Direct Labor Cost: Definition, Calculation, And Expert Tips
Direct labor cost is one of the key components of fundamental business benchmarks such as efficiency and profitability. It’s no wonder, then, that understanding and…
Labor costs for restaurants
Get the most out of your largest expense—your labor cost. Optimize your restaurant's cost of labor as you schedule and see opportunities to save money.
Thousands of restaurants like yours use Sling to handle their labor cost tracking.
Manage your restaurant’s cost of labor
Calculate labor costs as you schedule and project the cost.
Assign wages to restaurant employees
View the labor cost of each shift
Increase your margins per shift
Take control of your labor costs
Stay within your labor budget
Decide how much your restaurant spends on employee labor.
Set a labor budget and stick to it
Avoid overspending on employee labor
Get alerts when your schedule exceeds your labor budget
Schedule just the right amount of restaurant staff you need
Prevent expensive overtime
Cut down on costly extra hours here and there.
See upcoming overtime as you schedule
Get notifications when someone is scheduled for overtime
Schedule an alternative if overtime exceeds your budget
Track restaurant overtime for labor law compliance
Track restaurant labor vs. revenue
Use your restaurant’s sales data to see how much employee labor to schedule.
Enter historical and projected sales numbers
View labor as a percentage of restaurant sales
See if your labor percentage of sales exceeds your budget
Optimize your labor costs versus food and beverage revenue
Integrate with other software
Connect Sling with other common tools you already use for a more complete way of running your business
Gusto
Shopify
Square
And more
I love Sling.
This is so easy to use and communicate with your staff, my favorite function is that staff can switch shifts and I just hit approve, no more 10 texts, the scheduling is very easy to do and I can even do it from my phone!
Take control of your restaurant’s cost of labor
Calculate restaurant labor costs
See how much your restaurant employee labor is costing you, right as you schedule.
Avoid overstaffing your restaurant
Schedule just the right amount of help you need based on revenue volume.
Analyze your restaurant’s labor costs
Assess your labor costs and use the data to make improvements to your schedule.
More than a restaurant labor costs app
Everything you need to manage employees and keep them coming back to your restaurant
It always has what I need, when I need it.
When I come across scenarios of needing a certain feature I've never used before- it has already been thought of and is available.
Frequently asked questions
What are restaurant labor costs?
Restaurant labor costs are everything related to the price of having employees. Examples include wages, benefits, supplies and much more.
Why are labor costs important?
If your restaurant has employees, chances are they’re one of your largest expenses. Strike a balance between compensating fairly and overpaying.
How do I lower my restaurant labor cost?
To lower your restaurant’s labor costs, start by tracking your spending and projecting costs as you schedule your employees. That will help you spot changes to make. Read more about controlling restaurant labor costs here.
Is Sling good for lowering restaurant labor costs?
Yes! Using Sling to schedule and track your restaurant’s cost of labor, you can see exactly how much each shift is projected to cost and make adjustments as needed.
Get started today
Schedule faster, communicate better, get things done.
Labor cost tracking, and so much more
Maximize your restaurant's potential and increase profits with a full suite of employee management tools. Enjoy a 15-day free trial and make the most of tools to lower labor costs.
Bill monthly
Bill annually
Save 15%
Unlimited managers, employees and locations
Free
Unlock your team’s potential with easy-to-use scheduling and communication features.
Free
Key features
- Shift scheduling
Organize and manage employee work schedules
- Time-off requests
Approve or deny employee requests for time off
- Available shifts
Easily see which shifts still need to be filled
- News sharing
Share news with your team through targeted pages
- Long-term scheduling
Build employee schedules months in advance
- Private messaging
Communicate with employees one-on-one
Plus many others
Premium
Take it to the next level by adding tools for tracking time and optimizing labor costs.
$2.001.70
per user per monthKey features
- Mobile time tracking
Accurately clock in and out of shifts from a moble device
- Labor cost management
Keep track of your labor costs and compare against sales
- Overtime tracking
Track, analyze and prevent excessive overtime
- Private and group messaging
Communicate with employees in private or group conversations
- Calendar synchronization
Keep track of your scheduled shifts on any calendar app
Plus everything in Free
Business
RecommendedUnderstand your labor data, pull reports for payroll, and run your business efficiently!
$4.003.40
per user per monthKey features
- Kiosk time tracking
Use a shared device for employees to clock in and out
- Reports
View reports of total hours worked and wages earned
- No-shows
Track and manage shifts employees miss
- Sick call-outs
Track and manage employee sick call-outs
- PTO management
Approve and track paid time off requests
Plus everything in Premium
Cool management software
Easy to use, our employees find it very intuitive.