HR software takes the stress out of people management by simplifying—and even automating—various administrative processes. It can help prevent understaffing, compliance issues, payroll errors, and more. Below, I share my top 6 restaurant HR software recommendations and compare their features and pricing.
Improper human resources (HR) management can negatively affect your restaurant in many ways. You could face understaffing issues that result in poor service and cause damage to your reputation.
Also, errors in pay and tip pooling can be time-consuming to fix and frustrate team members. That’s not all—bad HR management can lead to big mistakes in food safety and handling, some of which can even cost you your license.
And while good staff management is vital to the restaurant industry, it can take a lot of time and effort. Luckily, HR software helps lighten the administrative load for business owners like you. These apps offer features to manage time off, run payroll, organize paperwork, and provide health and safety training, and more.
In this article, I share my list of the 6 best restaurant HR software for 2024, reviewing each one in detail so you can make the right choice for your team.
If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.
Our Top Picks
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Best all-in-one HR software for restaurants
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Good for hiring restaurant staff
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Good for managing labor costs
Why trust us?
Our team of unbiased software reviewers follows strict editorial guidelines, and our methodology is clear and open to everyone.
See our complete methodology
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Tools considered
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Tools reviewed
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Best tools
chosen
How I Chose The Best Restaurant HR Software
Here are the key features and tools I looked for when choosing my top restaurant HR software.
Must-have features
- Payroll features—either built-in or offered through integrations—so you can pay your staff’s salaries and tips seamlessly.
- Employee scheduling tools to efficiently plan shifts and deal with last-minute changes without stalling work.
- Time tracking tools give you an accurate record of your team’s working hours.
- Training and onboarding tools to bring new team members up to speed efficiently and ensure your restaurant staff stays skilled and knowledgeable.
- Cloud-based document management to securely store important employee paperwork.
I also made sure the software has:
- A mobile app so you can manage your restaurant and staff from anywhere.
- A user-friendly interface everyone at your restaurant—from your restaurant owners to your kitchen and wait staff—can navigate.
- Free trials or free plans to test the platform before committing to it.
Finally, I found these additional features that make restaurant HR software really great:
- Absence management, which helps you plan for workers’ days off in advance. This way, you can make sure you’re always adequately staffed.
- Benefits administration features to save you time in managing healthcare, 401Ks, and other employee benefits.
- Surveys and polls to gather feedback from your staff members.
- Recognition and reward features, which let you praise workers for a job well done. In turn, this makes them feel valued and keeps them motivated and engaged.
The 6 Best Restaurant HR Softwares of 2024
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Connecteam — Best all-in-one HR software for restaurants
Connecteam tops my list as the best HR software for restaurants.
Why I picked Connecteam: The platform has a wide range of features that help simplify all your HR and payroll processes. You and your team can conveniently access its mobile app from anywhere, and it’s super simple to use—making it a great solution even for less tech-savvy staff members.
Below, I dive deeper into Connecteam’s core HR features.
Track staff hours and locations with a GPS-enabled time clock
Connecteam’s employee time clock allows workers to punch in and out of their shifts from any desktop or mobile device. The clock records time down to the second, and employees can manually add time entries if they forget to punch in for the day.
There’s also a kiosk option that lets multiple employees record time entries from a single shared device in a central location. I find this the ideal solution for standalone restaurants with small teams.
What intrigues me most about the time clock is that it’s real time GPS tracker. It records clock-in and clock-out locations and lets you see your staff’s real-time locations anytime during the work day. (The software never records location information after workers punch out.)
Connecteam also has geofence time clock, which sets it apart from other HR software for me. You can create virtual borders around your restaurants and prevent workers from tracking time unless they’re within the designated location. This is a great way to reduce time theft and buddy punching when you’re not around to monitor workers in person.
Have complete control over overtime, rest breaks, and time off
You can create custom time off policies with Connecteam. Create them from the ground up, or use one of Connecteam’s many policy templates to save time. You’re also able to create custom rules around rest breaks, meal times, and overtime.
Employees can request time off independently, and you can review requests instantly from your mobile app. You can also build rest breaks and meal times into schedules and send automated reminders to employees to take breaks as required. Finally, you can closely track overtime hours and even approve or deny requests, keeping labor costs under control.
I love these features because you can align your policies with labor laws and stay compliant. Plus, they’re a great way to ensure your team members get the necessary downtime.
Automated timesheets and payroll features for quick and error-free payments
Workers’ time logs are used to generate digital timesheets for payroll, which automatically account for tracked time, breaks, overtime, approved time off, and absences.
You can edit, add tips, and approve timesheets from your central dashboard to be doubly sure they’re accurate. Then, you can export timesheets to use in your preferred payroll software or use Conecteam’s integrations with Gusto or QuickBooks Online for seamless staff payments.
Prevent understaffing and unwanted errors with drag-and-drop scheduling
Connecteam’s drag-and-drop employee scheduler makes shift planning a breeze. You can create and assign shifts in minutes, and Connecteam will automatically flag potential scheduling conflicts. I also particularly like that you can copy previous schedules to reuse, import schedules from Excel, and set common shifts to recur regularly.
Workers can input their preferences and availability, and you can create schedules based on this information. Or, you can let them pick from open shifts with or without your approval and swap shifts as needed—like when a worker is unexpectedly absent.
Connecteam sends push notifications to all employees when a new schedule is published, and alerts impacted workers when there are schedule changes.
Secure document management center keeps you organized and compliant
You can store employee W-4s, I-9s, and other employee data in Connecteam’s secure document center. These can be accessed from any device, anywhere at any time, using your Connecteam account. Employees can upload documents themselves, and you can even send them reminders to submit paperwork by a certain date and time.
I love that the document center has no limit on storage or file size, and you can set custom permission controls. But the best functionality, in my opinion, is the option to set expiration dates on documents. This way, you’re reminded to review them regularly and ensure you’re staying compliant.
Ensure safety, quality, and consistency with training tools and the knowledge base
Connecteam lets you create and roll out custom training courses on everything from food safety to customer experience and more. Use course templates, build training from scratch, or import training materials you already have on hand. Plus, add quizzes to make learning fun and help you spot if workers need more support on a specific topic.
Connecteam’s employee knowledge management features are also a great place to store training materials and any important company documents—like safety manuals, recipes, standard operating procedures, and more. Workers can access these instantly from their mobile devices whenever they need to. You can also set custom permissions for any files you need to restrict access to.
Finally, you can add PDFs, images, videos, and even audio to your training courses or as stand-alone uploads to the knowledge base. This keeps training interactive and engaging.
Make employees feel valued through reward and recognition features
Another excellent HR feature Connecteam offers is built-in rewards and recognition.
You can create personalized recognition badges and share them with workers instantly. Or, you can give employees praise and gratitude via Connecteam’s in-app chat. Send them a personal note through one-to-one messages or a shout-out in a group chat.
The updates feed is another great place to give workers company-wide recognition. You can also use it to announce awards such as employee-of-the-month.
I also really enjoy Connecteam’s rewards feature. You can send your staff digital tokens they can redeem for gift cards of their choice.
Employee timeline, surveys, polls, and much more
Additionally, Connecteam has a color-coded timeline for each of your employees. You can view their employment and training histories, licenses and certifications, performance reviews, and more on their timeline. This makes it easy to track and assess each worker’s progress and development at your company.
There’s also a survey tool you can use to gather regular or one-off feedback from your staff on any topic you’d like. Use survey templates, build custom ones, and mix and match question types—including multiple-choice, rating-scale, and open-ended—for the perfect survey. You can also use Connecteam’s live digital polls tool to collect votes and opinions in real time.
In addition to HR management, Connecteam offers various other work management features—from digital forms and checklists and employee task tracking to event planning and much more. It has everything you need to keep your restaurant running smoothly!
Key Features
Powerful time and location tracking
Custom time off management
Seamless salary and tip payments
Drag-and-drop scheduling
Interactive training courses
Centralized document management
Pros
Smart alerts and notifications
Highly customizable
Mobile app that can be accessed from anywhere
All-in-one HR software for restaurants
Cons
Needs internet or wifi access to work
Pricing
Free-for-life plan availablePremium plans start at $29/month for 30 users
14-day free trial, no credit card required
Start your free trial -
7shifts — Good for hiring restaurant staff
7shifts is a work management and scheduling platform that aims to simplify restaurant management.
Why I picked 7shifts: The platform offers a range of tools to manage restaurant employees, and I especially liked the application tracking tools that can help streamline your hiring process.
Additionally, 7shifts offers time tracking, employee scheduling, and task management. It also supports payroll and tip pooling for smooth staff payments and has a document management feature with unlimited storage.
7shifts lets you share training videos with employees straight to their devices. But, I would have liked to see a more customizable training tool that supports learning in other formats, such as PDFs, audio, and images.
I did like that 7shifts has a free plan and various pricing tiers. However, I was disappointed at the differences in functionality between the plans. For instance, task management is only available on the most expensive plan.
Key Features
- Hiring and onboarding tools
- Document management
- Employee scheduling
- Time tracking
Pros
- Built-in payroll and tip-pooling
- Unlimited document storage
Cons
- Training isn’t fully customizable
- Task management only available on most expensive plan
Pricing
Starts at $29.99/month/location, up to 30 employees Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: Yes — Up to 1 location & 30 employees
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Sling — Good for managing labor costs
Sling is an employee management solution catering to various industries, including restaurants.
Why I picked Sling: The software’s employee scheduling tools let you create and assign shifts to your staff. What I really like about this feature is that it lets you set a labor cost budget for each shift and alerts you when you exceed it. You can also project revenues per shift to see what your profit margin would be.
Further, Sling has task management and a document center. I appreciate that you can save personnel records within individual employee profiles.
Likewise, I was happy to find payroll integrations and communication tools, including a team chat and company newsfeed. But, it would be nice if Sling had a few additional features, like surveys and an employee directory, to make it a more complete HR management solution.
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- Document management
- Task management
- Time tracking
Pros
- Supports third-party integrations
- Personnel files can be stored within employee profiles
Cons
- Doesn’t have any survey tools
- No employee directory feature
Pricing
Starts at $1.70/user/month Trial: Yes — 15-day trial Free Plan: Yes — Up to 50 users
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Restaurant365 — Good for hiring and onboarding
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Restaurant365 is a restaurant management solution that offers features to manage your workforce.
Why I picked Restaurant365: The platform offers hiring resources you can use to post jobs, track candidates, and set up interviews. It also lets employees complete their onboarding and sign documents online.
In addition, Restaurant365’s payroll tool calculates net pay after tax deductions so you can pay employees correctly. It also has an employee scheduling tool to assign shifts to workers. I was impressed by the ability to restrict shift swapping to only workers in similar roles and that the software gives you extra control by requiring approval for all shift changes.
I was also pleased that employees can access a self-serve portal to upload paperwork, access benefits, and more. However, Restaurant365 lacks communication features and is quite expensive, with its HR tools available only as add-ons.
Key Features
- Hiring and onboarding features
- Payroll solution
- Employee scheduling
- Benefits administration
Pros
- Can restrict shift swapping to workers in similar roles
- Employee self-service portal
Cons
- No in-app chat or newsfeed
- More expensive than some other solutions
Pricing
Starts at $249/month + additional cost for bundling modules Trial: No Free Plan: No
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Jolt — Good for face ID verification
Jolt is a management solution targeted toward the hospitality and restaurant industries.
Why I picked Jolt: The system offers time-tracking tools that let employees clock in and out from their computers or mobile phones. I liked that the time clock has integrated face ID verification and that time entries are blocked when they don’t align with scheduled shifts.
Jolt also has a range of task management features, which I found handy. You can create daily checklists and send reminders to ensure employees complete their work. Furthermore, Jolt offers drag-and-drop scheduling, and you can view profit reports with revenue, labor costs, and more information for every shift.
Jolt’s communication system lets you publish company-wide announcements to team members. That said, I would have liked to see more customizable communication options. For instance, you can’t message individuals or specific teams. Jolt also lacks feedback and survey tools—a big miss when it comes to people management.
Key Features
- Time tracking
- Employee scheduling
- Reporting and analytics
- Company-wide announcements
Pros
- Time clock with face photo verification
- Has a mobile app
Cons
- No way to send targeted communications to individuals or teams
- Lacks survey and feedback tools
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No
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HotSchedules by Fourth
HotSchedules by Fourth — Good for employee self-service
HotSchedules by Fourth is an employee scheduling platform for restaurant and hospitality companies.
Why I picked HotSchedules: Its drag-and-drop interface makes scheduling easy, and I find it particularly helpful that the platform alerts you if you’re breaching any compliance rules while creating schedules.
Further, HotSchedules offers several self-service tools for employees, which are standouts for me. Workers can pick, drop, or swap shifts themselves with or without your approval. They can also request time off, and you can approve it directly on the app.
HotSchedules has surveys and in-app messaging, but the messaging tool only lets you send messages to individuals or groups via email. There’s no instant messaging option, which I think could have elevated the platform. I also wish the website was transparent about price plans. There’s no easy way to estimate costs without going through a demo, which could be a waste of time if the pricing is over your budget.
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- Time off requests and approvals
- Self-service tools for workers
- In-app communication tools
Pros
- Mobile app for remote access
- Smart alerts to notify you of compliance breaches while scheduling
Cons
- Lack of transparency on price plans
- No instant messaging functionality
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: Yes — 30-day Free Plan: No
Compare the Best Restaurant HR Softwares
| Topic |
Start for free
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HotSchedules by Fourth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews |
  |
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|
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| Pricing |
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
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Starts at $29.99/month/location, up to 30 employees
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Starts at $1.70/user/month
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Starts at $249/month + additional cost for bundling modules
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Contact vendor for price
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Contact vendor for price
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| Free Trial |
yes
14-day
|
yes
14-day
|
yes
15-day trial
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no
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no
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yes
30-day
|
| Free Plan |
yes
Free Up to 10 users
|
yes
Up to 1 location & 30 employees
|
yes
Up to 50 users
|
no
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no
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no
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| Use cases |
Best all-in-one HR software for restaurants
|
Good for hiring restaurant staff
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Good for managing labor costs
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Good for hiring and onboarding
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Good for face ID verification
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Good for employee self-service
|
| Available on |
Web, iOS, Android
|
What Is Restaurant HR Software?
Restaurant HR software is a set of digital tools designed to streamline staff management in the restaurant industry. It’s widely used by restaurant owners, managers, and employees.
Most platforms offer online tools for shift scheduling, time tracking, and time off management. This way, you can ensure your restaurant is always sufficiently staffed. Time tracking and payroll features also help to capture time entries and make accurate payments.
The best HR software for restaurants also stores soft copies of employee records and helps to keep paperwork organized. Finally, some platforms offer training and onboarding tools so you can train employees on recipes, food safety, customer service, and other key topics.
Overall, these solutions help you manage HR tasks efficiently, keep your workers engaged, and stay compliant.
How Does Restaurant HR Software Work?
Restaurant HR software uses technology to streamline and automate daily HR tasks.
Employees can use self-service tools to sign and upload paperwork to the app. Cloud-based storage and mobile access ensure that they can download their own documents whenever they need to. Workers can also record their working hours and request time off through these platforms.
Plus, GPS tracking features will give you complete oversight of employee locations so you can check that everyone is where they need to be during work hours. You can view time and location reports, approve timesheets, and initiate payroll integrations through a central dashboard.
Moreover, drag-and-drop scheduling lets you create and easily adjust shifts as required. Employees can also pick from open shifts or swap shifts easily on the app, and the software will send automatic notifications letting employees know when there are changes to their shifts.
The best platforms will offer built-in training technology. You can create custom training courses and deliver these straight to workers’ mobile devices.
Lastly, where a restaurant HR app doesn’t offer a particular tool, it’ll likely support third-party integrations so you can run all your processes seamlessly without jumping from one app to another.
Benefits of Restaurant HR Software
Here are some of the key benefits provided by HR software for restaurants.
Saves time and effort on administrative tasks
Restaurant HR software simplifies many manual processes. For instance, it automates time tracking and payroll processing so you don’t have to do it manually using spreadsheets or pen and paper. Similarly, you don’t have to spend time collecting and storing paper copies of employee documents. They can upload their paperwork in seconds from their mobile phones, and you can access their personnel files easily from anywhere.
Eases staffing challenges
Restaurants often have fluctuating staffing needs based on seasonality, events, etc. HR software typically offers scheduling tools so you can plan ahead and ensure you’re sufficiently staffed.
Features like easy shift swapping, employee preferences, and smart alerts also make it easy to deal with last-minute scheduling changes and find suitable replacements.
Reduces turnover and labor costs
HR software with reporting tools lets you see real-time labor costs so you can be mindful when you’re exceeding your budget. Some restaurant HR tools also let you set overtime limits or require overtime to be approved—another great way to control labor costs.
Finally, platforms that offer surveys and recognition features can help engage and retain workers. This way, you can prevent the unnecessary recruitment and training costs associated with high turnover in the restaurant industry.
Keeps you compliant in a highly regulated industry
The restaurant industry has a ton of legal and compliance regulations to follow. Great HR software provides tools to help train new and existing workers on these laws. You can teach your staff about health and safety protocols, quality checks, and more—keeping your customers safe and business compliant.
How Much Does Restaurant HR Software Cost?
Restaurant HR software varies in pricing structure and fees depending on the platform and features offered.
For instance, Sling charges per employee, starting at $1.70 per user per month for the basic plan. While this works for small businesses, it can get expensive as you scale.
Meanwhile, 7shifts is priced per location, beginning at $29.99 per location per month. This “Entree” plan has limited features and doesn’t include compliance support or task management.
Restaurant365 follows the same pricing structure but is more expensive, starting at $435 per month per location. Its base plan also doesn’t include HR tools. You’ll need to purchase these as add-ons.
Conncteam is structured differently and gives you much better value for money. It starts at only $29 per month for up to 30 staff members, plus only $0.50 per month for each extra user. It also has a 100% free plan for restaurants with fewer than 10 workers and a free trial for larger establishments.
FAQs
Who can use restaurant HR software?
Restaurant owners, managers, and workers can use restaurant HR software. Owners have visibility of work progress, reporting, labor costs, and more. Managers use these tools to run payroll and organize paperwork. And workers can use it to access their data, take training courses, and even request time off.
What is the best free HR app for restaurants?
Connecteam is the best HR software for restaurants, and it offers both a free trial and a free plan for teams of up to 10 people. It has tools for job scheduling, document management, time tracking, training, onboarding, employee recognition, surveys, and more.
How can I use the same restaurant HR solution across my franchise?
Most restaurant HR solutions will let you use the same admin account to run all your restaurants. However, some will charge you a separate fee for each location, which can get expensive. I recommend using Connecteam. Paid plans start at $29 per month for up to 30 workers from any location.
Bottom Line on Restaurant HR Software
Restaurant HR software helps streamline and simplify everyday HR processes for restaurant owners and managers. Good HR solutions can prevent scheduling errors, costly mistakes, payroll mistakes, and more. However, picking the right HR app can feel confusing. That’s why I rounded up my top 6 recommendations to help you choose.
Connecteam tops my list as the best all-in-one HR software for restaurants. It offers excellent tools such as a GPS-enabled time clock, payroll integrations, and secure document management to ease the administrative burden of everyday HR tasks. Plus, its surveys, training, and recognition tools keep workers engaged and loyal in an industry that often sees high turnover.