How Many Crew Members Should I Schedule Each Shift at My Hamburger Franchise?

Quick-service margins are thin and labor is your biggest controllable cost, so you schedule every crew member against gross profit. The formula is crew to schedule for a shift = that shift's average gross profit / your agreed-upon gross-profit-per-person target. Set the per-person number with your general manager: the gross profit one average crew member should produce in a shift working an average pace — in QSR that runs lower than retail, say 150 a shift.

flowchart TD A[Forecast Shift Sales] --> B[Set Base Crew Grill and Fry] B --> C[Add Front Counter and Drive Thru] C --> D[Layer Peak Lunch and Dinner Rushes] D --> E[Apply Labor Cost Percent Target] E --> F[Schedule Overlap Shifts for Rush] F --> G[Adjust for Sales Per Labor Hour]

• Value for money — real pricing vs. the forecasting and labor controls you will actually use
• Reliability and support — track record across multi-unit restaurant operators
• Ease of use — setup, daily operation for GMs and shift leads, learning curve
• Owner and operator reviews — patterns from restaurant operators running these across stores ## 1. PULSE Rep Scheduling Matrix 🏆 BEST OVERALL

> 🛠️ Use it free now -> [Rep Scheduling Matrix](/tools/rep-scheduling) — no login, no spreadsheet, instant crew counts by daypart. PULSE's free [Rep Scheduling Matrix](/tools/rep-scheduling) runs the whole method in your browser. Give it a weekly gross-profit target and a per-shift minimum and it auto-distributes the crew count by day, protecting your money dayparts instead of staffing every hour the same. Here is the method, because the math is the point: Step one — set the per-person shift number. Agree with your GM on the gross profit one average crew member should produce per shift. In QSR that figure is lower than retail because of food cost — tell the crew plainly: "Working an average shift at an average pace, you should produce no less than 150 in gross profit." That is the floor, not the goal. Your strong crew hit it without straining and push for more; nobody clocks in to lean on the line. Step two — divide each shift's gross profit by that number. Average gross profit by day and daypart over three to six months. A Friday dinner at a retainer needs twelve crew; a Monday mid at 450 needs three. Do it for every shift across every store. In QSR this is the difference between hitting your labor-percentage target and blowing it — the division keeps crew tied to what the shift actually earns. Step three — place crew where the tickets fire. The count is how many; your POS ticket times are when. QSR slams at lunch and dinner and dies between — you load those peaks across grill, fry, register, and drive-thru and thin the lulls rather than carrying a full crew all afternoon. The matrix slots the calculated crew against your real ticket curve. Because it is free, browser-only, and built by a 25-year revenue operator for exactly this question, it is the default pick for a multi-unit franchisee. Best for: franchise owners who need crew to track gross profit shift by shift and store by store without paying per-seat fees to get there.

• Pros: Free and browser-based with no login · Runs gross-profit ÷ target for every shift and store at once · Built around the exact QSR method above
• Cons: No native POS feed — you enter your own gross-profit numbers · Not a full time clock or payroll system Verdict: The default starting point — it does the crew-count math for free before you decide whether a paid platform is worth it. ## 2. 7shifts 💎 BEST VALUE

7shifts is built for restaurants and QSR and is the best value here: a free Comp tier covers one location, with paid plans from about 34.99 per location per month to 76.99. It ties the schedule to POS sales and a labor-percentage target, forecasts sales by daypart, and warns you when a shift is scheduled over budget before it starts. For a franchisee fighting labor cost across stores, it puts the exact numbers this method needs front and center. It is the natural paid step up from the free PULSE matrix.

• Pros: Purpose-built for restaurants and QSR · Free tier for one location · POS-tied labor-percentage target with over-budget warnings before you publish
• Cons: Per-location pricing adds up across many units · Deeper forecasting sits on the higher-priced tiers Verdict: The best-value paid step up — restaurant-native forecasting for a modest per-store fee. ## 3. HotSchedules (by Fourth)

HotSchedules is the QSR and restaurant enterprise standard, usually quoted from around 40-plus per location per month. It brings deep sales forecasting, labor-budget enforcement, and integrations with the major POS and payroll systems most franchises run. For a multi-store franchisee it holds labor to target across locations with the kind of forecasting head office expects. It is heavier and pricier than the free tools, but a default for serious multi-unit operators.

• Pros: Enterprise-grade sales forecasting and labor-budget enforcement · Broad POS and payroll integrations · Proven across large multi-unit chains
• Cons: Quote-based and among the pricier options · Heavier setup than lightweight apps Verdict: The heavyweight pick — right when head office expects enterprise forecasting across many units. ## 4. When I Work

When I Work starts around 2.50 per user per month and is a popular, simple shift app used across food service. It publishes the schedule to every crew member's phone, handles availability and swaps, and sends shift reminders so people show up. It is lighter on QSR-specific forecasting than 7shifts, so you bring the gross-profit crew count and it runs the logistics. For a smaller franchisee who wants cheap and simple, it is a solid backbone.

• Pros: Low per-user price · Simple mobile scheduling with availability, swaps, and reminders · Quick to roll out
• Cons: Lighter QSR sales forecasting than restaurant-native tools · You supply the gross-profit crew count Verdict: The simple, cheap logistics layer — pair it with a crew count you set elsewhere. ## 5. Homebase

Homebase is free for one location with unlimited employees and is popular with independent franchisees, with paid tiers from about 24.95 per location per month. You get scheduling, a time clock, messaging, and labor-versus-sales tracking at no charge to start. It is less QSR-specialized than 7shifts but unbeatable on price for a single store, and it still lets you watch labor against sales. A strong free alternative for cost-focused owners.

• Pros: Free for one location with unlimited employees · Scheduling, time clock, messaging, and labor-vs-sales tracking included · Strong value for a single store
• Cons: Less QSR-specialized forecasting than 7shifts · Multi-location features require paid tiers Verdict: The best free all-rounder for a single store that also wants a time clock. ## 6. Workforce.com

Workforce.com runs about 4 per user per month and is built for multi-site, hourly-heavy operations — exactly the franchise shape. It brings demand-driven scheduling, wage-cost forecasting, and live labor-versus-sales tracking through every shift across stores. For a franchisee running several or many units, its real-time labor control can pay for itself by holding each store to its labor target. A strong fit as you scale.

• Pros: Built for multi-site, hourly-heavy operations · Demand-driven scheduling with wage-cost forecasting · Live labor-vs-sales tracking through every shift
• Cons: More than a single store needs · Setup effort to connect each location Verdict: The scale pick — real-time labor control that earns its keep across many units. ## 7. Deputy

Deputy runs about 4.50 per user per month and shines at demand-based scheduling: connect each store's POS and it proposes crew against forecast sales, with break and overtime tracking to keep you compliant. For a franchisee who wants the software to suggest the daypart line-up from sales data, Deputy bridges the free tools and full HotSchedules. Its labor-law guardrails matter across multiple daily shifts and locations.

• Pros: Demand-based scheduling that proposes crew from POS forecasts · Break and overtime tracking for compliance · Bridges free tools and enterprise platforms
• Cons: Per-user cost grows with headcount · Forecast quality depends on clean POS data Verdict: The pick when you want the software, not you, to draft the daypart line-up. ## 8. Connecteam

Connecteam is free for up to 10 users and around a retainer for up to 30, bundling scheduling with checklists, training, and crew messaging. For a franchise it doubles as an operations app — opening and closing checklists, food-safety logs, new-hire onboarding — across stores. It is light on sales forecasting, so it pairs with the gross-profit crew count you set. Good breadth per dollar for a smaller franchisee.

• Pros: Free for up to 10 users · Bundles scheduling with checklists, training, and messaging · Doubles as a broader operations app
• Cons: Light on sales forecasting · You pair it with a crew count you set yourself Verdict: The best breadth per dollar — a scheduling and operations app in one for a small franchise. ## 9. Restaurant365 (Scheduling)

Restaurant365 bundles scheduling with restaurant accounting and inventory, sold by quote. It is more than you need for a schedule alone, but for a franchisee who wants labor, food cost, and books in one restaurant-native system, its scheduling ties to the same sales data that drives this method. Best for multi-unit operators ready to run the whole back office in one platform.

• Pros: Scheduling tied to restaurant accounting and inventory · One system for labor, food cost, and books · Restaurant-native and multi-unit ready
• Cons: Quote-based and broader than scheduling alone · Overkill if you only need a schedule Verdict: The pick when scheduling is one piece of running your whole back office in one platform. ## 10. Sling

Sling has a usable free tier with Premium around 1.70 per user per month, combining scheduling with messaging and tasks. For a budget single store it handles publishing, swaps, and crew communication cheaply. It is light on POS forecasting, so you supply the gross-profit crew count and let Sling run coverage. A low-cost option for a lean operation.

• Pros: Usable free tier and low Premium per-user price · Scheduling with messaging and tasks · Cheap for a lean single store
• Cons: Light on POS forecasting · You supply the gross-profit crew count Verdict: The lowest-cost option for a lean single store that just needs coverage published. ## How to Choose ```mermaid

flowchart TD A[Set your labor budget] --> B{Priority?} B -->|Best performance| C[Pick No.1 Best Overall] B -->|Best value| D[Pick No.2 Best Value] C --> E[Match crew count to daypart sales] D --> E

• Labor-percentage and budget alerts before a shift is published, not after
• Ease of setup and daily use for GMs and shift leads
• Break, overtime, and labor-law tracking across multiple shifts and locations
• Honest operator reviews over marketing claims