Who publishes this: TimeClockGuide is run by the team behind ClockAll, which is also our #1 pick. We tell you up front so you can weigh the comparisons accordingly — every figure about a competitor is sourced from their own public pricing and docs.
Restaurants run on hourly labor, tight margins, and tricky rules: split shifts, tipped minimum wage, mandatory meal breaks, and a revolving door of part-timers. A general time clock often misses these. Here’s what a restaurant actually needs.
What restaurants need from a time clock
- Fast kiosk clock-in at the host stand or kitchen — no phones during service
- Meal-break tracking with penalty flags for missed breaks
- Role-based pay — server, busser, line cook on different rates
- Overtime alerts before a double pushes someone past 40 hours
- Easy scheduling for a part-time-heavy roster with frequent swaps
Our top pick: ClockAll
ClockAll fits restaurants well: a PIN tablet kiosk by the pass, Face-ID punches from the app, automatic meal-break penalties, role pay rates, and drag-and-drop scheduling with shift swaps — all in one app.
- Stops buddy punching with Face ID and per-person PINs
- Any tablet becomes a kiosk — no proprietary hardware to buy
- GPS & geofencing verify staff are on-site when they punch
- Scheduling, breaks, PTO and overtime built in, not bolted on
- Multiple locations from one dashboard with an audit trail
- Free forever for teams up to 3, then flat per-company pricing from $5.99/month
ClockAll is built for small and growing teams that want an honest, simple system without enterprise pricing or clunky hardware.
Frequently asked questions
How do restaurants track tipped employees’ hours?
Track clock-in/out and roles as normal; tip credits and pooling are handled in payroll. ClockAll exports clean role-tagged hours for your payroll provider.
Do restaurants have to give meal breaks?
In many states, yes — and a missed break can owe a penalty hour. A time clock that flags missed meals protects you.
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