an employee’s certificate is about to expire. In addition, you can create disclaimers for employees to read upon clocking out, a good way to get written agreements to changes in schedules or policies, which can help with Fair Work Week compliance.
• Scheduling: SocialSchedules has schedules and templates, but stands out from the rest with its custom availability feature. Employees can create multiple availability sets with their own start and stop dates. That makes it easier for them to plan a vacation, or adjust for the school year starting. Even more, managers can lock days, where workers cannot drop or trade a shift on that day. This could be useful for important events, like hosting a wedding reception.
• Employee communications: As with most restaurant scheduling software, you can alert employees to the new schedule, send private and group messages, make announcements, and send reminders. Workers can trade shifts, or managers can invite an employee to take on a shift. Like with Homebase and 7Shifts, managers also have the advantage of a logbook for tracking receipts, sharing images (like of the refrigerator that didn’t get cleaned during closing), and loading documents.
• Mobile app: The mobile app, called SocialSchedules, earned 4.5 out of 5 with 391 reviews for iOS and 4 out of 5 with 324 votes for Android. Users praised the user interface, but some people had problems after the latest update, such as finding features and having to go through more steps to do the same things they did in the past. If your workers are depending on their apps, check out Humanity.
• Restaurant features: Like 7shifts, SocialSchedules has a tips reporting function as part of the time clock. It integrates with several restaurant POS systems including Heartland Restaurant, POSitouch, Restaurant Manager, and Square. The certifications tracking lets you keep track of food handling training and other certifications important to your business. In addition, you can tag shifts so waiters can know where they are working and send offsite addresses with maps for people who are delivering to or catering an event.
• HR and payroll functions and integrations: The bulk of the HR functions lie in the compliances and certification management. Managers are quickly informed of breaks in the rules, such as clocking in early from a break. You can run reports needed to see how your staff is performing, and if you have POS software, you can pull in sales information, create labor vs sales reports, import timecards to payroll, and more. SocialSchedules recently added recruiting tools specifically for restaurants. In this way, it competes with Homebase.
• Ease of use: Users on average gave it 4.5 out of 5 across multiple review sites. Users found it far superior to Google Calendar or Excel, and easier to use than QuickBooks Time or When I Work. 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.

Humanity Stand Out Features

• Auto scheduling: While it only comes with the more expensive plans, we were impressed by the auto scheduling feature, which takes into account labor laws (already programmed in the system), certifications, leave, and availability. It’s hard to see how making a schedule could be easier. We didn’t see another auto scheduler that was so complete, although Deputy comes close with its forecasting integration.
• Scheduling: In addition to auto scheduling, there are templates, drag-and-drop functionality, and alerts so that you don’t schedule someone for overtime, back-to-back shifts, or other problematic times. It has forecasting and labor analysis to help you compare your forecasted needs to the schedule you planned so you can fine-tune it. Humanity has a built-in time clock, including GPS functions for geofencing and a photo function to avoid buddy punching.
• Employee communications: As with all the software on our list, you can send out schedules to employees, create notifications about shifts, and manage time-off requests. You can let employees trade shifts and set predefined rules to ensure the replacement has the right qualifications for the job.
• Mobile app: Humanity’s app scored the highest ratings and had the fewest complaints among users (as of this writing.) It earned 4.9 out of 5 with ‎24,900 reviews for iOS and 4.7 out of 5 with 6,228 votes for Android. Users, especially employees, praise the functionality and ease of use.
• Restaurant features: Like Deputy, the Enterprise plan offers custom integrations, so you can add Humanity to your restaurant software and POS. Humanity’s scheduling considers skillset, so you can be sure your dessert chef doesn’t get scheduled for line cook duty. You can also set a rule to prevent clopenings, where someone works closing one night and opening the next day. Several software have hourly rules you can set, but only Deputy and Humanity specifically mention clopenings.
• HR and payroll functions and integrations: Humanity has very few integrations compared to the rest of the software on our list. However, as it folds into TCP, users will have access to over 300 other ERP, HCM, and payroll solutions, an unprecedented number for this type of software. Humanity’s rules set lets you enforce laws on work hours, break frequency, time between shifts, and max hours. It helps you ensure compliance with predictive scheduling rules in some states and cities. Homebase and Deputy also track local scheduling laws.
• Ease of use: Users on G2 and Capterra gave Humanity an average of 4.3 out of 5. This is actually lower than most of the scheduling solutions on our list. Users say it’s easy to use, though it can take some time to learn all the tools. Unlike most of the software on our list, Humanity offers 24/7 every day live chat support.

ZoomShift Stand Out Features

• Plan holds and active member pricing: If your restaurant has long-term slowdowns or times when you close for a month or a season, then ZoomShift is a great choice. Like Sling it charges only for active users. However, it also, something other software like lets you put your plan on hold when you don’t need it without losing your information, something no other scheduler offered.
• Scheduling: The tools are basic: You can copy schedules or save schedules as a template, as many as you like. Most of the software on our list offers more for rules-setting as well as auto scheduling, but it does have a labor forecasting tool. You can sync the schedule with Google Calendar, iCal, and Outlook. The time tracker is integrated, making time sheets easy, as well as enabling you to set clock-in/out rules and set up geofencing. You can track missed shifts, late arrivals, and more.
• Employee communications: As with all the scheduling software that made our list, ZoomShift lets you send schedules to workers, offer open shifts, and allow employees to trade shifts. It alerts managers about overtime and breaks of shift rules (like clocking in early) and has event announcements, group chats, and direct messages.
• Mobile app: This app ranked the lowest on our list by users, with 3 out of 5 and 45 reviews for iOS and 3.9 out of 5 with 188 votes for Android. Users said the app is basic and did okay, but not everything they’d like.
• 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 ease of use 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.
• HR and payroll functions and integrations: You can set rules to restrict hours and get alerts when an employee is approaching overtime. In addition, you can approve time sheets and create payroll reports, which you can download as CSV or XLS for putting into a payroll program. You can build other reports, but it doesn’t have many premades. It also lacks integrations into other software.
• Ease of use: Users on average gave it a score of 4.5 out of 5 across several user review sites, which is typical 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.