Operating question · Labor planning
The lunch rush slowed but labor stayed high.
Before Service 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.
Focused output
IN REVIEWCoverage decision
System generated — operator review required.
What it answers
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.
Inputs
Signals used to prepare the brief
- 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
Output artifact
Schedule guidance that respects demand and the team.
- Demand-aligned shift recommendations by daypart
- SPLH guardrails per location, with breach forecasting
- Slow-shift cut suggestions ranked by impact
Confidence + rationale
Readable evidence, not a black box
- Forecast covers, role coverage, and service-period pressure
- Confidence shown beside the recommendation
- Source signals stay available for review
Operator boundary
The system prepares the call. Your team confirms it.
Realistic pre-service scenario
Dinner demand rises after 7 PM. The brief asks the manager to confirm one runner for the peak window.
No automatic action. A human operator reviews every decision.
Service sequence
How a GM finalizes the week's schedule.
- Wednesday 09:00
Forecast for next week lands; labor recommendations populate the schedule.
- 09:15
GM approves Sat AM 4-hour cut and Fri PM line cook addition.
- Friday 06:30
Brief flags labor mismatch on Sun PM as new bookings come in.
- Sun 14:00
Cut recommendation triggers; manager calls it in.
- Monday 07:00
SPLH actual vs target reported in the weekly Pre-Service 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. Before Service 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.