The Best Payroll Software For Restaurants

Pros

Built-in time tracking
Fast processing
Transparent pricing

Cons

Limited reporting
Not great for international workers

Gusto is an exceptionally well-reviewed payroll company for small to mid-sized businesses. It features competitive and transparent pricing plans. Its services are valid in all 50 states, and it has the capability to run payroll for larger teams, assuming you don’t need in-depth reporting.

Gusto Pricing

Gusto has multiple pricing levels for whatever your restaurant might need. Plans range from $40/month + $6 per employee to $80/month + $12 per employee. The software’s Premium plan offers custom pricing for growing businesses. And if you only have contractors, you can use the service for $6/month per contractor.

Gusto Features

Gusto’s features set is also tiered, but its Simple plan is very generous for the price. The Plus plan, which is not much more expensive, gives you access to time tracking and PTO. Here are a few features that Gusto payroll does well.

Health insurance administration
Automatic tax filing
Costing reports
Performance reviews
Employee surveys
Onboarding tools
Admin permissions

Is Gusto Right For You?

Gusto is close to the ideal third-party payroll solution for small businesses. The pricing is competitive and allows you to grow without additional fees breaking your budget, and it’s available in all 50 states, letting your employees get paid promptly and accurately. Larger restaurants with a need for detailed payroll reports may need to look elsewhere, but Gusto can get the job done for the vast majority of establishments.

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2. ADP: Best All-In-One Restaurant Payroll Software

ADP Payroll

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Pros

Advanced features
Strong customer support
Scaleable

Cons

Non-transparent prices
Added fees

ADP is a giant in the payroll industry and, as you might expect, it has everything you could possibly need to handle your restaurant’s payroll needs, benefits, and much more. It offers multiple pricing tiers but can be difficult to lock down exactly what you’ll end up paying as its fees and monthly charges aren’t transparent.

adp dashboard

ADP Pricing

The good thing about ADP is that you have plenty of plans to choose from. However, you won’t know just how much you can expect to pay until you talk with a sales rep. ADP’s affordable Roll plan is $29/month + $5 per employee, which is on par with other similar basic plans. There are also plenty of add-ons that you can purchase but, again, those prices will vary.

ADP Features

What you get out of ADP will depend on what plan you choose, but ADP offers just about anything you could possibly want from your payroll software. At the basic level, ADP has things like new-hire reporting, time tracking, and direct deposit, and tons of advanced features for purchase as well. Here are a few features where ADP stands out.

Employee portal
Background checks
HR documents and forms
Company training
Check-signing features
Tax filing and support
Google ads

Is ADP Right For You?

If there is any specific payroll function that your business or restaurant needs, you can be almost assured that ADP will offer it at some level. For larger restaurants with extensive payroll and HR needs, ADP’s advanced plans might be ideal even if they come at a steep price point. But ADP also has the little guy in mind, and its lower-tier offerings are both generous and affordable. Just make sure you’ve itemized exactly what you need before contacting a representative.

3. Toast Payroll: Best Restaurant-Specific Payroll Software

Toast POS

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Pros

Easy onboarding
Integrated team management
Speedy processing

Cons

Limited feature set
Long-term processing contract

Toast is one of the best point of sale systems around for restaurants so, it would stand to reason that its payroll option would be equally stellar and geared specifically to a restaurant owner’s needs. Toast is affordable and easy to use and processes payroll lightning fast.

Toast Payroll Pricing

For expanded features, Toast offers custom pricing, so you will need to contact them directly to see what your quote will be. However, Toast is currently running a special, offering its POS service plus its Payroll Lite plan for $110/month + $4/month per employee.

Toast Payroll Features

Toast has some excellent payroll features specifically for restaurants along with other basic functions that are well-designed and intended to be up and functional in a very short amount of time. Here are a few areas where Toast Payroll stands out:

Onboarding
Processing in all 50 states
Direct deposit
Employee set up
Timesheet integration
Integrated tip pooling
HR toolkit

Is Toast Payroll Right For You?

Similar to Square, if you’re happy with Toast’s point of sale product, Toast Payroll should definitely be high on your list. As an add-on, Toast is affordable and is tailor-made to handle anything that might come up when running your restaurant’s payroll. If you’re signing up with Toast long-term, just make sure you’ve read the fine print as there are processing contracts and early termination fees.

4. SurePayroll: Best Mobile App For Restaurant Paryoll

SurePayroll

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Pros

Mobile app
Strong customer service
Highly intuitive

Cons

Non-transparent pricing
Costly add-ons
No time-tracking

SurePayroll is a solid option for smaller to mid-sized restaurants, featuring a simple, easy-to-use feature set and strong customer service. If you have a limited number of employees and don’t need to pay extra for advanced features, SurePayroll could be a perfectly functional and affordable piece of software.

surepayroll dashboard

SurePayroll Pricing

One downside to SurePayroll is that you’ll have to speak to a representative to get a payroll quote. They do offer two pricing platforms, one for self-service and one for full-service. The full-service option has full tax support and a faster processing speed. There are also add-ons for things like time-tracking, benefits, and integrations.

SurePayroll Features

SurePayroll’s basic feature set before add-ons is somewhat limited, but likely functional for a smaller food-service establishment. And if you’re happy with the product’s ease of use and find yourself needing additional features, the product is highly scaleable (although the fees can add up). Here are some of SurePayroll’s top features.

Unlimited processing
Automated tax calculations
HR support
Employee management
Self-service through app
Garnishments
Poster updates

Is SurePayroll Right For You?

For a basic, starting payroll program, SurePayroll does a lot of things well. If you run a small restaurant, you can very likely get by with the features it offers at an affordable price. SurePayroll’s usability and customer service are also outstanding. The options are also there if you need to expand your payroll offerings, just beware that the add-ons can get expensive.

5. Square Payroll: Best For Smaller Food Service Establishments

Square Payroll

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Pros

Ease of use
Direct deposit
Square app store
Strong tax support

Cons

Limited features
Administrative options lacking

Square Payroll is one of the more recent offerings from Square’s impressive array of tools for small businesses and it fits in with the company’s niche. Square Payroll is exceptionally easy to use and can easily be integrated with Square’s other products. It comes with all of the basics you would expect from payroll software at a very affordable price, but may be best suited for smaller to mid-sized restaurants as some more advanced payroll features are lacking.

square payrol dashboard

Square Payroll Pricing

As you might expect, Square Payroll’s pricing structure is simple and cost-effective for what it includes. There are two tiers, one for just paying contractors, which starts at $5 per contractor. The other is for employees and contractors and runs $35/month + $5 per employee.

Square Payroll Features

Square’s features are somewhat basic but, as long as you don’t have overly complicated payroll requirements, they should cover everything you need. They are also incredibly simple to understand and run even if you’re brand new to payroll software. Here are some of the highlights:

Garnishments
Direct deposit
Tax support
Employee management
PTO
Onboarding support

Is Square Payroll Right For You?

If you’re already using or considering using any of Square’s other products like the Square For Restaurants point of sale system or Square processing, Square Payroll might be a no-brainer as it integrates seamlessly and gives you access to the Square mobile app store. And as a standalone product, Square Payroll holds its own when put up against other software for smaller to mid-sized restaurants.

6. Wave: Best For Restaurants On A Budget

Wave Payroll

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Pros

Simple to use
Affordable
Integrations

Cons

All services not available in 50 states
No HR tools
No time tracking

Wave Payroll is a simple and affordable service that is best suited for smaller restaurants or businesses that may be on a budget and don’t have extensive payroll needs. It also pairs with Wave’s accounting software and, while it’s not the deepest platform out there, it has upfront pricing and is more than capable of handling the needs of an establishment with a limited number of employees.

wave payroll dashboard

Wave Pricing

Wave has two simple pricing tiers. Wave Payroll Self Service costs $20/month + $6/month per employee. Wave Payroll Tax Service will run you $35/month + $6/month per employee. You can also add Wave Payments and Wave Advisors for additional fees.

Wave Features

Wave has a relatively basic feature set, but what it does offer is simple to use and very affordable. For more advanced features like HR, you may need to look elsewhere. Here are a few areas where Wave stands out:

Employee management
PTO
Time tracking
Onboarding support
Direct deposit
Employee portal

Is Wave Right For You?

Wave is built for smaller businesses without extensive payroll needs or for small business owners who may be new to payroll software. In that area it thrives, offering an excellent and simple interface and everything you would need to get your employees paid on time and accurately. Be aware that you’ll need to make sure that Wave’s features are offered in your state and, if you need additional benefits software, it may not be the right fit.

7. OnPay: Best For Built-In HR

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Pros

Unlimited payrolls
Custom fields
Strong customer service

Cons

Poor mobile app
No automatic payroll

OnPay is a versatile payroll system that can suit most-sized businesses. It features a very intuitive interface that is easy to pick up for anyone with even a little payroll experience. It also has built-in HR and the ability for employees to onboard themselves for an affordable price.

onpay dashboard

OnPay Pricing

OnPay’s pricing is refreshingly simple and competitive. You get your first month free along with free set-up. After that, your software fee is $36month +$4 per employee.

OnPay Features

OnPay’s feature set is impressive and contains everything you would expect from strong payroll software. A few users reported that, with so much going on in OnPay’s dashboard, it could be difficult to find what you’re looking for at times. But overall, OnPay has very few gaps. Here are a few areas where it stands out.

Permissions
Self-onboarding
Workers comp and benefits
Unlimited pay runs
Unemployment insurance withholdings
Integrations with QuickBooks and Xero

Is OnPay Right For You?

OnPay gives you exactly what you would expect from a highly rated payroll company. While OnPay doesn’t specifically cater to restaurants the way some of the other companies on our list do, it features a similarly intuitive interface, strong customer service, and upfront pricing, which should make it an appealing option for small businesses.

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