Restaurant Scheduling That Runs on WhatsApp
Shabetzli asks your waiters, cooks and bartenders for availability, builds next week's schedule around your service, and finds cover when someone calls out at 16:00 on a Friday. You approve. Nobody installs anything.
Free text, typos and reserve-duty dates, understood and confirmed.
Sounds Familiar?
The schedule itself is the easy part. The conversations around it are what eat the week.
Reserve duty, on short notice
A cook is called up for reserve duty and the week you built on Thursday no longer works. Someone has to rebuild it, and it's usually you.
Exam periods
Half your floor staff are students. In January and again in June, availability falls apart around exam dates that shift from week to week.
Friday nights and fairness
Everyone wants Friday night off, and the same few people end up closing every weekend. They notice, and so does the rest of the team.
A sick call at 16:00
Service starts at 18:00 and a waiter has just written that they're sick. You're on the phone instead of setting up the floor.
How Shabetzli Handles It
Shabetzli runs the conversations around the schedule, so your managers can run the service.
Availability from the whole team, every week
On the day you choose, Shabetzli messages every waiter, cook and dishwasher privately. It understands "only mornings, reserve duty on the 14th" and follows up with whoever hasn't answered.
Availability collectionA draft built around your service
Minimum staffing per shift, who can run the pass or close the bar, rest between a closing and an opening, and a fair rotation of Friday nights. You review and approve.
Automatic schedulingCall-outs covered before service
When someone calls out, Shabetzli messages people with the right role who are free and not near their hours limit, confirms the first suitable answer and tells you it's done.
Swaps & last-minute coverClocking in from the kitchen door
Staff write "on shift" when they arrive and "done" when they leave. Hours add up per employee, and a closer who forgot to clock out gets a reminder.
Time clock on WhatsAppKitchen in Russian, floor in Hebrew
Each employee chats in their own language: Hebrew, English, Russian, Arabic, Spanish and more. Mixed Hebrew-English slang is understood too.
Every languageThe numbers behind every week
Coverage, overtime, swaps and response rates, plus what each person asked for, in an optional web platform.
Manager platformFor Every Kind of Restaurant
Different service models, the same weekly problem.
Full-service restaurants
Floor, kitchen, bar and hosts, with minimum staffing per shift and a shift lead on every service.
Quick-service and takeaway
Short shifts, lunch and dinner peaks, and a young team whose availability changes every week.
Cafés
Early openings, baristas and counter staff, and weekend mornings that everyone wants off.
Restaurants with a bar
Bartenders who close late and shouldn't open the next morning, scheduled alongside the kitchen.
Chains and multiple locations
Each location with its own roles and staffing levels, set up with you during onboarding.
A Week with Shabetzli
What the week looks like once your rules are set.
- 1Sunday
Shabetzli asks
Every employee gets a private message asking for next week's availability, time off and preferences.
- 2Tuesday
Reminders go out
Whoever hasn't answered gets a reminder. You don't chase anyone in the staff group.
- 3Wednesday
The draft is ready
A schedule that covers every service, follows the rest rules you set and rotates Friday nights fairly.
- 4Thursday
You approve
Adjust anything you want, approve, and everyone receives their shifts privately.
- 5Friday
A call-out, covered
A waiter calls in sick at 16:00. Shabetzli finds a free colleague with the right role and confirms before service.
Roles and Teams We Schedule
Your own roles and skills are set up with you during onboarding, so the right person is placed in the right position.
- Waiters
- Cooks
- Bartenders
- Sous chefs
- Dishwashers
- Hosts
- Baristas
- Shift leads
- Runners
- Cashiers
Frequently asked questions
Does it work for a small restaurant with one manager?
Yes. Shabetzli takes over the messaging and the first draft, which is the part that weighs most on a manager who also runs the floor. Every schedule still goes through your approval.
Can it keep kitchen and floor separate?
Yes. Roles and skills are set up during onboarding, so a dishwasher is never placed on the pass and a host is never counted toward kitchen staffing.
How does it handle students and exam periods?
Students tell Shabetzli about exams in their own words when they send availability, for example "no mornings until the 20th". The draft works around it, and you can see what each person asked for.
How does it decide who works Friday nights?
Weekend, holiday and closing shifts are rotated evenly across the people who can work them, within the rules you set, so the same few people aren't stuck with every Friday. You see the draft and can change anything before approving.
What if someone calls out an hour before service?
Shabetzli messages available people with the right role who aren't near their overtime or rest limits, confirms the first suitable answer and notifies you. Nobody needs to post in the staff group.
Do you integrate with our POS or payroll?
Not at this stage. Shabetzli's WhatsApp time clock gives you organized hours per employee, but it doesn't export to payroll. Tell us what you use when you join the waitlist; it helps us decide what to build next.
Other Industries
The same weekly problem, wherever work runs in shifts.
Bars & Nightlife
Late shifts and weekends without the chase.
Catering & Events
A full crew for every event, confirmed in time.
Hotels & Hospitality
Every department, around the clock.
Retail & Chains
Branches, peaks and seasonal staff in one place.
Security & Guarding
24/7 posts, never left uncovered.
Elder & Home Care
Caregivers scheduled in the language they speak.
Gyms & Studios
Instructors, front desk and classes in sync.
Your next schedule could build itself.
We're onboarding teams gradually, so each one gets personal setup. Join the waitlist and we'll reach out when your spot is ready.