Harri

The Labor Metric Every Operator Tracks, And Why It’s Lying to You

Harri Marketing — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:10:21 +0000

There’s a moment Jim Taylor describes that every operator on the call had lived through.

You’re sitting at a restaurant. The meal is winding down. Someone at the table says, “Should we stay for dessert?” And someone else, eyes scanning the room, says: “We haven’t seen the server in 15 minutes. Let’s just go.”

That’s not a service complaint. That’s a line item. A measurable, preventable decline in average check, triggered directly by an understaffed floor. And according to Jim Taylor, founder of Benchmark Sixty and one of North America’s only labor optimization consultants dedicated exclusively to the hospitality industry, it’s happening in restaurants everywhere, every night, as a direct consequence of the way most operators manage labor.

Over the past 6 years, Jim has consulted with more than 400 restaurant operations, helping them uncover anywhere from $60,000 to $2 million in annual savings. He has seen one pattern repeat with uncomfortable consistency: operators cut hours to hit their percentage targets, service suffers, sales drop, and the labor percentage barely moves. They didn’t fix the problem. They shrank the business.

The Metric That’s Lying to You

Ask any operator what their labor target is and they’ll tell you instantly. 27%. 29%. 25%. These numbers get handed down from finance, baked into P&Ls, and treated like gospel.

The problem, Jim explains, is fundamental: labor cost percentage is a result, not a strategy. It’s a lagging indicator. By the time it shows up on your P&L looking bad, the damage is already done, and the instinctive response makes everything worse. Jim calls the pattern the Death Spiral.

The Counterintuitive Fix

Here’s where it gets uncomfortable. Jim’s data from 400+ restaurant consultations points to a conclusion that contradicts everything most operators have been trained to believe:

The most profitable operators deliberately run 2–3% higher labor than their lean competitors. And they bank millions more in profit.

Jim walked through a real example. A full-service restaurant running lean at 25% labor had devolved into something almost unrecognizable. Servers were managing eight-table sections with no bandwidth to upsell. Management turnover had hit nearly 100% annually. And in perhaps the most vivid detail of the entire session: bartenders had moved a cold station behind the bar so they could mix salads themselves, just to keep labor costs down.

The recommendation Jim made was counterintuitive: add people back. Intentionally lower productivity. Let the team do their actual jobs.

Labor climbed to 28%. It stayed there for about 60 days. Then it dropped back to 25% on its own, because properly staffed teams drove average check up, table turns improved, and revenue grew. The labor percentage came down without anyone cutting a single hour.

The final tally: +22% average check. +15% table turns. +$400,000 in annual revenue. Turnover cut in half, saving another $105,000.

The Two Numbers That Actually Matter

So if labor cost percentage is the wrong scorecard, what should operators be tracking instead? Jim introduced two metrics that he says changed his entire career.

Covers Per Labor Hour (CPLH) — total guests served divided by total labor hours. Unlike labor cost percentage, CPLH is predictive. It tells you what’s happening now, before it shows up on the P&L.

Sales Per Labor Hour (SPLH) — total revenue divided by total labor hours. Particularly useful for back-of-house operations and QSR environments where check sizes vary.

The optimal zone for full-service restaurants sits between 2.5 and 5.5 CPLH. Below 2.5 and you’re likely overstaffed. Above 5.0 and your team is getting crushed, burnout and turnover are coming.

“Covers per labor hour changed my entire career,” Jim said during the session. “Not just my consulting practice, my entire view of what restaurants are and how they work.”

You Probably Don’t Have a Quantity Problem

The single most surprising finding Jim shared, and the one that generated the most reaction in the room, was this:

Most restaurants already have the right amount of labor. It’s just in the wrong places at the wrong times.

One multi-unit operator proved the point dramatically. Opening shifts were chronically overstaffed by 20%. Saturday nights were running 15% thin. No hours were added, none were cut. The team simply moved existing hours to where demand actually lived.

The result: $2 million in annual savings. Front of house only.

Complimentary Labor Consultations
We’re teaming up with Jim to offer labor consultations to qualifying operators for a limited time.

His methodology focuses on deploying labor with precision using productivity metrics that traditional labor cost percentages miss. Clients have saved up to $2M by identifying scheduling misalignments, optimizing shift structures, and aligning labor to actual demand patterns.

Consultations include:

Side-by-side location comparisons (your best vs. worst performers)
Optimal productivity zone mapping (your CPLH & SPLH targets)
Inefficiency callouts (exactly where you’re losing money and why)
Preliminary ROI projections ($60K–$2M typical savings range)
Prioritized action plan with quick wins you can implement immediately

To apply for a labor consultation with Harri and Benchmark Sixty Founder Jim Taylor, visit https://laborcosts.harri.com/.

The post The Labor Metric Every Operator Tracks, And Why It’s Lying to You appeared first on Harri.

Urban Playground Deploy Harri Talent Acquisition, Workforce Management and Engagement

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 13:53:17 +0000

Case Study: Urban Playground

Centralising workforce operations to support growth across the UK and prepare for US expansion

Overview

Urban Playground runs The Cube Live Experience, a hosted gaming concept where every session is led by a member of staff. Unlike most hospitality venues where guests are largely self-managed, each Cube requires a dedicated host to guide players through the experience.

At the Canary Wharf site alone there are 21 Cubes running at the same time. Across each venue this means around 120–130 staff working across hosting, bar, kitchen and operations.

As the business expanded, managing people, rotas and recruitment across multiple locations became increasingly difficult.

The Challenges – Systems that couldn’t keep up

Urban Playground had been using a bespoke workforce system to manage rotas and people processes. While it was designed to support the business, it struggled with the volume and complexity of day-to-day operations and was often slow to use. Managers were spending too much time on admin rather than running the venue.

Shift swaps through WhatsApp

Most operational communication, particularly around covering shifts, happened through WhatsApp group chats.

“Shift swaps were a big issue. Messages would be coming through late at night or early in the morning – ‘I can’t work today’ – followed by loads of replies. Managers would come in not really knowing who was actually turning up.”

— Freddie Andrews, Recruitment Coordinator

This regularly led to confusion and short-staffed shifts.

Recruitment spread across sites

Each venue was responsible for its own hiring. Job adverts were posted separately, interviews were arranged manually, and candidate progress was tracked in different ways.

Head Office had little visibility over recruitment activity, spend, or where candidates were in the process.

Moving to a Centralised Platform

Urban Playground introduced Harri in October, shortly before the busy Christmas period.

Changing systems at a peak time was a challenge, but the team were able to set up the main recruitment and rota processes quickly enough to support seasonal hiring and daily operations.

Freddie found the recruitment setup straightforward, from posting roles through to sending offers, which helped remove much of the manual admin.

How Harri Was Used – Clear, controlled shift management

Shift swaps and communication were moved into Harri Engage.

All changes now go through manager approval
There is a clear record of what’s been agreed
Fewer disputes and missed shifts

If a shift isn’t approved in the system, it remains the employee’s responsibility.

Managing staff across roles and sites

Many team members work in more than one department and sometimes across locations.

With Harri, managers can:

Move staff between roles using drag-and-drop rotas
Automatically track labour costs by department
Avoid manual spreadsheet tracking

This made workforce planning more accurate and quicker.

Bringing recruitment into one place

Recruitment was centralised with clear candidate stages for every role.

This meant:

Better visibility of who was in the process and where
Automatic prompts to book interviews
Less back-and-forth messaging

Right to Work checks were also automated, helping keep seasonal hiring compliant.

The Results

Since centralising workforce management with Harri, Urban Playground has seen:

Better visibility across all sites from Head Office
More consistent recruitment processes
Reduced admin for managers and HR
Clearer accountability for shift changes

The time saved on recruitment admin has allowed Freddie to take on payroll responsibilities alongside hiring.

What’s Next

Urban Playground is planning to open a site in Chicago in 2026.

With Harri already supporting both UK and US operations, the team expect to roll out new locations using the same systems and processes already in place.

“It feels like we’re just adding another location and running it the same way,” said Freddie.

Want to learn more about how Harri can help you cut costs and revolutionise your operations?

The post Urban Playground Deploy Harri Talent Acquisition, Workforce Management and Engagement appeared first on Harri.

The 30-Minute PAGA Audit That Could Save Your California Restaurant Millions In 2026

Harri Marketing — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:25:27 +0000

California restaurant operators just lived through the most expensive PAGA year on record. Over 10,100 cases were filed in 2025 — a staggering increase that shows no signs of slowing down despite 2024’s much-hyped reforms.

But here’s what most operators don’t realize: The 2024 PAGA reform created a massive opportunity to slash penalties by up to 85% — if you know how to use it.

The Math That Should Terrify Every California Operator

Consider this real example from our recent masterclass with Zaller Law Group and Harri:

Old PAGA penalties: 100 employees over 2 years = $2.3 million exposure
Reformed PAGA with proper documentation: Same scenario = under $200,000

The difference? Demonstrating “reasonable compliance efforts.” Without proper documentation, you’re paying full freight. With it, you cap penalties at 15-30% of the original amount.

Two February Deadlines You Cannot Miss

February 1st: Know Your Rights” Notice — Every California employee must receive this notice by February 1st. You cannot just post it — it must be delivered directly to each employee via email, text, or hand delivery. Keep records proving delivery for three years.

March 30th: Emergency Contact Updates — You must give employees the opportunity to update emergency contact information and ask if contacts should be notified of workplace detention or arrest.

The 5-Step Audit That’s Saving Operators Millions

Top employment attorneys recommend this 30-minute weekly audit to build your reasonable compliance defense. Email [email protected] if you’d like one of our compliance experts to guide you through the audit.

1. Meal & Rest Break Compliance Check

Biggest PAGA target: Missed meal breaks still account for most violations
Action: Use electronic timekeeping with automatic attestations
Critical: Pay premium pay immediately when violations occur — document everything

2. Wage Statement Accuracy Review

Audit pay stubs for all required elements (employee info, pay periods, rates, deductions)
Don’t trust your payroll company — ultimate responsibility is yours
Include premium payments on pay stubs for clear tracking

3. Final Pay Compliance

Terminated employees: Final check due at time/place of termination
Resigned employees: 72-hour rule applies unless proper notice given
Include all wages, accrued vacation, bonuses, commissions

4. Policy & Training Documentation

Update wage/hour policies at least yearly
Train supervisors on compliance basics — document who attended
Create clear off-the-clock work prohibitions

5. Corrective Action Records

Key insight: Don’t hide violations — lean into them
Document when issues are found and how they’re corrected
Discipline repeat policy violators to show enforcement

Technology Is Your New Best Defense

In 2026, one thing is for sure, manual processes are litigation landmines: “We live in the digital age. There’s no reason to track anything on pen and paper,” said Samantha Gallagher.

Smart operators are implementing:

Automated break tracking and attestations
Real-time compliance dashboards
Digital documentation systems
Automatic premium pay calculations

The Reality Check: Why Cases Keep Rising

Despite reform benefits, PAGA filings increased 15% in 2025. Why? Plaintiff attorneys are filing more cases to compensate for reduced per-case payouts. Translation: Your risk of being targeted is higher than ever.

Your Action Plan for 2026

Immediately: Implement the February 1st notice requirement
This week: Start weekly 30-minute compliance audits
This month: Review and update all wage/hour policies
Ongoing: Document every compliance effort you make

Remember: The reformed PAGA isn’t about whether violations occurred — it’s about what you did to prevent them. Start building that documentation trail now, because in California’s current enforcement environment, it’s not if you’ll face a PAGA claim, it’s when.

What To Do Next

1) Learn from your peers. Read the Fast Casual article about our work with Dave’s Hot Chicken franchise operator Cody Wong.

2) Play around with our Risk Analysis Dashboard, and see how we’re helping operators and managers identify patterns in behavior that indicate non-compliant employee activity.

3) Email [email protected] to schedule time with one of our compliance experts to guide you through the 5-step 30 minute PAGA audit.

The post The 30-Minute PAGA Audit That Could Save Your California Restaurant Millions In 2026 appeared first on Harri.

Everything You Need To Know About Fair Workweek Compliance Under Mayor Mamdami

Harri Marketing — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 13:14:34 +0000

The 2026 New York City Fair Workweek Compliance webinar, hosted by Samantha Gallagher, Harri’s Director of Product Compliance, and Glenn Grindlinger, Partner at Fox Rothschild, provided critical insights for restaurant owners, franchise operators, HR leaders, and legal teams navigating the evolving Fair Workweek landscape. With a new mayoral administration signaling more aggressive enforcement, 2026 promises to be a pivotal year for compliance.

Summary: What You Need to Know

Coming off the heels of Starbucks’ $39M settlement in December, operators can no longer afford to be complacement under the new administration. Fair Workweek compliance is no longer just about meeting minimum requirements. It’s about proactive operational rigor, defensible documentation, and disciplined scheduling practices.

The webinar highlighted that enforcement is moving away from complaint-driven audits toward proactive investigations, random audits, and potentially “secret shopper” tactics to identify violations.

Key insights from the session:

Just Cause Requirement: Since 2022, employers can no longer terminate employees at will. Terminations must follow progressive discipline, bona fide economic reasons, or egregious misconduct. Accurate documentation of every disciplinary step is now critical.
Documentation is King: Date-stamped schedules, published shift offers, and documented employee consent are essential. Paper files are insufficient; digital workforce management tools are strongly recommended.
Premiums and Schedule Changes: Offering shifts to existing employees first and compensating for schedule changes remains a major compliance focus. When in doubt, paying the premium is safer than risking penalties.

What’s Already Changed in 2026 and Its Impact

Increased scrutiny under the new administration: Even minor compliance gaps, like incomplete schedules or missing documentation—can trigger fines.
Proactive investigations: Employers can expect audits even without employee complaints. Random requests for historical scheduling and labor data (up to three years) are likely.
“Just Cause” enforcement intensifies: Employers must ensure every termination and disciplinary action is backed by documentation to avoid disputes.

Where NYC Enforcement is Expected to Tighten

Documentation: Employers must provide verifiable proof of schedules, shift offers, and employee consent, with accurate date and time stamps.
Premium compliance: Missed rest periods, schedule deviations, or last-minute shift changes are increasingly targeted.
Manager accountability: Managers are now expected to understand and execute Fair Workweek workflows correctly; systemic noncompliance can carry penalties.
Data retention and audits: Expect less flexibility in providing partial records; authorities may demand full, detailed historical data.

Potential Impacts on Operations

Scheduling flexibility: Operators may have to limit deviations from regular schedules to stay within the law, potentially affecting labor optimization and operational responsiveness.
Premium payouts: More rigorous tracking and timely payment of schedule-change or right-to-rest premiums are essential.
Recordkeeping: Digital systems are recommended to ensure defensible records and reduce administrative risk.
Manager practices: Managers must be trained on compliance, accountable for operational execution, and supported with proper tools.

What Operators Should Audit Now

To reduce risk and avoid costly violations, hospitality and franchise operators should:

Review all current schedules to ensure consistency with regular schedules and proper advanced notice.
Audit past premiums for schedule changes, shift extensions, and rest period compliance.
Verify documentation practices: ensure employee consent is recorded, timestamped, and stored securely.
Assess manager accountability and training to confirm all staff understand workflows and compliance requirements.
Evaluate digital workforce management tools to streamline scheduling, documentation, and reporting.

Key Takeaways

Proactive compliance is no longer optional: NYC authorities expect rigor, accuracy, and defensible records.
Documentation and digital tools are essential: Paper records create risk; digital systems provide traceability and efficiency.
Manager accountability matters: Frontline execution determines compliance; training and oversight are critical.
When in doubt, pay the premium: Avoid small violations escalating into costly audits or penalties.

In short, 2026 demands that operators treat Fair Workweek compliance as a core operational priority, not just a legal formality. By auditing schedules, reviewing premiums, strengthening documentation, and empowering managers with the right tools, hospitality and franchise businesses can stay compliant, reduce risk, and focus on running their restaurants efficiently.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

The post Everything You Need To Know About Fair Workweek Compliance Under Mayor Mamdami appeared first on Harri.

How an 11-Unit McDonald’s Operator Transformed Her Labor Operation with Harri

Harri Marketing — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 15:07:04 +0000

The Challenge

As a second-generation McDonald’s owner-operator overseeing 11 restaurants, Leigh Chamness knows that labor is the single biggest lever in restaurant performance.
And the hardest to get right.

Between rising labor costs, manager burnout from manual scheduling, compliance risks around minor labor, and retention challenges driven by poor schedule visibility, Leigh needed more than another workforce tool. She needed a partner that understood the realities of restaurant operations.

The Decision

As part of McDonald’s MTech board and an early deployment group for new workforce management systems, Leigh took a data-driven, operator-first approach. She invited her mid-managers and GMs to review demos and vote on their preferred solution.

The Result: Her team overwhelmingly chose Harri.

“Harri stood out because they didn’t just offer software. They offered a
partnership.”

The Deployment Experience

Harri’s hands-on implementation validated the decision immediatelty. Rather than a “drop-and-go” rollout, Harri worked side-by-side with Leigh’s team, ensuring the right training, processes, and ongoing support were in place.

Even today, Leigh’s organization meets monthly with their Harri Customer Success Manager to refine workflows and continuously improve. Within months of full deployment, Leigh’s organization saw clear, bottom-line impact.

Labor Cost Reduction

Nearly a 2% reduction in crew labor year-over-year
Achieved while remaining fully staffed and operationally strong

“This is a meaningful improvement that directly impacts our bottom line.”

Manager Time Saved

Before Harri: 6 hours/week spent building schedules
With Harri: Just over 1 hour/week
5 hours saved per manager, every week

That’s time managers now spend leading teams and running great shifts—not stuck behind a desk.

Improved Retention

Scheduling-related turnover also dropped significantly. With mobile access to schedules, easy shift swapping, and greater transparency, crew members feel their time is respected. And they stay longer.

“Keeping great people is one of the smartest business decisions any of us can make.”

Operational Wins That Matter

Beyond the numbers, Harri transformed day-to-day operations:

Mobile scheduling & shift swapping reduced last-minute chaos
Labor forecasting improved staffing efficiency
Compliance visibility for minor labor helped managers prevent violations
before they happen
Integrated communication tools simplified team coordination

Especially in a low-compliance market, real-time alerts and visual indicators gave managers confidence and control on every shift.

A True Partnership

What sets Harri apart, according to Leigh, is the commitment to listening and
evolving. Harri actively incorporates feedback from owner-operators, corporate stakeholders, and frontline teams, embracing a true “three-legged stool” approach that benefits everyone.

“Harri has delivered clear results, improved our operations, and most
importantly, made life better for our people.”

The Bottom Line

Harri recently launched the 5,000 McDonalds and CEO Luke Fryer visited the grand opening and shared his thoughts on the significance of the milestone.

“I knew this partnership would be transformative. But standing here today at the 5,000th McDonald’s location to go live on Harri — 4642 Aicholtz Rd. in Cincinnati — the magnitude of what we’ve built together really hits home.”

He went to say “This isn’t just a number. It’s 5,000 restaurants where managers are scheduling smarter, hiring faster, and staying compliant. To Leigh Chamness and every McDonald’s franchise operator who believed in our vision, and to the frontline managers and crew members who use our platform every single day — thank you. This is what happens when the most iconic restaurant brand on the planet partners with a team that refuses to settle for good enough.”

For Leigh Chamness and her organization, Harri isn’t just a workforce platform, it’s a competitive advantage. And as she puts it best:

“When you take care of your people, they’ll take care of your business.”

The post How an 11-Unit McDonald’s Operator Transformed Her Labor Operation with Harri appeared first on Harri.

2026 Outlook: Experts Discuss Restaurant Trends and Challenges, Part Two

Christine Rochelle — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 22:58:15 +0000

Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine asked restaurant industry experts for their views on what trends and challenges owners and operators can expect to see in 2026. The evolving definition of value, strategic use of automation, and greater emphasis on experiential dining emerged as prominent themes…

The post 2026 Outlook: Experts Discuss Restaurant Trends and Challenges, Part Two appeared first on Harri.

Restaurant industry experts make predictions for 2026

Christine Rochelle — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 22:57:45 +0000

Industry experts predict that the 2026 restaurant landscape will be defined by a “Me-Me-Me Economy,” where brands must leverage integrated AI and data-driven precision to provide hyper-personalized guest experiences, streamlined operations and specialized health-conscious menus…

The post Restaurant industry experts make predictions for 2026 appeared first on Harri.

Hard Labor Lessons from a Former Burger King Insider

Christine Rochelle — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 22:57:31 +0000

What running a top performing restaurant taught tech executive Luke Fryer about labor costs, compliance, turnover, and the hidden savings most operators miss…

The post Hard Labor Lessons from a Former Burger King Insider appeared first on Harri.

Beyond Prediction: Why Your Frontline Managers Need a Partner, Not Just a Platform

Christine Rochelle — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:37:33 +0000

In the boardrooms of British hospitality, the conversation has shifted. It is no longer just about growth; it is about viability. With the National Living Wage climbing and indirect costs like National Insurance squeezing margins tighter than ever, the cost of employing people has become the single biggest line item on the P&L.

But let’s step out of the boardroom and walk into the General Manager’s office, or more likely, the back corridor where they’re checking schedules on a mobile while at the pass.

For the frontline manager, “efficiency” isn’t a metric; it’s a survival mechanism. They are drowning in data but starving for insight. They have a rota system, an ATS, a payroll provider, and an engagement survey tool. They are trying to be data analysts, HR directors, and operations leaders all at once.

This is where the industry often fails them. We give them tools, point solutions that do one thing very well and expect them to be the bridge that connects the dots. We ask them to predict the future based on fragmented pasts.

At Harri, we believe there is a better way; we believe managers should be given the space and ability to focus on their job and bring the human touch a restaurant operation thrives on. This is why at Harri we are harnessing the power of AI to serve our clients. We believe in the Power of Platform, and we believe it’s time you met Salli.

Meet Salli: The Difference Between Prediction and Anticipation

Imagine a manager, Sarah, running a busy gastropub in Manchester. It’s Thursday. The forecast says rain, a local football match has been rescheduled, and her sous chef has just handed in their notice.

In a world of point solutions, Sarah is frantically logging into her scheduling tool to cut hours, then her ATS to repost the chef job, and checking her engagement tool to see if the rest of the kitchen team is at risk of leaving. She is reacting. She is predicting disaster and trying to mitigate it.

With Harri, Sarah has Salli.

Salli is the interface of Harri Agentic AI. She isn’t just a chatbot; she is the ultimate manager assistant who can pull all the end to end data, insights, actions together to surface what really matters. Because Harri sits across Talent Acquisition, Workforce Management, and Engagement, Salli doesn’t just predict what might happen; she anticipates what needs to be done.

Salli knows the context: She sees that footfall drops by 15% when it rains on match days in this specific location. She doesn’t just surface data; she proactively suggests adjusting the staffing levels down to the 15-minute interval, saving labour costs without sacrificing service.
Salli knows the talent: She knows the sous chef has left. But because she lives in the same platform as your Talent Pool, she doesn’t just wait for a job post. She anticipates the gap and suggests “Smart Matching” candidates from your existing database who are qualified and available, reducing time-to-hire and agency spend.
Salli knows the risk: When Sarah tries to cover the gap by asking a junior commis chef to double-shift, Salli gently intervenes. She flags that this would trigger a labour compliance rule before the schedule is published, protecting the business from costly compliance fines.

Empathy at Scale

This is not about replacing the manager; it is about supporting them with empathy. True empathy in software design means understanding that a manager’s time is finite and their cognitive load is heavy.

When you rely on a “Franken-stack”, a rota system stitched to an HRIS stitched to an ATS, you are forcing your managers to do the mental gymnastics of integration. You are asking them to translate the language of one system to another.

An end-to-end platform like Harri removes that burden. It creates a single, continuous journey for the employee and the manager.

For the Employee: Their journey from “Applicant” to “Shift Leader” is seamless. The data entered during onboarding flows directly into the schedule and payroll. There is no re-keying, no “computer says no” errors. They feel seen and valued because the system remembers who they are.
For the Employee: Salli notes all of the employees preferences right from the application process and uses those to support the manager when rota’s are being built, flagging up when a shift is allocated that cannot be fulfilled. This makes the employee feel seen and heard from day one.
For the Manager: Salli acts as the co-pilot. She surfaces insights, not just raw data. When she notices a dip in sentiment from the new “Job Satisfaction Follow-Up Touchpoints”, she prompts the manager to have a coffee with the team member, preventing turnover before it happens.

The Conclusion: The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts

In a market where every percentage point of margin matters, the inefficiency of point solutions is a luxury you cannot afford. You cannot optimise labour if your scheduling tool doesn’t talk to your sales forecast in real-time. You cannot improve retention if your engagement data is locked away from your performance management data.

Harri’s workforce management capabilities are not just “features”; they are the engine room of a unified employee experience platform. By choosing an end-to-end solution, you are not just buying software; you are buying your managers the gift of time and the power of anticipation.

You are giving them Salli. And Salli knows, because Harri knows.

The post Beyond Prediction: Why Your Frontline Managers Need a Partner, Not Just a Platform appeared first on Harri.

How One Restaurant Operator Survived a $7 Million Labor Cost Bomb (And What It Means for You)

Harri Marketing — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 03:57:00 +0000

The Phone Call That Changed Everything

Picture this: You were literally born into this business in March 1992, with your dad working at Jack In The Box (later becoming their youngest GM) just seven months later.

You grew up cleaning trays and hanging out in dining rooms. Now, you’re running 127 restaurant locations across California. Your father built this empire from three Carl’s Jr. stores in 1992. Life is good.

Then the phone rings.

“We just calculated the impact of the new minimum wage law,” your finance team says. “It’s going to cost us $7 million more per year if we change nothing.”

That’s roughly $55,000 more per location, per year. For most operators, this would be a death sentence. For Cody Wong, CEO of CW Management Services, it became the catalyst for the most innovative period in his company’s 30+ year history.

The “Holy Sh*t” Moment That Sparked Innovation

“We had a serious leadership team huddle in November ’23,” Wong recalls. “We had two options: sit here and complain and throw our hands up… or get really creative and see what sticks.”

They chose creativity. And what happened next might surprise you. Instead of just cutting labor hours (the obvious move), Wong’s team dove headfirst into AI and automation—but not where you’d expect. While everyone’s talking about AI drive-thrus and robotic cashiers, Wong went the opposite direction:

Tested AI in drive-thrus → Customers hated it, pulled it immediately
Implemented AI for accounts payable → Massive time savings
Used Harri for labor scheduling optimization → Found hidden inefficiencies
Currently piloting $200K robots → For back-of-house frying operations

Wong’s secret isn’t just the technology—it’s the trust system that makes it work. ‘If you show them you truly care, they’ll be more open about issues with forecasting or tools rather than hiding problems because they think they’ll get in trouble,’ he explains.”

“We still want to have the feel of human interaction. The second you lose that… there’s something that just feels very icky,” Wong explains. “And so that’s how we’ve used Harri, is we don’t want to necessarily just cut hours. We also just want to maximize the hour itself and the scheduling using AI capabilities from Harri.”

The 5-Person Back Office Running 127 Units

Here’s where it gets really interesting. Wong’s entire back-office operation—handling HR, payroll, accounting, and compliance for 127 locations—runs with just 5-6 people.

How? Strategic automation of simple, repetitive tasks:

AI reads and processes invoices automatically
Learns vendor patterns after just a few examples
Flags unusual amounts for manual review
Enables batch approval for routine transactions

The result? What used to require multiple full-time employees now happens in minutes. But the real game-changer came with labor scheduling optimization, with Wong’s team using Harri to manage labor across his 127 stores.

Wong’s efficiency gains go beyond scheduling, the biometric time-clock in the Harri platform is directly responsible for thousands in savings. “The issue was not prevalent with our Dave’s locations because we had Harri implemented from the very beginning. These issues were seen at our Carl’s Jr. locations where buddy punching and time theft was a real issue.”

The introduction of biometric punching was key to eliminating “ghost employees,” cutting manger overtime in half and reducing meal break premiums by 25% at those Carl’s Jr. locations.

The Brutal Truth About Labor Optimization

Wong’s approach to the labor crisis isn’t just about cutting costs—it’s about surgical precision in scheduling:

“Why do we have five employees working a low-volume hour, but only two during high volume? You might lose that one or two customers who wait 30 minutes, but if you were staffed properly, you wouldn’t lose anyone.”

The insight: Most operators know their labor percentages but miss the hour-by-hour inefficiencies that kill profitability.

“As we continue to grow our business from a midsize organization to a large enterprise, quality of service and people become our two biggest factors,” Wong says. “Having the right tools in place, such as Harri, allows us to scale properly without having to worry about growing pains on that side of the operation.”

What This Means for Your Operation

Wong’s story offers three critical lessons for restaurant operators facing similar pressures:

1. Test fast, fail fast. “The biggest lesson is you can’t be too invested in these ideas because they are inherently a little bit crazy. Try it. If it doesn’t work, rip the band-aid off.”

2. Automate the back, humanize the front. Focus AI and automation on invisible operations while maintaining human connection with customers.

3. Data-Driven Scheduling Wins. The real money isn’t in cutting total labor, it’s in optimizing labor allocation hour by hour.

Cody’s management structure is deceptively simple: one district manager per 10 stores, all reporting to a VP of Operations, with weekly meetings driven by Harri’s data insights. “Can I give them useful data in five minutes so they know exactly what to discuss, rather than spending 30 minutes trying to figure out the problem?”

Behind all the technology and innovation lies a deeply personal motivation: “From a personal and selfish level, it’s really to eventually allow my dad to truly retire.” The man who started with three stores and worked his way up from a 16-year-old Jack in the Box employee deserves to see his legacy in capable hands.

To listen to the full podcast of Cody on Titans of Food Service, click here. To read more about Cody’s experience with the Harri platform, check out this Fast Casual article (featured below).

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