Online Restaurant Scheduling Software
Restaurants, bars, cafeterias and coffee shops all choose When I Work to simplify employee scheduling. Servers, cooks, bartenders and baristas stay connected to their work schedules with mobile apps and 24/7 access. Managers find shift replacements in seconds, even when on-the-go.
The Features Your Restaurant Needs
Eliminate Conflicts
Make your schedule run smoother by viewing each employee's availability and preferences as you build the schedule.
Rest Easy
Click to view the entire schedule, or quickly filter by position or location, so you never get lost in details again.
Save Time
Quickly see who's working. The Dashboard gives you a snapshot of what's happening with your schedule right now.
Repeat Your Success
When you need to fill an open shift fast, send out a shift alert via email and text message to all qualified and available staff.
Weggy’s Restaurant
24
Employees
1
Location
"Before using When I Work, it took 3 hours per week to create a schedule using Excel and I would have post-its everywhere detailing employee availability. Now, scheduling takes about 10 minutes per week and I get alerted to approve a swap or drop request! Employees also don’t have to stop at the restaurant to file availability or shift changes- it’s all done through the mobile app!"
-Danielle Mettler, Co-Owner of Weggy’s on Campus
Key Values
Easy-to-use platform limits scheduling frustrations
Empowers staff to make scheduling change requests with manager approval
Time savings when scheduling in bulk for multiple weeks in advance
Weggy’s on Campus is located on the campus of Minnesota State University in Mankato, MN and specializes in offering American diner classics. As part of its success, Weggy’s on Campus employs college students who create an inviting environment to gather friends, families and students.
Prior to When I Work, Danielle used Excel and Word to create her schedule. Because many of her staff were college students with constantly changing schedules, Danielle was buried in piles of Post-its with different employee availabilities she needed to consider. If a scheduling change is requested at the last minute, she spends even more time trying to find replacements - which causes her to go over her labor budget goals.
Weggy’s on Campus chose When I Work because employees were able to enter their Availability Preferences in advance. This allowed Danielle the freedom to build out the schedule in bulk for a month in advance. Employees also feel empowered to find their own shift replacements when filing a swap/ drop request. To promote staff accountability, her staff are encouraged to install the mobile app and turn on Mobile Alerts for Shift Reminders so everyone arrives to work on time.
Using When I Work simplified Weggy’s on Campus’ internal processes by her offering massive time savings, improved employee communication, and also improved shift accountability. Now, when a new semester starts, Danielle only needs to spend a couple minutes explaining the basic functions of the When I Work scheduling app and her staff is ready to start working!
Lone Oak Market
52
Employees
3
Locations
"It used to take me 4 hours every week to handle scheduling on Excel for the Lone Oak Market. What was most frustrating was that I had to copy and paste in shifts manually. Using When I Work completely changed how I schedule which is why I didn’t hesitate to expand it to the two other restaurants. Now, it takes me only 30 minutes to schedule each of the three businesses!"
-Tegen Curtis, Operations Manager of Lone Oak Market, Burgers & Bottles, and The Volstead House
Key Values
Time savings
Mobile apps offer scheduling flexibility for both managers and employees
Delegate scheduling to managers based upon locations
Lone Oak Market is located in Eagan, MN and specializes in offering a full menu restaurant and espresso bar nestled in a Shell gas station. As part of its success, Lone Oak Market employs 25 part-time staff who are dedicated to providing 24-hour service.
Prior to When I Work, Tegen used Excel to create the schedule and tracked employee availabilities and time off requests on post its. Her largest frustration with Excel was how much time she devoted to copying and pasting information repeatedly with no way to communicate scheduling changes to staff in real time.
When her management team announced plans to grow the business to two additional locations - Tegen realized she needed a more efficient system to save time and keep organized. Tegen chose When I Work because it allowed staff to enter availability preferences directly into the app. She also created Shift Blocks to reduce the repetitive task of entering shift notes. Using the app also allowed her to communicate scheduling changes immediately to staff. She soon realized that When I Work reduced tensions between employees and management and decided to roll the app out to employees at Burgers & Bottles and The Volstead House.
By using the time-saving features When I Work provides, Tegen was able to reduce her scheduling time from 4 hours at one location to less than 30 minutes per business (Lone Oak Market, Burgers & Bottles, and The Volstead House) employing over 50+ staff. She can now better focus on more ways to expand the businesses!
Kona Ice of Janesville, WI
11
Employees
1
Location
"I love When I Work! Using [When I Work] saves me a ton of time from having to oversee scheduling requests from employees. When an event request comes in, all it takes is a couple seconds to create OpenShifts™, and my employees can quickly self-assign shifts that work best for their schedule."
-Kim Moistner-Bartlett, Owner of Kona Ice Janesville, WI
Key Values
Time Savings
Employee accountability with self assigned OpenShifts™
Flexible scheduling for event based business
Kona Ice Janesville, WI opened in 2014 and is part of a family of 700+ franchises across 44 states operating seasonally to sell shaved ice. An active company in the community, Kona Ice Janesville, WI travels to private events, schools, festivals, and much more!
Kim previously managed a hotel and she remembered the countless hours spent accommodating for employee availability and scheduling requests. When she decided to start up her own franchise of Kona Ice Janesville, WI - she knew that she needed a flexible method to handle an event- based business and appeal to her tech-savvy millennial staff.
Kim chose to use When I Work because it was built with employee accountability and team communication in mind. When client events are scheduled, Kim uses OpenShifts™ and Shift Notes to communicate event details to staff. This allows employees more accountability to self-assign shifts they want to take and also rewards employees who are more attentive to scheduling changes. With an easy to use platform, new employees quickly understood the convenience of getting upcoming shift reminders, email and text alerts about scheduling changes, as well as requests processed quickly.
Due to the time savings experienced at her business, Kim can focus on growing of her business. She currently operates a Kona Entertainment vehicle and a Kona Ice Mini (a smaller version of the truck for indoor events). In fact, she's expecting to expand her fleet in 2017. Look for her trucks the next time you’re in Janesville, WI!
Dunn Bros Coffee
This well established franchise coffee shop has 12 employees plus seasonal help. Positions include: Shift Lead, Barista, Roaster, Cashier and Administration.
12
Employees
1
Location
"[When I Work] is so easy to use I don't have to spend a ton of time trying to figure it out. The automated text reminders are great and employees can go in and ask for time off and swap shifts. I can't imagine going back to a manual system."
-Tom Nacey, Owner & Manager
Key Values
Reduces scheduling time by several hours each week
Enhances staff & management communications
Reduces stress and increases productivity for employees
Challenge
Prior to using When I Work, the manager spent one to two hours every week creating the schedule manually using a spreadsheet. It was then posted for employees. Schedule changes for things like time-off requests or missed shifts, however, required several phone calls and rearranging of the schedule.
This was time consuming and frustrating. Often, employees would forget about the schedule change and miss shifts altogether, resulting in more calls and frustration.
Solution
When I Work streamlined the schedule creation and communication process. Employees now have 24/7 access to the schedule via the web and mobile apps. Automated text messages remind employees two hours prior to their shifts. WIW also allows employees to post their preferred work times and days off. Last minute schedule changes can be made in a matter of minutes, and automatic text notifications to employees eliminate phone calls.
Nothing Bundt Cakes
20
Employees
1
Location
"When I initially started scheduling my employees, I used Excel. However, I was spending several hours each week creating and manually swapping shifts for employees to find replacements. I heard about When I Work from another Nothing Bundt Cakes franchisee and I was able to cut my scheduling time from several hours down to 15 mins/ week."
-Amy Lupo, Co-Owner of Nothing Bundt Cakes- Memphis, TN
Key Values
Time Savings
Promote Staff Accountability
Easy-to-use Interface
Nothing Bundt Cakes is a bundt cake-only bakery featuring flavors for contemporary tastes. As part of their success, only fresh ingredients and their signature cream cheese icing are used. Although they are headquartered in Las Vegas, it didn’t stop Amy Lupo from wanting to bring these flavors back home to Memphis, TN.
Prior to When I Work, Amy used the Excel schedule template from the "Gather Round" corporate site. On average, scheduling her staff took several hours per week because many of her college staff were part-time and wrote their availability preferences on slips of paper. If a scheduling change is requested at the last-minute, Amy is pulled away from her business and spends time trying to find a replacement.
After hearing about When I Work from a fellow Nothing Bundt Cakes franchisee on the Facebook forum, Amy started her free trial. Amy loved how the app helps keep her employees accountable to their assigned shifts. She activated Availability to allow employees to enter and edit their changing preferences. This allowed the app to flag scheduling conflicts. In addition, she also turned on Shift Acknowledgement to track which employees saw their schedule.
Employees also enjoy receiving email and SMS/mobile reminders so they are never late to a shift. If they need to swap or drop a shift, the mobile apps offer them the freedom to quickly find a replacement. Using When I Work at Nothing Bundt Cakes helped her save time but it also helped her improve team accountability. Now, Amy can refocus her time to expanding the business!
Freshii
19
Employees
1
Location
"When our store first opened in August 2015, I used Excel to create the schedule. My staff consisted of mostly part-time university students which meant that there were constant changes to their availability. We chose When I Work because it helped streamline our internal efforts and improve staff accountability. Staff can easily enter their availability directly into the app and if they cannot fulfill a shift, they are accountable to find a replacement"
-Trisha Mauro-Barnett, Franchise Co-owner at Freshii Waterloo
Key Values
Easy-to-use platform limits scheduling frustrations
Empowers staff to make scheduling change requests with manager approval
Exportable Historical Schedule
Trisha and her husband James opened the first Freshii in the Kitchener Waterloo Region in August 2015. They chose Freshii in an effort to provide the local community with fresh and nutritious meal choices including custom-made green wraps, salads, quinoa bowls, and fresh-pressed juices. With an eco-friendly mission that also accommodates convenience, Freshii is highly popular with the students at the local colleges and universities, as well as health conscious professionals.
Prior to When I Work, Trisha used Excel to create the schedule and soon discovered that Excel was not able to track the changing availability of her part-time university staff. If a scheduling change was requested at the last minute, she would spend valuable time looking for a replacement.
Freshii chose When I Work because it provided staff with more accountability. With the Mobile Apps, staff can easily enter their availability to proactively communicate preferences. If there was a last minute change to their personal schedule, Users have the freedom to file a swap or drop request to ensure someone is accountable to covering the labor demand at the store. When reviewing swap or drop shift requests, Trisha can also prioritize offering extra hours based on individual performance.
Using When I Work has simplified Freshii’s internal processes while also offering time-savings. She can now post a bi-weekly schedule to her staff in less than 15 minutes! This allows Trisha more time to focus on building staff culture and expanding operations within the Kitchener Waterloo Region!
QSR Restaurants
QSR fast-food franchise that's open for nearly 12-hours every day of the week. The restaurant's 15 employees work in a variety of roles: kitchen, front-of-house, open, and close.
15
Employees
1
Location
"When I Work is easier to use than our previous system and saves me a lot of phone time and headaches communicating schedule changes with my staff."
-Jerome Schumacher, Franchise Owner & Restaurant Manager
Key Values
Saves management 4 hours per week
Spend more time on the customer
Streamlined communications
Challenge
Open seven days per week from 10:30 AM to 10:00 PM, means lots of shifts, making staff scheduling a time-consuming process. Scheduling was previously created using a scheduler that was a part of the store's POS system.
Even though the schedule was created and posted, all communications and changes, like time off requests and shift swaps, were done manually. This increased the time demands on management and was confusing and inconvenient for employees.
Solution
After implementing When I Work, setting up the schedule became easier and faster than ever before. Every employee can access their schedule online or through the When I Work application on their smartphone. Employees are more engaged in the schedule and get notifications about last minute shift openings or changes. When I Work saves the manager valuable time and simplifies life for employees.
Franchisee of Largest Sandwich Chain in the World
This multi-unit sandwich shop franchisee manages 8 restaurants in the Parsippany area. The group's 30 employees work in multiple positions including manager, sandwich artist, and cashier.
30
Employees
8
Locations
"When I Work is a big improvement over how I did it before and saves me a lot of phone time and headaches communicating schedule changes with my store employees."
-Chandrama Uli Amin, Franchise Owner & Restaurant Manager
Key Values
Saves at least two hours per week
Reduced absenteeism
Better communications
Challenge
Open seven days per week from 7:00 AM to 11:59 PM, means lots of shifts, making staff scheduling a time-consuming process. Each week the schedule was created on a spreadsheet then posted for viewing. The resulting communications and shift changes, like time off requests and shift swaps, were recorded manually. This increased the time demands on management and was inconvenient for employees.
Solution
After implementing When I Work, setting up the schedule became easier and faster than ever before. Every employee can access their schedules online or through the When I Work application on their smartphone. They're more engaged in the schedule and can get notifications about last minute opening or changes. When I Work allows for easy schedule changes, saving time and reducing hassles for the store manager.
- [MRKT-538] Navigation Sticky V2(mrkt-538-navigation-sticky-v-2) | none
Scheduling Made Easy.
Sign Up for Free.
By clicking Get Started Free you agree to the
Terms of Service, Privacy, and Refund policies.
What Industry Best
Describes Your Business?
Restaurants / Hospitality
Retail
Healthcare
Professional Services
Seasonal / Entertainment
Other
Let’s get the schedule set up for your workplace.
By clicking Let's Get Started you agree to the
Terms of Service, Privacy, and Refund policies.