Technology
How AI Scheduling Found $20K in Labor Savings at Just 10 Stores
A 10-store brand was losing $20K monthly despite hitting labor targets because hours were spread evenly instead of aligned with peak demand. AI scheduling identified these allocation gaps and redistributed the same total hours to match traffic patterns, unlocking $20K-$35K in savings.
September 19, 2025
You’re under pressure to reduce labor costs, but the problem isn’t always obvious. Reports say stores are hitting hourly labor targets, yet you’re still losing $20,000 a month across 10 locations.
The truth? The leak isn’t in the total hours—it’s in when and where those hours are applied.
The Hidden Labor Leak
On paper, your locations look fine. Prep teams clock in on time. Closing teams follow checklists. Everyone meets staffing guidelines.
But dig deeper, and you’ll see the issue: labor hours spread evenly across the day instead of aligning with peak demand. Teams are working the right number of hours—but not at the right times.
The Discovery
Compare two stores on a Thursday lunch rush:
- High-performing location: 6 team members during the 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. peak, then reducing to 3 during the slow afternoon.
- Struggling location: 4 team members consistently from 10 a.m.–4 p.m., never adjusting for traffic.
Both used the same total hours, but only one maximized them.
SynergySuite’s AI Engine identifies these allocation gaps automatically, spotting inefficiencies between locations that could take weeks to uncover manually.
The Simple Solution
Instead of adding headcount or launching new initiatives, you reallocate existing hours:
- Increase coverage during documented peak periods.
- Reduce coverage during documented slow times.
- Keep the same total labor hours per location.
No added cost. No new hires. Just smarter distribution of the hours you already budgeted.
Real Impact
Depending on AUV, a 2.8-point labor improvement typically unlocks $20K–$35K in monthly savings across 10 locations. Operators using SynergySuite see labor variances shrink in weeks, not months.
And the bigger your portfolio, the bigger the payoff. If a 10-unit brand can save $20K per month, imagine the impact at 200 or 2,000 units—that’s the kind of scalability investors pay attention to.
Beyond Savings: A Smarter Approach to Labor
This isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about working smarter:
- Retention: Managers stop firefighting labor reports and focus on leading teams.
- Consistency: Each location aligns staffing with real revenue patterns.
- Scalability: Savings multiply across regions, creating predictable margins portfolio-wide.
Your Opportunity
Labor costs don’t have to be a mystery. With AI scheduling, you can see where hours are misaligned, fix them quickly, and unlock system-wide savings.
See how much labor savings you could unlock — book a scheduling intelligence session today.
Included In This Story
SynergySuite
SynergySuite helps multi-unit restaurants simplify operations and increase profitability with easy-to-use restaurant management software. Global brands trust SynergySuite's mobile-first software with inventory, purchasing, recipe costing, food safety, scheduling, cash management, human resources and business intelligence.
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