Archive for June, 2007

Scheduling Is Not Usually Simple

Scheduling is much more than simply anticipating customer volume and then ensuring that there are an adequate number of employees present to handle peak busy periods. Because payroll is one of the largest controllable expenses, it is important to understand the underlying financial metrics involved in controlling payroll costs while still maintaining optimum staffing levels.

One of basic metrics is the “payroll to total sales ratio” which encompasses all fixed and variable payroll expenses including management salary. Mangers who strive for more accurate measurements often include non-payroll costs such as entertainment fees paid to live performers.

How long does it take to make an employee schedule? It should take less than 5 minutes! Did you know that labor costs could be as much as 30% of your expenses? TimeForge can help streamline and minimize labor costs through effective employee scheduling at your restaurant, bar, or club.

The Financial Side of Labor Management

In the previous articles, we have had a look at tangible and measurable variables that contribute to operating costs. We discussed how inventory control, portion control, budgeting and other sound business management practices work together to keep food costs down to a reasonable percentage of gross sales.

We have also had a brief look at labor costs and their contribution to overhead expenses. Now it’s time to take a closer look at the financial side of labor management and how effective scheduling can keep labor costs under control without negatively affecting the customer’s experience.

One of the most important tasks that any manager faces is staff scheduling. Oddly enough, as important as this task is, few managers receive any formal training in personnel scheduling. It’s something they are simply expected to know how to do. Unfortunately, many restaurant managers do not understand how to effectively schedule staff – and this costs the restaurant money and contributes to the amount of frustration among the managers and employees.

How long does it take to make an employee schedule? It should take less than 5 minutes! Did you know that labor costs could be as much as 30% of your expenses? TimeForge can help streamline and minimize labor costs through effective employee scheduling at your restaurant, bar, or club.

Valued customers and trial users of TimeForge.com, the worlds best restaurant employee scheduling software …. we are very sorry for a recent blooper.

It appears that several emails that were sent to our support and info mailboxes over the last few weeks were mistakenly routed to the wrong location, and were not checked until today. There were about forty emails in the mailboxes, and we have already responded to everyone that had sent us questions, comments, or suggestions.

Remember, you can reach us at anytime at support@timeforge.com or info@timeforge.com.

Again, we apologize for this mistake and have taken the necessary steps to ensure it does not ever happen again. Thanks for your understanding!

How long does it take to make an employee schedule? It should take less than 5 minutes! Did you know that labor costs could be as much as 30% of your expenses? TimeForge can help streamline and minimize labor costs through effective employee scheduling at your restaurant, bar, or club.