HR & Ops

Restaurant Weekly Shift Schedule Labor Cost Estimator

Inputs

Plain-English guide

Terms & how it works

Confused by a field? Read the short definitions here while you use the tool.

  • inputs

    Your numbers

    Estimate restaurant weekly labor from shifts, wage, and headcount. Free online estimator, no sign up.

Weekly labor = Σ (shifts × hours per shift × wage × people). Labor % = weekly labor ÷ weekly sales.

Rolls a week of restaurant shifts into labor cost: roles, hours, wage rates, and a simple labor-to-sales check if you enter weekly sales.

When to use this restaurant weekly shift schedule labor cost estimator

Common use cases

  • Estimate restaurant weekly labor from shifts, wage, and headcount. Free online estimator, no sign up.
  • Sanity-check with this scenario: FOH: 40 shifts × 6h × $18 = $4,320. BOH: 28 × 8h × $22 = $4,928. Weekly labor $9,248. On $32k sales that is 28.9%.
  • The relationship is: Weekly labor = Σ (shifts × hours per shift × wage × people). Labor % = weekly labor ÷ weekly sales.

Localized examples

  • HR & Ops: the example on this page uses the same formula as the widget.

What you get

  • Workspace controls for this exact question
  • Weekly labor = Σ (shifts × hours per shift × wage × people). Labor % = weekly labor ÷ weekly sales.
  • Scenario on the page: FOH: 40 shifts × 6h × $18 = $4,320. BOH: 28 × 8h × $22 = $4,928. Weekly labor $9,248. On $32k sales that is 28.9%.

How to Calculate Restaurant Weekly Shift Schedule Labor Cost Estimator

  1. 1Rolls a week of restaurant shifts into labor cost: roles, hours, wage rates, and a simple labor-to-sales check if you enter weekly sales.
  2. 2Weekly labor = Σ (shifts × hours per shift × wage × people). Labor % = weekly labor ÷ weekly sales.
  3. 3Scenario: FOH: 40 shifts × 6h × $18 = $4,320. BOH: 28 × 8h × $22 = $4,928. Weekly labor $9,248. On $32k sales that is 28.9%.
  4. 4Labor % is the ops lever restaurants watch weekly. Estimating it from the actual shift grid beats last month’s P&L.

Formula and methodology

Governing formula

Weekly labor = Σ (shifts × hours per shift × wage × people). Labor % = weekly labor ÷ weekly sales.

Scenario: FOH: 40 shifts × 6h × $18 = $4,320. BOH: 28 × 8h × $22 = $4,928. Weekly labor $9,248. On $32k sales that is 28.9%.

Labor % is the ops lever restaurants watch weekly. Estimating it from the actual shift grid beats last month’s P&L.

Frequently Asked Questions

Many full-service rooms target roughly 25–35% of sales all-in; quick service can run lower. Use your concept, not a universal rule.

HR & Ops