Stop Getting Surprised by Labor Costs
AnchOps shows you labor costs as you build your schedule—so you can hit your budget before the week even starts.
Labor Costs Shouldn't Be a Mystery Until Payroll
You've been there. You build what feels like a reasonable schedule, the week runs fine, and then payroll hits—and you're way over budget. Where did the money go?
The problem is that most restaurant owners are flying blind:
- •You don't know if you're over budget until it's too late
- •Scheduling happens in one place, budgeting in another (or not at all)
- •Overtime creeps in without anyone noticing
- •You're staffing based on gut feel instead of actual sales data
- •Profit margins disappear, and you're not sure why
Labor is one of your biggest controllable costs. You shouldn't have to wait until payroll to find out if you controlled it. (See the 5 scheduling mistakes that cost restaurants money.)
Your Schedule IS Your Labor Budget
Here's the thing: every shift you add to your schedule is money you're committing to spend. Your schedule isn't separate from your budget—it IS your budget.
AnchOps makes that visible from the start. You see the labor cost impact of every scheduling decision in real time, so you can make adjustments before the week begins—not after the damage is done.
[Screenshot: Budget updating in real-time as shifts are added to schedule]
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Everything You Need to Control Labor Costs
Set Your Target and Stick to It
Define your target labor cost percentage at the system level. This becomes your benchmark—the line between a good week and a bad one. Every time you look at your budget, you'll know instantly if you're on track.
Not sure what your target should be? Start somewhere. Even a rough target is better than none. You can refine it as you learn.
Typical restaurant labor cost target
Budget by Day, Your Way
Set daily labor budgets by target hours or by watching your labor % adjust relative to a sales forecast for the day—whichever makes more sense for how you think about your business.
When you apply a shift template, AnchOps automatically sets the daily budget based on the hours built into that template. No extra work required. And if you need to override it for a special event or slow season, you can do that too.
See Labor Costs as You Schedule
This is where it all comes together. As you build your schedule, you see budgeted hours vs. scheduled hours in real time. You'll know if you're over budget before you publish—not after the week is over.
No more guessing. No more hoping it works out. You'll know.
The Monthly Calendar View
Step back and see the big picture. The monthly calendar view shows your budget vs. actuals for every day of the month, populating as the days go by.
Spot trends at a glance. See which days consistently run over. Identify where you're leaving money on the table. It turns labor cost management from a reactive scramble into a proactive discipline.
Forecast with Real Sales Data
If you're connected to Toast, AnchOps pulls your trailing 4-week sales averages by weekday. You'll see those numbers right in the calendar view, helping you set smarter budgets based on what actually happened—not what you think might happen.
Match your staffing to expected demand. Stop overstaffing slow Tuesdays and understaffing busy Saturdays.
Track Actuals and Learn Over Time
As timecards come in, your calendar updates with actual labor costs. At the end of the month, you'll have a clear record of where you hit your budget and where you missed.
Over time, you'll get better at forecasting. You'll learn the patterns of your business. And you'll stop getting surprised.
What Should Your Labor Cost Percentage Be?
This is one of the most common questions restaurant owners ask. Here's the short answer:
Most restaurants target 25-35% of revenue for labor costs.
It varies by restaurant type:
Your target depends on your service model, your market, and your margins. There's no single right answer—but having a target at all puts you ahead of most operators.
AnchOps doesn't tell you what your target should be. It helps you hit whatever target you set.
Budgeting and Scheduling in One Place
Here's what usually happens: scheduling lives in one tool (or on paper), budgeting lives in a spreadsheet (or your head), and you try to reconcile them after the fact. By then, it's too late.
AnchOps connects them. When you schedule a shift, you're making a budget decision—and you see it that way in real time. No more separate systems. No more reconciliation. Just one view of the truth.
Powered by Your POS Data
AnchOps integrates with Toast POS to make labor cost management even easier.
- Sales data pulls automatically—no manual entry
- Trailing 4-week averages by weekday help you forecast
- Timecard data flows in for accurate actuals
- Employee data syncs so you're not duplicating work
Already using Toast? You'll be up and running in minutes. The same integration also powers automated tip calculations—so your whole operation runs on the same data.
Don't use Toast? You can still use AnchOps with manual data entry. More POS integrations are on the roadmap.
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Built by a Restaurant Owner Who Got Tired of Guessing
"For the first year I owned Pizza Harbour, I didn't set any labor budgets. We were overstaffed when slow, understaffed when busy, and barely breaking even—sometimes losing money. Once I started budgeting—even with a rough guess—everything changed. We went from barely profitable to consistently making money. AnchOps is the tool I built to make that easy for everyone."
Tony
Founder of AnchOps & Owner of Pizza Harbour
Frequently Asked Questions
What's a good labor cost percentage for restaurants?
Most restaurants target 25-35% of revenue, depending on service style. Full-service typically runs higher (30-35%), while fast casual and QSR run leaner (25-30%). AnchOps lets you set your own target based on your business model.
How does AnchOps calculate labor costs?
Labor cost is calculated based on scheduled hours multiplied by employee pay rates. As actuals come in from timecards, the calendar updates to show what you actually spent vs. what you budgeted.
Can I set different budgets for different days?
Yes. You can set daily budgets by hours or dollars. When you apply a shift template, budgets are automatically set based on the hours in the template—or you can override manually for special situations.
Does this work without a POS integration?
Yes. You can enter sales data manually. The Toast integration makes it automatic and pulls historical averages to help with forecasting, but it's not required.
How does labor cost management connect to scheduling?
They're the same thing in AnchOps. As you build your schedule, you see the labor cost impact in real time. No separate spreadsheets, no after-the-fact reconciliation.
How much does AnchOps cost?
$59.99 per month, per location. There's a free 15-day trial with no credit card required.
Ready to Take Control of Your Labor Costs?
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