MRM EXCLUSIVE: The Challenges of Scheduling in the Restaurant Industry

The restaurant business has always been low-tech. The common belief is that you don’t need a lot of fancy computers to give your customers great service. You just need heat, cold, and delicious food. But as simple as the industry may seem, the reality is often very different. Particularly as it applies to scheduling your employees.

What worked just ten short years ago, no longer makes sense in this increasingly-digital world.

Scheduling in the restaurant industry has always been a challenge. The pen-and-paper method is decidedly permanent—when you produce a schedule it can’t be changed without making up a completely new document. And then there’s the headache of making sure all your employees receive a copy or at least see the schedule before they have to work. Perhaps that’s why the industry hasn’t evolved much in terms of scheduling. It’s still trying to deal with the pains of the pen-and-paper method with which it started.

But as we crawl deeper into the 21st century…