Why Restaurant Scheduling Software Doesn’t Tell You If Your Hours Are Right

You’ve probably looked at scheduling software. Maybe you already use it.

7shifts. HotSchedules. When I Work. Deputy.

They can absolutely make scheduling easier.

But they won’t answer the one question operators actually need answered:

Are these hours right?

What Operators Expect Software to Do

When operators buy scheduling software, they’re hoping for answers like:

• “Tuesday needs 48 hours, not 55.”

• “You’re overstaffed at lunch by two people.”

• “Based on projected sales, here’s what next week should look like.”

They’re hoping the software will solve labor—not just format a schedule.

What Scheduling Software Actually Does Well

Scheduling software is excellent at execution:

• Build and publish schedules faster

• Track availability and time-off

• Communicate changes

• Monitor clock-ins and labor in real time

• Generate reports (hours worked, labor %, SPLH)

All useful. All time-saving.

None of it answers whether the hours you scheduled are necessary.

Why Software Focuses on Execution, Not Validation

This isn’t a failure. It’s reality.

Scheduling tools have to work for every concept—from fine dining to quick service.

That means they can’t impose a “right answer” about labor hours because they don’t know your operation’s specifics:

• Menu complexity

• Service model

• Kitchen layout

• Your true relationship between sales and labor

So the software does what it can: it helps you execute decisions you already made.

The decision about how many hours to schedule is still on you.

The Missing Question: “Are These Hours Necessary?”

Most software starts you with a blank canvas—or last week’s schedule as a template.

So operators do what makes sense: recreate last week with minor tweaks.

Add someone here because you got busy. Remove someone there because it was slow.

That isn’t planning. It’s pattern maintenance.

And if the underlying pattern is heavy, the software helps you repeat it perfectly.

What To Layer On Top of Software

Scheduling software is infrastructure. Not strategy.

What you layer on top is the missing strategy:

• A labor multiplier calibrated to your operation
  A number that converts projected sales into target hours—your number, not an industry benchmark.

• Target hours by day
  Before you even open the scheduling tool, you should know roughly how many hours each day should get.

• A feedback loop
  After the week, compare actual hours vs target. Refine.

Tools help you post schedules. Clarity helps you stop bleeding hours.

And if you run a low-volume restaurant, this matters even more—because small overstaffing can wipe out your entire margin.

Read this next → The Real Reason Low-Volume Restaurants Lose Money on Labor