Restaurant Employee Scheduling Software
Stop losing hours to scheduling chaos. NextShifts helps restaurant managers handle shift swaps, track labor costs, and keep every shift fully staffed — without the headaches.
Free during beta. No credit card required.
Restaurant scheduling is a daily battle.
High turnover, last-minute changes, and tight margins make scheduling one of the hardest parts of running a restaurant. We built NextShifts to fix that.
Last-Minute Call-Outs
Someone calls in sick 30 minutes before their shift. Now you're scrambling to find coverage while customers wait.
Labor Cost Creep
Overstaffing during slow periods and overtime during rushes eat into your margins. Spreadsheets can't track this in real-time.
The Group Chat Chaos
Shift swap requests buried in a group chat. Who's covering whom? Did the manager approve? No one knows.
Built for the pace of restaurants.
From shift swaps to labor cost tracking, NextShifts handles the scheduling challenges that make restaurant management exhausting.
Easy Shift Swaps
Staff request swaps directly in the app. Managers approve with one tap. Everyone stays informed automatically.
Labor Cost Tracking
See your scheduled labor cost before you publish. Stay on budget without guesswork.
Instant Notifications
Schedule published? Shift changed? Staff get notified instantly. No more "I didn't see the schedule."
Template & Copy
Build your ideal week once, then copy it forward. Adjust as needed in seconds.
Mobile for Staff
Servers and cooks check schedules, request time off, and swap shifts from their phones.
Gap Detection
Automatically spot understaffed shifts before they become a problem. Get suggestions for who can cover.
Trusted by Restaurant Teams
10+
Hours saved per week
90%
Fewer no-shows with notifications
15 min
Average setup time
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about restaurant scheduling software.
What is the best app for scheduling restaurant employees?
The best restaurant scheduling app should handle shift swaps, track labor costs as a percentage of sales, send automatic notifications to staff, and work on mobile devices. Look for features like template scheduling, availability tracking, and time-off management. NextShifts offers all these features with an intuitive interface designed specifically for busy restaurant managers.
How do I create a restaurant work schedule?
Create a restaurant schedule by first determining your staffing needs for each shift based on expected covers and historical data. Then assign employees based on their availability, skills (front-of-house vs back-of-house), and your labor budget. Modern scheduling software automates this by letting you build reusable templates, copy previous weeks with one click, and automatically flag conflicts or overtime risks.
Is there a free restaurant scheduling app?
Yes, NextShifts is currently free during our beta period with no limits on employees or locations. You get full access to scheduling, shift swaps, time-off requests, gap detection, and notifications at no cost. No credit card required to sign up.
How do restaurants handle shift swaps?
Modern restaurants use scheduling software that lets employees request shift swaps directly in an app. The employee finds a coworker willing to cover, submits the swap request, and the manager approves or denies with one tap. Everyone involved gets notified automatically, creating a clear record and eliminating confusion from group chat requests.
What is a good labor cost percentage for restaurants?
Most restaurants aim for labor costs between 25-35% of revenue, though this varies by restaurant type. Fine dining typically runs higher (35-40%) while fast-casual runs lower (25-30%). Scheduling software helps you stay on target by showing projected labor costs before you publish the schedule, so you can adjust staffing levels proactively.
Industry research from National Restaurant AssociationYour staff deserves better than a group chat schedule.
Join restaurant managers who've traded spreadsheets for sanity. Setup takes less than 15 minutes.