What it does
- Forecast sales on top. With Square connected, each future day shows a forecast: the average of the last 4 same weekdays that had sales (it needs at least 2). Past days show actual sales; today shows sold so far when that is higher.
- Labour cost and labour % live. Scheduled hours, labour cost (including overtime and stat holiday pay) and labour % of forecast, per day and for the week. The % turns amber or red against your target (30% by default, editable).
- Rule checks as you build. Daily overtime after 8 hours (double time after 12), weekly overtime after 40, under 8 hours between shifts, working all 7 days (no 32-hour weekly rest), shifts under the 2-hour minimum, and shifts over a person's own preferred hours.
- Availability and days off. Shifts on a day someone marked unavailable, outside their part-day window, or on an approved day off are flagged as critical. Pending requests show as a warning.
- Coverage checks. Every half hour the venue is open: nobody on the floor, no cook during kitchen hours, nobody with keys at opening or closing, no barista, only one person on the floor over lunch, or more people than the floor needs.
- Plan this week. A rule-based starting point: it copies last week, drops shifts on closed days and hands shifts of people who are off to the free person in the same role with the fewest hours. It explains every change and saves nothing until you confirm.
- Publish and send. Saves the week and emails each selected person their own shifts, your note and their private link. If the week changes after sending, Send update goes out to the people affected, without duplicates.
- Requests in one place. Day-off requests (sick, vacation, unpaid or other) wait in the Requests panel with Approve and Decline, and also show on the Morning screen.
- More than one location. Shifts and approved days off at your other locations show up, so a person isn't booked in two places, and hours add up for overtime when the locations are one employer.
- On a phone. The schedule switches to one day at a time with a timeline bar per shift and a half-hour coverage strip.
How it works
- Bring your team in from Square (names, jobs and wages) or add people by hand, with role, wage, keys and availability.
- Open next week. Forecast sales sit on top of each day; tap Plan this week for a starting point, or drag and click shifts in.
- Watch labour % and the checks as you go. Fix anything red: an overtime day, a close followed by an open, a gap at opening with no keyholder.
- Tap Publish and send. Each person gets an email with their shifts and a private link that always shows the current week.
- Approve or decline day-off requests as they come in; changed weeks go out with Send update.
Who it’s for
Owners and managers of independent cafés, restaurants, bars, bakeries and dessert shops who build the schedule themselves and want labour cost and BC rules checked while they do it, not after payroll.
In BC and the rest of Canada
- The rule thresholds are BC Employment Standards defaults: overtime after 8 hours a day and 40 a week, double time after 12, 8 hours off between shifts, 32 hours off in a row each week, and a 2-hour minimum. Owners can edit them in Settings.
- Stat holiday calendars are built in for all 13 provinces and territories, and stat days are costed at time-and-a-half in labour cost.
- Outside BC, Settings asks you to check the rule thresholds against your province's employment standards, because the defaults are BC's.
- Pay shown in the schedule is an estimate for planning, not payroll.
What it doesn’t do
- No time clock or timecards, and no payroll.
- No shift swaps between staff, and no open shifts to claim.
- No saved schedule templates (Plan this week copies last week instead).
- Shift roles are Manager, Barista, Kitchen and Front; there are no custom stations.
- It doesn't check meal breaks or the 12-hour limit on split shifts; plan those yourself.
- Schedules go out by email and the staff link, not by text message.
- The forecast uses your Square sales history; it doesn't use weather or events yet.
Price
Staff scheduling is part of the one Tasti Desk plan: $149 CAD per location a month, or $1,490 a year, with every feature included. 30 days free, no card. Square connects in a few minutes and brings in real sales, menu and team. On another POS, the founder builds the connection on request; schedule, team, bills, menu and stock work either way. See pricing.
Questions
Does Tasti Desk check BC overtime rules in the schedule?
Yes. As you build the week it flags daily overtime (over 8 hours, double time over 12), weekly overtime (over 40 hours), less than 8 hours between shifts, no 32-hour weekly rest, and shifts under the 2-hour minimum. The thresholds are BC defaults that the owner can edit.
Where does the sales forecast come from?
From your Square sales: each future day is the average of the last 4 same weekdays that had sales, and it needs at least 2 of them. Without a connected POS the schedule still works, just without forecast and labour %.
How do staff see their schedule?
Publish and send emails each person their shifts and a private link. The link shows their published shifts for this week and next, with who they work with. No app or password.
Does it include stat holiday pay in labour cost?
Yes. Hours on a stat holiday are costed at time-and-a-half. It's a planning estimate and treats everyone as eligible; your payroll decides the real amount.
Can staff swap shifts?
Not in Desk today. Staff can ask for days off and update their availability from their link; the manager moves shifts.
Does it work for more than one location?
Yes. Each location has its own schedule, and shifts or approved days off at your other locations show up so nobody is double-booked.