How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
What is the best HR software for restaurants in 2026?
7shifts is the best HR software for restaurants for most operators because it combines hiring, scheduling, time clocking, payroll, and tip management in one restaurant-only platform, with a free plan for one location and up to 15 employees. Push Operations is the best pick for growing multi-location groups, while Homebase is the cheapest way in for a single small location.
Key takeaways
- 7shifts is the only platform here built only for restaurants, covering hiring, onboarding, training, scheduling, time clocking, payroll, and tips in one product.
- Per-location pricing is the rule in restaurant HR, so a tool that looks cheap for one site can double or triple when you open a second or third location.
- Tip management is the feature that separates restaurant tools from general HR software, and it is gated to higher tiers on 7shifts and Push Operations.
- Square Payroll and Toast Payroll only make sense if you already run Square or Toast at the counter.
Why do restaurants need different HR software?
Restaurants run on hourly staff, split shifts, tips, and high turnover, which general HR software handles poorly. A restaurant HR tool has to schedule around availability and sales forecasts, track tips and tip pooling, enforce meal and rest break rules, and onboard new hires in days rather than weeks. The tools below are built for that job, with restaurant-specific scheduling, tip handling, and multi-location support, rather than general HR platforms with a restaurant label added on top.
How much does restaurant HR software cost?
A single-location restaurant can start free: 7shifts has a free Comp plan for one location and up to 15 employees, and Homebase has a free Basic plan for one location and up to 10 employees. Paid plans run from about $30 per location per month on Homebase Essentials and Push Operations, which starts at $30 per month for 5 employees, to $44.99 per location per month on 7shifts Essentials. Square Payroll is $35 per month plus $6 per person paid, and Restaurant365 Professional is $489 per location per month billed annually, which is enterprise pricing for multi-unit groups. Harri and Workstream are quote-only. Payroll is often an add-on, so add $49 per month plus $6 per employee paid on Homebase before you compare totals.
What should you check before you buy?
Check tip handling first, since it is the feature most likely to be gated or missing. Ask whether tip pooling, tip distribution, and tip makeup to minimum wage are included in the plan you would actually buy, or only on the top tier. Check whether payroll is included or an add-on, since Homebase never includes payroll, 7shifts charges extra for it, and Toast Payroll requires a Toast point-of-sale subscription. Finally, confirm the point-of-sale integrations, since hours and tips should flow from the till into payroll without manual entry.
How do you handle hiring in a restaurant?
High-volume hiring is the hardest part of restaurant HR, and it is where Harri and Workstream earn their price. Harri screens and scores candidates with AI, runs one-click compliant scheduling, and flags flight-risk employees, while Workstream offers text-to-apply with QR codes, VoiceAI and VideoAI screening, and posting to more than 25,000 job boards. For a single independent restaurant, a scheduling tool with basic hiring is enough. For a quick-service franchise group hiring dozens of people a month, a dedicated hiring engine pays for itself in manager hours saved.
We picked these 8 tools by checking that each one is a live product in 2026 with a genuine restaurant HR or payroll offer, an official website that loads, and features built for hourly restaurant teams rather than general office staff. We opened every vendor homepage and pricing page on 11 November 2026 and took prices from the vendor pages where they were visible. Where a vendor page did not show its prices, we say so and mark the figure as third-party reported rather than presenting it as a vendor price. Last verified: 11 November 2026.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 7shifts | Restaurants that want hiring, scheduling, time clocking, payroll, and tips in one restaurant-only platform | Free Comp plan; paid from $44.99/location/month ($39.99 billed annually) for Essentials; third-party reported, since the plan prices did not render in a direct read of the vendor pricing page | Yes, free Comp plan for 1 location and up to 15 employees, plus a 14-day free trial of paid plans with no credit card required |
 Push Operations | Growing restaurant groups that want scheduling, payroll, and HR in one system | Starting at $30 per month for 5 employees, verified on the vendor pricing page; plans are Starter, Signature, Supreme, and Enterprise, with larger teams quoted | No free plan and no free trial found on the vendor pricing page; minimum billing is 5 employees per product |
 Homebase | Single small locations that want a genuinely usable free tier | Basic plan free; paid plans Essentials $30, Plus $70, All-in-One $120 per location/month; third-party reported, since the figures did not render in a direct read of the vendor pricing page | Yes, free Basic plan for 1 location and up to 10 employees, plus a 14-day free trial of All-in-One |
 Restaurant365 | Multi-unit restaurant groups that want accounting, inventory, and HR in one back office | Professional plan $489 per location/month billed annually ($539 billed quarterly), verified on the vendor page; Workforce add-ons for hiring, payroll, and HR cost extra | No free plan and no free trial is offered |
 Harri | Large hospitality groups, chains, and franchises running dozens of locations | Quote; the full Employee Experience platform is quote-only, with no published pricing page | No free plan and no free trial |
 Toast | Restaurants already running Toast point of sale | New Restaurants bundle (POS plus Payroll essentials plus basic scheduling) $69/month plus $9 per employee/month; third-party reported, since the plan prices did not render in a direct read of the vendor pricing page | No free trial for payroll; the Starter Kit POS tier starts at $0/month, but payroll itself is not free |
 Square Payroll | Restaurants already running Square at the counter | Full-service payroll $35/month plus $6 per person paid per month; contractor-only payroll $6 per person paid per month with no base fee | No free plan and no free trial listed on the vendor pages |
 Workstream | Quick-service restaurant franchise groups with high-volume hiring | Quote; no numeric prices appear anywhere on the vendor pricing page | No free trial; the pricing page advertises up to 8 months of payroll free, subject to terms |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
| Tool |
Best for |
Starting price |
Free plan |
| 7shifts |
Restaurant-only HR, scheduling, and payroll |
Free; paid from $44.99/location/month |
Yes, free Comp plan |
| Push Operations |
Growing multi-location restaurant groups |
$30/month for 5 employees |
No free plan |
| Homebase |
Single small locations on a budget |
Free; paid from $30/location/month |
Yes, free Basic plan |
| Restaurant365 |
Multi-unit groups needing full back office |
$489/location/month (Professional) |
No free plan |
| Harri |
Large hospitality groups and chains |
Quote |
No free plan |
| Toast |
Restaurants already on Toast POS |
$69/month + $9/employee/month (bundle) |
No free trial for payroll |
| Square Payroll |
Restaurants already on Square POS |
$35/month + $6 per person paid |
No free plan |
| Workstream |
QSR franchise groups hiring at volume |
Quote |
No free trial |
#17shifts
Best for: Restaurants that want hiring, scheduling, time clocking, payroll, and tips in one restaurant-only platform4.5/5 on
G2 (130 reviews, checked Nov 2026)
Visit 7shifts.com
Starting priceFree Comp plan; paid from $44.99/location/month ($39.99 billed annually) for Essentials; third-party reported, since the plan prices did not render in a direct read of the vendor pricing page
Free planYes, free Comp plan for 1 location and up to 15 employees, plus a 14-day free trial of paid plans with no credit card required
7shifts is the restaurant-only HR platform in this list, covering hiring, onboarding, training, scheduling, time clocking, payroll, and tips in one product. Its scheduler handles availability, shift swaps, time-off requests, and sales-based forecasting, and it integrates with Toast, Square, Clover, Lightspeed, and TouchBistro. Per-location pricing means costs multiply with every new site, so it suits single independents up to multi-unit groups that want one restaurant-native system. Payroll, training, and tip management sit behind the Premium tier, so a small operator may pay for features it does not use.
What we like- The only restaurant-only platform in this list, with POS-linked sales forecasting and integrations with Toast, Square, Clover, Lightspeed, and TouchBistro
Watch out for- Payroll is US-only and costs extra, and tip management, training, PTO accruals, and labour compliance are gated to the higher tiers
#2
Push Operations
Best for: Growing restaurant groups that want scheduling, payroll, and HR in one system
Visit pushoperations.com
Starting priceStarting at $30 per month for 5 employees, verified on the vendor pricing page; plans are Starter, Signature, Supreme, and Enterprise, with larger teams quoted
Free planNo free plan and no free trial found on the vendor pricing page; minimum billing is 5 employees per product
Push Operations is a workforce platform built for restaurants and hospitality, combining payroll, HR, scheduling, time tracking, and reporting. Signature adds multi-state, multi-location payroll, an applicant tracking system, paperless onboarding, and POS integrations, while Supreme adds tip automation, state-specific break compliance, facial-recognition time tracking, certified HR support, and a state-specific handbook. It is used by chains including Earls, Freshii, The Keg, and Crumbl. It suits growing restaurant groups that want scheduling, payroll, and HR in one system with real-time labour cost visibility, but independents will find the minimum billing and quote-based upper tiers a barrier.
What we like- Tip automation, multi-state and multi-location payroll, POS integrations, and real-time sales versus labour reporting
Watch out for- No free tier or trial, and pricing beyond the $30 starting figure is opaque, since plan prices are not published and larger teams must request a quote
#3Homebase
Best for: Single small locations that want a genuinely usable free tier4.6/5 on
G2 (586 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit joinhomebase.com
Starting priceBasic plan free; paid plans Essentials $30, Plus $70, All-in-One $120 per location/month; third-party reported, since the figures did not render in a direct read of the vendor pricing page
Free planYes, free Basic plan for 1 location and up to 10 employees, plus a 14-day free trial of All-in-One
Homebase is the cheapest way into restaurant scheduling and HR for a single small location, with a genuinely usable free tier and per-location pricing, so adding staff does not raise the subscription. Paid tiers add GPS-verified clock-ins, labour forecasting against sales, PTO policies, onboarding paperwork including W-4, I-9, and W-9 forms, and access to certified HR advisors. It integrates with major point-of-sale systems and covers more than 150,000 small businesses. It suits single-location restaurants, cafes, and bars with hourly teams, while multi-location groups and operators needing deep HR or benefits will outgrow it.
What we like- Per-location pricing rather than per-employee pricing, so adding staff does not raise the subscription, with a free tier that covers scheduling, time tracking, and team messaging
Watch out for- Payroll is never included, not even on All-in-One, so the headline price understates the real bill, and hiring tools only start at Plus
#4
Restaurant365
Best for: Multi-unit restaurant groups that want accounting, inventory, and HR in one back office
Visit restaurant365.com
Starting priceProfessional plan $489 per location/month billed annually ($539 billed quarterly), verified on the vendor page; Workforce add-ons for hiring, payroll, and HR cost extra
Free planNo free plan and no free trial is offered
Restaurant365 is the full back-office suite for multi-unit restaurant groups, combining accounting, inventory, purchasing, scheduling, payroll, HR, and reporting in one system that integrates with point of sale, vendors, and banks. Its strength is financial reporting: automated profit and loss statements, recipe costing, food-cost tracking, and cross-location benchmarking. It suits groups of five or more locations or franchises that currently stitch together QuickBooks, spreadsheets, and a scheduling app. Single-location operators will find it far more system than they need.
What we like- The full back office in one system, with automated P and Ls, recipe costing, food-cost tracking, and cross-location benchmarking
Watch out for- HR and payroll are paid add-ons on top of an already expensive $489 per location base, and implementation typically takes 6 to 12 weeks
#5
Harri
Best for: Large hospitality groups, chains, and franchises running dozens of locations
Visit harri.com
Starting priceQuote; the full Employee Experience platform is quote-only, with no published pricing page
Free planNo free plan and no free trial
Harri is an enterprise hospitality workforce platform spanning high-volume hiring, onboarding, scheduling, time and attendance, compliance, engagement, and analytics. Its AI tools screen and score candidates, run one-click compliant scheduling, flag flight-risk employees, and block schedule publication when a violation appears. It suits large hospitality groups, chains, and franchises running dozens of locations with dedicated HR teams. It is far more platform than an independent restaurant needs, and its pricing opacity makes comparison shopping difficult.
What we like- AI screening and scoring of candidates, one-click compliant scheduling, flight-risk flags, and Fair Workweek compliance blocking built into schedule publication
Watch out for- Quote-only enterprise pricing with separate implementation fees, and no free plan or trial, so a small operator cannot even budget without a sales process
#6Toast
Best for: Restaurants already running Toast point of sale4.2/5 on
G2 (371 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit pos.toasttab.com
Starting priceNew Restaurants bundle (POS plus Payroll essentials plus basic scheduling) $69/month plus $9 per employee/month; third-party reported, since the plan prices did not render in a direct read of the vendor pricing page
Free planNo free trial for payroll; the Starter Kit POS tier starts at $0/month, but payroll itself is not free
Toast Payroll pulls hours and tips straight from the Toast point of sale and handles overtime across locations, multiple pay rates, tip pooling and distribution, tip makeup to minimum, and auto clock-out flagging, with federal, state, and local tax filing handled on the operator's behalf. Team Management adds scheduling, timekeeping, Tips Manager, and team chat, and payroll data syncs to QuickBooks Online. It is the natural pick for restaurants already running Toast POS, while for anyone else the hardware and point-of-sale lock-in is a real switching cost.
What we like- Hours and tips flow straight from the Toast point of sale into payroll, with tip pooling, tip makeup to minimum, overtime across locations, and tax filing handled for you
Watch out for- Toast Payroll requires an active Toast point-of-sale subscription and only runs on approved Toast hardware, so restaurants on another POS must switch their whole till system to use it
#7Square Payroll
Best for: Restaurants already running Square at the counter4.2/5 on
G2 (31 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit squareup.com
Starting priceFull-service payroll $35/month plus $6 per person paid per month; contractor-only payroll $6 per person paid per month with no base fee
Free planNo free plan and no free trial listed on the vendor pages
Square Payroll is built for the hourly-workforce business already running Square at the counter. Timecards, tips, overtime, and commissions flow straight from the Square point of sale and Team App into payroll, with unlimited pay runs, auto payroll, multistate payroll, multiple pay rates, direct-tip tracking and import, and automated federal and state tax payments and filings. A 10-person team pays $95 a month, and the per-person fee applies only in months someone is actually paid. It suits restaurants, cafes, and retail shops already on Square, while operators on another point of sale get little of the integration benefit.
What we like- Timecards, tips, overtime, and commissions flow straight from the Square point of sale and Team App into payroll, with automated federal and state tax payments and filings
Watch out for- There is no native hiring or applicant tracking, and scheduling is basic, covering only up to 10 days out, so it is payroll plus timecards rather than a full HR suite
#8
Workstream
Best for: Quick-service restaurant franchise groups with high-volume hiring
Visit workstream.us
Starting priceQuote; no numeric prices appear anywhere on the vendor pricing page
Free planNo free trial; the pricing page advertises up to 8 months of payroll free, subject to terms
Workstream is an all-in-one HR, payroll, and hiring platform purpose-built for hourly workforces, used by 46 of the top 50 US quick-service restaurant brands according to the vendor, including Taco Bell, Burger King, Five Guys, and Crumbl. Its hiring tools are mobile-first: text-to-apply with QR codes, VoiceAI and VideoAI screening, posting to more than 25,000 job boards, and two-way SMS with candidates. The HR and payroll side covers mobile onboarding, multi-EIN payroll, tip management, point-of-sale integration, and compliance monitoring. It suits quick-service franchise groups and multi-location operators with high-volume hiring, while single-location restaurants will find it oversized.
What we like- Mobile-first hiring with text-to-apply and QR codes, VoiceAI and VideoAI screening, posting to more than 25,000 job boards, and two-way SMS with candidates
Watch out for- No published prices and no self-serve trial, so every buyer must go through a demo and quote process, and scheduling, compliance, and benefits tracking are add-ons
Frequently asked questions
Does restaurant HR software handle tips?
The restaurant tools in this list do, but the details matter. 7shifts, Push Operations, Toast, Square Payroll, and Workstream all handle tip pooling and distribution, and Toast adds tip makeup to minimum wage. On 7shifts and Push Operations, tip automation sits on higher tiers, so check the plan you would actually buy. General HR software usually has no tip handling at all, which is why a restaurant-specific tool is worth the switch.
Is payroll included in restaurant HR software?
Sometimes, but often not. Homebase never includes payroll, charging $49 per month plus $6 per employee paid as an add-on on every plan. 7shifts charges extra for payroll, Toast Payroll requires a Toast point-of-sale subscription, and Restaurant365 sells payroll as a Workforce add-on. Square Payroll is a payroll product first, with limited HR around it. Add the payroll cost to the subscription price before you compare tools, or the cheapest option on paper may not be the cheapest in practice.
What is the cheapest HR software for a small restaurant?
Homebase and 7shifts both offer genuinely free plans for a single location with up to 10 or 15 employees, covering scheduling, time tracking, and team messaging. Homebase paid plans start at $30 per location per month, and 7shifts Essentials starts at $44.99 per location per month, with both figures third-party reported. Push Operations starts at $30 per month for 5 employees. For a single independent restaurant, a free plan plus a payroll add-on is usually the cheapest honest setup.
How do I hire faster for hourly restaurant roles?
Use a tool with mobile-first hiring: text-to-apply, QR codes on the door, and SMS with candidates, as Workstream and Harri offer. Speed matters more than polish for hourly roles, since candidates apply to several restaurants at once and take the first offer. Keep the application short, reply within hours rather than days, and use the onboarding tools in 7shifts or Push Operations to collect W-4 and I-9 forms on a phone before the first shift.
Should a multi-location restaurant group buy one system or one per site?
Buy one system that prices per location and shares employee records across sites, since staff often work at more than one location and managers need one view of labour cost. 7shifts, Push Operations, Restaurant365, Harri, and Workstream all support multi-location groups, while Homebase and Square Payroll suit single sites better. Check whether the per-location price includes scheduling and HR for every site, or whether payroll, hiring, and tip management are charged again per location.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.7shifts.com
- https://www.pushoperations.com/us/pushpricing
- https://www.joinhomebase.com/pricing
- https://www.restaurant365.com/finance/
- https://www.harri.com
- https://pos.toasttab.com/products/payroll
- https://squareup.com/us/en/payroll/pricing
- https://www.workstream.us/pricing
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.