HotSchedules
Scheduling and workforce management for restaurants
4.4 /5 (398 reviews) Write a Review!
Your Schedule On The Go!
Pros
I really enjoy the convenience of being able to view your work schedule remotely and anywhere for that matter! Set up an email or a Gmail account and it's delivered right to your inbox! Gone are the days of having to call your employer or having to drive to your place of employment to view it on paper. "Your" time is valuable and let's be honest, none of us want to go to work on our days off for any reason!
Cons
I really and truthfully speaking have nothing negative to include with Hot Schedules. It's been a great software addition to our store and team! If someone did tell me that I had to pick out one feature that I don't care for, I guess it'd be the "How was your shift?" feature that pops up when logging on. That said, it's such a minor dislike and isn't really worth mentioning.
Great tool to schedule your employees
Using for 7 years and if they would not keep changing the format I could say I love it. Anyhow it is great app for managers, easy quick access to employees list, phone numbers, emails and etc.
Pros
I'm doing schedules for my employees weekly and this app has few great features. Coping, modifying and automatically feeling schedules are only few of them.
Cons
Constantly changing the format. Right after I'm used to one they changing it again.
hotschedules review
It's got so many options - none exactly what I need - that it is almost too cumbersome. I would like more flexibility to create template shifts and place them on days as needed, with it being ok that some days there are blank shifts left over. Rather than now, when if I make a template and want a day to be scheduled lightly, it tells the staff there's a house shift open. The template feature is practically more work than just starting from scratch each week. I hate entering the times of a shift and having it immediately autocorrect to the last half hour. For example if I want a shift to start at 1:30PM and end at 10:30PM, I have to type 1:30, click off and it will change it to 1:00, click back on to get to 1:30, and repeat to get the end time to read 10:30 instead of 10, then repeat to get PM instead of AM. I'd also like to not have to redo the schedule report generator so that it's easier to read every week, for the printed schedule we keep in the shop. All those outlines, yikes! What I do like is the messaging/staff communication parts. Requests off are clear and easy, same with shift swapping. I like being able to create blackout days for no requests off, and I like that I can easily see who wants off when and when the RO was made.
Pros
Requests off, availability, blackout dates, staff communication sections. The app works great for everyone.
Cons
No ease of use when making the schedule - autocorrecting number entries constantly, schedule templates aren't what I need, schedule report is difficult to read.
Response from HotSchedules
Hi Darla!
Thank you for reaching out and providing feedback for us. We're sorry you're having a hard time navigating the scheduling templates. These articles may be of use to you in better explaining the process of scheduling using custom and blank templates and auto-scheduling!
https://help.hotschedules.com/hc/en-us/articles/215565977-HS-How-to-Use-the-Autoscheduler
https://help.hotschedules.com/hc/en-us/articles/218955327-HS-New-Scheduler-Generating-Templates-
https://help.hotschedules.com/hc/en-us/articles/222579107-HS-Templates-and-the-New-Scheduler
If you are still having issues, please contact customer care for assistance!
https://help.hotschedules.com/hc/en-us/articles/222476127-Contact-Us-Customer-Care-Support-
Extremely helpful!
I would highly recommend. It is easy to set up and is user friendly for all ages. Since it helps with scheduling, dropping shifts and picking up shifts, our Managers are able to focus more of their time on other aspects of the business.
Pros
The ability to save a template for a weekly schedule. At our job we put a schedule out on a weekly basis and we don't have to start from scratch every week. It used to take use 5 hours to do the schedule and now it takes us 1 hour. A huge lifesaver!
Cons
The look of the software feels a tad outdate. Though that is not a huge deal, it tends to have unnecessary pop-ups or "menu" buttons. However, not enough of a con to ever have me consider using a different product.
Great Features
It's been very useful and helpful in managing scheduling. The pros definitely outweigh the cons!
Pros
We use HotSchedules mainly for scheduling and messaging the team (direct messages, broadcasts). The scheduling features are great - we especially love that team members can swap and pick up shifts on their own, that saves us a lot of time. And the broadcast messages are great for getting important information out - everyone looks at their schedule, so everyone sees the broadcasts.
Cons
The website and app are very slow to use. Creating the schedule can be a pain as the interface is very slow, and the app will load for several seconds between each page while navigating. This can lead to some frustration.
Overall Fine
Overall, I would probably use again. I imagine after they finish all of the big updates, it will run a little more smoothly.
Pros
This product made holding the staff accountable for knowing not only their schedules, but also any messages that needed to be mass sent out.
Cons
This software had frequent updates that caused glitches often. They also changed key features often, which made weekly logins a surprise.
Great scheduling program
I have had a good experience with this program. Keeps everything organized, and easy to get extra work if needed. Plus you can see your pay stubs on there as well. Everything all in one place.
Pros
I love being able to see your schedule online, and being able to pick up extra shifts or let them go as needed.
Cons
Sometimes if you cant get connection there is no way to check something online. Your schedule is a important part or your job.
Very convenient for workers and managers
Flawless module for picking and dropping shifts. Approval is based on managers not the app itself.
Pros
The instant option to pick up or drop a shift is extremely convenient. The scheduling calendar is very easy to understand for double shifts.
Cons
The message system for co workers could be a little easier to understand as well as the notification previews.
HotSchedules Review
Overall, it eased schedule making for managers, but made it difficult for employees to clock in or out.
Pros
As a restaurant manager, this allowed my team to view their schedules and others' in an organized manner, and provided an easy to navigate space for employees.
Cons
We had several issues with employees clocking in. The app did not allow us to clock in without consistent manager approval, and we never were able to fix this problem. Ultimately, it made it harder to clock in than just using a piece of paper.
HotSchedules review
Overall, I really loved my experience with HotSchedules. It was a great program for me to know when and what shifts I was working.
Pros
I loved the mobile phone interface that HotSchedules had. Very simple, easy to read, and easy to connect with my manager for clarifications or changes.
Cons
There were a few instances where some features required me to go back pages in order to do what I needed to get to. Maybe there could be a universal toolbar with the most popular/used features on each page for easier access.
General Manager and partner
It is very difficult to get responses from customer support. It will take a day and up to 3 to hear anything back and that is in several different support groups. Also, the fact that you get shuffled from one type of support to another is quite frustrating. When you start you have 1 person that owns the majority of the experience.She was great! But once you get passed on to customer support it feels like you are lost.
I also have an issue with the scheduling functionality. It is impossible to view an entire day of a schedule either in the schedule or the template. There used to be a button at the top of the schedule that allowed you to see the entire day, who was scheduled in each station, all at a glance. The new functionality makes it incredibly difficult to manage the level of staff on a shift.
Pros
The logbook feature, the advanced floor maps (which are an additional cost..), and the messaging feature.
Cons
Again the scheduling software is not very user friendly. Clearly there were some adjustments made that helped with writing a schedule, but not being able to view it as easily is frustrating.
Response from HotSchedules
Hey Carisa!
Thank you for the feedback. We apologize for the frustration you've been experiencing with our product and customer support services. Here is an article to an overview of the new scheduler that might be helpful.
https://help.hotschedules.com/hc/en-us/articles/218408118-HS-New-Scheduler-Overview
Please reach out if you are continuing to experience difficulty with the software.
This software is easy to use and a great way to communicate.
The largest benefit was time management. I have a lot more time to do other things that improve our guest's experience, which is the bottom line of my job.
Pros
The communication side of it is great. I have less meetings now that I can send out mass messages. The scheduler itself is top notch. I can move shifts around quickly using the quick keys and copying schedules is a snap. Having the freedom to do my schedule anywhere and being able to approve or deny schedule changes from my phone makes those decisions more informed. We use it to document all incidents good and bad on employees, so when an evaluation comes around you have all that information at your fingertips. It makes a great reservation scheduler. The roster report is the first thing I print out in the mornings to make sure everyone is here and where they are supposed to be and if they are not I have all the phone numbers on that sheet. The fact that it gives you the number of hours for everyone helps with creating budgets for the week.
Cons
My biggest complaint is that part of the expense for the is put on the employee. I know it's very little but some employees don't have a bank account or credit card and have trouble making the purchase. It seems to me that the revenue generated by that could be built into the cost of the software on the employer side.
Restaurant Must have
As a former manager at a Texas Roadhouse, I was familiar with this software, and eager to bring it to my new venture. It immediately eliminated the use of paper schedules, and the chaos of employees switching shifts without making management aware. This increased both labor costs, and morale.
Pros
It’s easy to use, built for high volume restaurants. I took a restaurant that was still relying on paper, emailed schedules, and converted them to Bot Schedules. This eliminated issues of shift coverage changes, where we expected one employee, but another showed up, and all the associated communication issues.
Cons
It was much more difficult to order and install that I previously remember. Customer service in the sales department was definitely lacking just a touch. Once we got the ball rolling it was fine, but the initial sale was a bit rocky to start.
Much better then paper schedule
Very positive experience. Made my schedule less chaotic and gives me options to control my work days and days off much better without having to deal with manger directly lol
Pros
Having a restaurant job means cheotic schedule. It's never the same. Impossible to keep up with and memorize. My last job had hot schedules but my new job doesn't:/ it's a nightmare without it. I miss it so much. It is so convenient to pick up and realise shifts whenever I please. No need to call or txt my co workers. Everything is done thru the app. App is not free but cheap and worth every single penny. I love that I can request days off and my ability. Super convenient. You have to wait for manager to approve or not of your request. I can see who my co workers will be for the shift. I can see all phone numbers and emails of my co workers. Every restaurant should have this app. It's very easy as well so even my 70 year old co worker knows how to use it. Very well done .
Cons
Sometimes I get loged out and have trouble logging back in. It froze few times. Could use more color and some fun options like emoji me lol make work schedule more fun
Good Scheduler
Overall its very good. I don't have much issue with it, but the UI could be definitely be better.
Pros
Hotschedules won our business by having the best Aloha POS integration of all the companies we spoke with. Employees that are added to our system are automatically synced with Hotschedules so you can quickly begin adding them to the schedule. The integration also allows us to restrict employees from clocking in too early or late with saves labor and allows you to quickly identify the less punctual employees. Finally, the integration also pulls historical sales data from our POS and uses it to establish a good sales forecast that you can use to budget your labor accurately.
Cons
The app and website are just not as intuitive and streamline as I would like. Previously we had used PeopleMatter schedule, which had a much less cluttered and more user friendly interface. Hotschedules also starts to think it knows how to schedule better than the manager and will start adding "House Shifts" to your schedule that employees can pick up, which frustrates me when I really don't need that shift covered.
Great scheduling ap
One of the best scheduling websites I've ever seen or used.
Pros
As a user, I love how easy this product is. You can view your schedule, see who else is working, and swap and release shifts without an issue. It has an easy to use web browser, and mobile ap (although you do pay for it) so you can use hotschedules whichever way you prefer. It also has a great messaging system which allows you to message entire groups of people at once (management, kitchen, servers). It also tells you how many people are ahead of you on a wait list for a shift you picked up. The autopick up function is excellent as well for when you need to get a shift and non are available.
Cons
I am not a fan of the most recent update. Prior, you would be able to "see all schedule" and see the entire week, alphabetically, where everyone was working etc. Now however, you can't see the weekly schedule at once and you need to click day by day. This can be challenging when trying to swap shifts with other staff, or see others schedules.
Hotschedules Implimentation
I recently signed up for hotschedules for my business that opens up in March. The support staff was great and very knowledgable in questions I had for hotschedules.
Pros
I love that this software is more comman than it use to be. Most employees hired have heard or used hotschedules which makes the transition alot easier. Communication threw hotschedules makes this program a must for any business that has a decent sized staff
Cons
Software is great however it is a little pricey for what it does. Dont get me wrong its great but just a hair high
Response from HotSchedules
Anthony,
We know you're very busy, so thank you for taking time out of your day to provide us feedback. We appreciate your role in our community.
If you have any specific suggestions for product enhancements, please do not hesitate to voice your thoughts on our community forum page!
https://help.hotschedules.com/hc/en-us/community/topics/200388757-Feature-Requests
Happy Scheduling!
Hotschedules Is Perfect For The Hospitality Industry
This has helped manage overtime before it even happens. While scheduling employees, the software calculates the hours and gives you a warning for any person that is going into or approaching overtime. This has saved us money and helped better allocate time. Hotschedules is a game changer for the hospitality industry.
Pros
This software is extremely user friendly. I love that my staff is able to put all of their availability changes, requests for time off and switch shifts through the software. It makes it extremely easy to create the schedule each week. Tracking of overtime is a huge help as a manager as well. This is a must have tool for anyone in the hospitality industry. It will save your scheduling sanity!
Cons
The only downside to this software is the cost for the app. While it is minimal and you can still log in for free through any web browser, a free app would be ideal for the hourly employees. I honestly have no other bad things to say about this software. I highly recommend it!
One of the owners for Sedona Taphouse
I liked the old version better where you could click the roster button while writing a schedule and see a snap shot of that day. Everyone I know can not figure out why you got rid of that. Also I have been asking for years that you make it where we can set a max amount of request per day. Like 3 request off on monday, 4 on tuesday, 2 on sunday etc... so if I could allow 2 request off on sunday. When the 3rd person went to request off it would give them a pop up that would need to be approved by a manager.
Pros
Reporting and ease to swap shift
Cons
No way to set request off parameters by the day. Schedule writing is harder with the new version
Response from HotSchedules
Joseph,
Thank you for taking time out of your day to provide us with feedback, we really appreciate it! We apologize for the less than exceptional ease of use with our new interface.
We value any and all feedback to better improve our products-we have a community request page where you can submit your thoughts and insights directly to our Customer Support team. Thanks for being a part of our community!
https://help.hotschedules.com/hc/en-us/community/topics/200388757-Feature-Requests
Great for scheduling staff in the restaurant industry
I used this app to schedule a full restaurant staff including FOH BOH and Managers. This tool is incredible useful and negates the need to figure out scheduling most weeks. All employees can submit their availability and I can schedule them badsed off of this availability without thinking to check because it bars me from scheudling people outside of their approved availability. No more scheduling issues!
Pros
Intuitive User interface
Easy to add new users
Great scheduling utility
incredible for contacting staff on a large scale
Has a mobile app that users can use
Cons
The mobile app costs money so most of my staff refuses to download this app which sends them push notifications in the event I need to contact them all. I believe that since we are already paying to use the software this app should be free to download. Without a login the application is useless so the fact you need to pay to download the app is very ridiculous.
Ocean Blue Review
We use a few of your products, HotShedules, LogBook, Inventory. All of them make our job easier and more affective. There is a lot of room to grow with the Inventory product. Hopefully we will see improvements in the future. Still, very pleased with all the products.
Pros
IOS Compatibilty, cloud based.
Cons
Reporting can be cumbersome at times. Not all functions work well on Safari Browser.
Response from HotSchedules
Francis,
Thank you for taking the time to write us a review, we really appreciate it! We value any and all feedback for our products to influence updates in the future. We have a community request forum where you can voice your ideas and insights directly to a Customer Care specialist. Thanks again!
https://help.hotschedules.com/hc/en-us/community/topics/200388757-Feature-Requests
Very convenient tool
Overall, our business couldn't function without HotSchedules. It makes scheduling easy for managers and provides vital flexibility for employees. It might be overkill for small teams, but if you frequently schedule several people for many shifts each week, it's well worth the cost.
Pros
HotSchedules allows employees to trade shifts, pick up shifts, and see their schedules very easily. It makes managing personnel and schedules so much easier for managers, and it's great for the team to have added flexibility. Without HotSchedules, trading shifts can be a nightmare for both employee and manager alike.
Cons
The only con we've seen is that HotSchedules has built-in rejections for some requests. In theory, this is a great tool - if you don't meet the criteria to make the request, then it's automatically rejected. However, there are some manual workarounds, which means employees still make requests to the manager rather than via HotSchedules since they know there can be adjustments made. This really isn't a complaint of HotSchedules since it works as it's supposed to, but just a head's up that there will still be manual adjustments.
Hot for HotSchedules
Over all hot schedules is a solid platform that is definitely beneficial to a smooth running operation as far as scheduling and management communication
Pros
Hot schedules makes scheduling different departments and coordinating everybody extremely easy. The platforms are easy to understand and can be accessed by anyone given authority to use the system.
Cons
The system allows for people to request for time off and to make comments. One of the only downsides of this product was that employees talked last to management about scheduling and tried to do literally all of it through hot schedules which sometimes lead to some conflict Over all hot schedules is a solid platform that is definitely beneficial to a smooth running operation as far as scheduling and management communication goes
everything in one place
i like that i can easily access the schedules and requests off in one place. I am not a fan that they took away the option to easily see what date someone made the request though. that was a feature i used often.
Pros
easy to use, keeps your organized, accessible from anywhere
Cons
the new scheduler takes longer to enter, and they took away the option to hover over a request off and see the reason and date requested. please bring back!
Response from HotSchedules
Justine,
Thank you for taking the time to write us a review, we really appreciate it! We value any and all feedback to influence the updates we make to our product in the future. We have a community request forum where you can voice your thoughts to our Customer Support team!
https://help.hotschedules.com/hc/en-us/community/topics/200388757-Feature-Requests
Easy to use
I am not quick to learn anything regarding computer programs, but hotschedules is very easy to use. Makes putting your schedule together stress free. At times website itself has issues that can be frustrating.
Pros
Makes schedule making quick.
Cons
The website goes down or kicks you off for extended periods of time. I will say this happens less frequently than it used to. I have used hotschedules for almost six years.
Response from HotSchedules
Jeanne,
Thank you for taking time out of your day to provide feedback for us, we really appreciate it! We are happy to help make your business more efficient. We apologize for the complications you've been experiencing with our site at times, we have have a status page that shows when we have brief latency issues that might be of use. Thank you for being a part of our community for so long!
https://status.hotschedules.com/
Wonderful! I can easily access using the app from my phone a comprehensive view of todays roster and more! Helping me as a director plan a shift before I even get to work. Especially important to plan in my business because surprises arise frequently and daily. I can also easily request time off needed through the app, call, text, or even email my staff if needed to. Hot Schedules saves me and my company time, money, and helps our business to stay productive!