Labor planning
The lunch rush slowed but labor stayed high.
MarginKitchen aligns the schedule to the forecasted demand curve, flags SPLH breaches before they happen, and recommends the labor calls that protect both the guest experience and the margin.
Labor
−6%
labor cost
The leak
Schedules built on memory don't match the day that arrives.
When a shift overstaffs by even one position for 4 hours, the labor cost wipes out the GP on a full party. Most operators only see it on next Friday's payroll.
- Three over par at 2pm, fourteen covers on the books.
- Busy Friday 86'd hero dish — kitchen one cook short at peak.
- SPLH target missed three weeks running, no root-cause shown.
- Schedules don't update when forecast changes mid-week.
How operators use it
Schedule guidance that respects demand and the team.
MarginKitchen recommends shift adjustments — cuts, additions, splits — sized against the cover forecast and your SPLH target. Managers approve in one tap; the model learns the calls you actually make.
- Demand-aligned shift recommendations by daypart
- SPLH guardrails per location, with breach forecasting
- Slow-shift cut suggestions ranked by impact
- Busy-shift reinforcement before service, not after
- Mid-week re-runs when forecast moves materially
Service timeline
How a GM finalizes the week's schedule.
- Step 01
Wednesday 09:00
Forecast for next week lands; labor recommendations populate the schedule.
- Step 02
09:15
GM approves Sat AM 4-hour cut and Fri PM line cook addition.
- Step 03
Friday 06:30
Brief flags labor mismatch on Sun PM as new bookings come in.
- Step 04
Sun 14:00
Cut recommendation triggers; manager calls it in.
- Step 05
Monday 07:00
SPLH actual vs target reported in the weekly profit brief.
Connected workflows
Labor sits between forecast and the daily brief.
Stop paying for staff the rush won't need.
Import your schedule and 4 weeks of sales — your first labor recommendations land before next week's publish.
FAQ
Questions operators actually ask.
No. MarginKitchen sits on top of the POS, schedule and vendor invoices you already use. We turn that data into the daily decisions a POS won't tell you — what to prep, who to staff, what to re-price, what to 86.