Press Room
Find out about our latest news and what the media is inviting us to talk about. Discover the latest news, trends and thought leadership.
Press Releases
HotSchedules Enters New Era of Serving Hospitality and Retail under Global Brand, Fourth
HotSchedules will operate under unified global brand, Fourth, and serve as the flagship workforce management solution in the United States
Austin, TX (December 2, 2020) – HotSchedules, the leading provider of end-to-end, best-in-class technology and services for the restaurant and hospitality industries, announced today the company will be operating under a unified global brand, Fourth, effective immediately. The new brand represents a global portfolio of customer-focused solutions and services including inventory, task and labor management, analytics, HR and payroll services. As Fourth continues to create solutions for the industry’s most complex challenges, they will officially extend their widely adopted workforce management offerings to the retail industry.
Fourth Enterprises Selected as Preferred Vendor for Great Harvest Franchising, Inc.
Partnership Comes After Initial Success with Fourth Labor Management Services in Great Harvest Franchisees.
Austin, TX (October 22, 2020) – Fourth Enterprises, parent company of HotSchedules and the leading provider of end-to-end, best-in-class technology and services for the restaurant and hospitality industries, today announced a preferred vendor agreement with Great Harvest Franchising Inc. to provide workforce management solutions to its more than 200 bakery and café franchisees. The partnership solidifies an ongoing relationship between the two companies, with Fourth now serving as the company’s sole software provider for labor management and time and attendance.
Fourth Enterprises is Driving Significant Savings and Investments in Hospitality for Sun Pubs Group
Leading technology provider offers labor management and HR and payroll services solutions to manage compliance, streamline operations and cut costs.
Austin, TX (September 10, 2020) – Fourth Enterprises, parent company of HotSchedules and the leading provider of end-to-end, best-in-class technology and services for the restaurant and hospitality industries, released a case study detailing how the brand has been a key contributor to the success of Florida-based Sun Pubs Investment Group. As the parent company of Caddy’s, MacDinton’s, Yard of Ale, 260 First, and Proof Cocktail Club, Sun Pubs is leveraging the HotSchedules Labor Management and Fourth HR and Payroll Services solutions to enable them to reduce overhead costs, provide a smooth system to manage workforce compliance, and measure store performance all with one single partnership.
Fourth Enterprises Announces New Chief Operating Officer and Chief Revenue Officer
Leading restaurant and hospitality software company bolsters leadership team with two C-suite executive appointments.
Austin, TX (July 7, 2020) – Fourth Enterprises, parent company of HotSchedules and Fourth, the leading provider of end-to-end, best-in-class technology and services for the restaurant and hospitality industries, today announced the appointment of Paige Newcombe as Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Scott Morgan, Ed.D, SPHR as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), effective immediately. As COO, Ms. Newcombe will be responsible for the Company’s global operations, and as CRO, Dr. Morgan will head global commercial performance and corporate growth.
HotSchedules Announces New In-App Health Survey to Help the Industry Safely Reopen
Workforce and HR management platform introduces new tool to monitor restaurant and hospitality employees’ health amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Austin, TX (June 2, 2020) – HotSchedules, Now Powered by Fourth, the leading provider of end-to-end, best-in-class technology and services for the restaurant and hospitality industries, today announced the limited availability release of its Health Survey in-app tool designed to help operators prevent the spread of coronavirus, among other illnesses. The survey will prompt employees to answer a series of questions on the HotSchedules app regarding their health in advance of showing up for their shift, providing an accessible and consistent system for operators to determine if an employee is healthy enough to interact with guests and other employees before coming into the location.
Plate IQ Partners with HotSchedules to Launch Gift a Plate to Support Restaurants and Feed Families in Need
Giveaplate.org to deliver meals to feed families in need in San Francisco
San Francisco, California – May 4, 2020 – Plate IQ, the technology company that helps restaurants improve and automate their Accounts Payable (AP) processes, has announced it has teamed up with several industry partners to establish the nonprofit organization, giftaplate.org, in an effort to aid those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The organization will source and funnel donations to local restaurants in Bayview so that they can produce meals for local shelters and food banks that are partnered with Gift a Plate, including the United Council of Human Services shelter in San Francisco.
Plate IQ is currently partnering with HotSchedules, PayActiv and ICR. Participating restaurants include Mixt, Curry Up Now, Fiorella, Sajj, Tendergreens and Oren’s Hummus.
Fourth Enterprises Announces New CEO and CFO
Leading the company to its next phase of growth, Clinton Anderson will succeed Ben Hood as CEO, John Whitmarsh joins as CFO
AUSTIN, Texas and LONDON – December 10, 2019 – Fourth Enterprises, LLC, parent company of HotSchedules and Fourth, (“the Company”), a leading provider of workforce, inventory and operations management solutions to the global restaurant and hospitality industry, today announced the appointment of Clinton Anderson as its new Chief Executive Officer.
HotSchedules, Now Powered by Fourth, Unveils U.S. Brand at Spark 2019
Introduction of 2020 product roadmap reinforces the power of its unified technology suite to empower restaurant and hospitality operators
AUSTIN, Texas – November 6, 2019 — Following their July 2019 merger, HotSchedules and Fourth, two of the leading technology providers to the restaurant and hospitality industries, today announced the go-to-market brand in the United States as HotSchedules, Now Powered by Fourth. This rebrand is designed to signal the company’s intent to consolidate all product offerings on the Fourth Platform and to transition the holding company name to Fourth Enterprises, LLC from HotSchedules’ previous parent company name, Red Book Connect, LLC.
HotSchedules and Fourth Join Forces to Become Global Leader in End-to-End Restaurant and Hospitality Management Technology Solutions
Merger creates the hospitality industry’s first and only fully integrated intelligent operations software and solutions for workforce and cost-control management
AUSTIN, Texas & LONDON—July 10, 2019 – HotSchedules, provider of the leading workforce and inventory management solutions for the restaurant industry, and Fourth, provider of the only integrated hospitality workforce management and cost-control operations platform, today announced they merged business operations in an agreement backed by Marlin Equity Partners and Insight Partners.
Nothing Bundt Cakes Leverages HotSchedules Technology to Manage Employees and Expand Nationwide
HotSchedules has been selected by Nothing Bundt Cakes to provide a reliable and intuitive technology solution during a time of expansion.
AUSTIN, Texas and ATLANTA, June 19, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HotSchedules©, the leading provider of workforce and back office solutions for the restaurant and hospitality industries, has been selected by Nothing Bundt Cakes, a leading national bakery that offers a variety of handcrafted Bundt Cakes made with the finest ingredients, to provide a reliable and intuitive technology solution during a time of expansion.
HotSchedules Announces New Shift Ratings Feature to Gauge Team Satisfaction and Drive Employee Retention
Fourth Unveils First Annual “Truth about Dining Out” Survey Results, Revealing Americans’ Eating-out Habits, the Rise of Third-Party Delivery Apps and Favorite Celebrity Chef
Fourth Adds Six New Restaurant Groups to Its Growing Client Base, Expanding US Footprint in the Hospitality Management Solutions Industry
Fourth Launches End-to-End Restaurant and Hospitality HR, Benefits and Payroll Services
Golden Pantry Food Stores Selects HotSchedules as Employee Scheduling and Labor Management Solution
Convenience store chain and gas supplier leverages the number one rated employee scheduling and labor management solution for 38 stores in Georgia, including the retailer’s first stand-alone deli
AUSTIN, Texas and ATLANTA, Feb. 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HotSchedules©, the leading provider of workforce and back-office solutions for the retail, restaurant and hospitality industries, today announced Golden Pantry Food Stores selected the Company to support its employee scheduling, forecasting, and labor management initiatives across the brand’s 38 locations. The selection was made as part of Golden Pantry’s ongoing efforts to improve employee retention and scheduling efficiency by providing staff with world-class technology that saves time and improves productivity, allowing team members to focus on delivering the best guest experiences.
Dairy Queen, Pincho Factory, M Restaurant Group and Others Join Fourth’s Client Roster
NEW YORK, September 28 2018 – Fourth, provider of a leading hospitality operations platform, has announced that Dairy Queen, Pincho Factory, M Crowd Restaurant Group and others have joined its expanding U.S. client roster to counter unprecedented restaurant labor challenges. The platform drives performance and profitability by freeing managers to focus on team and customers, and helps them hire, manage and retain the best talent to deliver the best customer service, loyalty and spend
Fourth Acquires Leading HR Services Provider Choice HR
NEW YORK, September 18, 2018 – Fourth, provider of a leading hospitality operations platform, today announced the acquisition of Choice HR, a full-service Payroll, Benefits and HR Services business that meets the complex needs of the hospitality sector. Choice HR’s comprehensive suite of solutions are currently used by 400+ organizations, including PDQ, Metro Diner, Beef o’ Brady’s, Ford’s Garage and World of Beer.
HotSchedules Reports Record Level of Engagement by Customers in 2018
Company’s all-time high numbers include over 3 million active global users and support of over $100 billion in sales
AUSTIN, Texas and ATLANTA, Feb. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HotSchedules®, the leading provider of workforce and back office solutions for the restaurant and hospitality industries, today announced record-breaking usage numbers by its over 3 million active users. In 2018 over 170,000 restaurant locations across 61 countries leveraged the HotSchedules platform for its workforce and back office solutions, enabling managers with the tools needed to take the next best action to maximize efficiency, minimize costs, increase revenue and create a better experience for guests and employees alike.
Jason’s Deli Selects HotSchedules as Scheduling and Labor Management Solution
The industry’s number one rated employee scheduling and labor management solution rolls out to more than 175 corporate-owned Jason’s Deli stores
AUSTIN, Texas and ATLANTA, [and BEAUMONT, Texas] – August 16, 2018 — HotSchedules©, the leading provider of workforce and back office solutions for the restaurant and hospitality industries, today announced Jason’s Deli has selected the company to support its scheduling, forecasting, and labor management programs across the brand’s 175 company-owned locations. The selection was made as part of Jason’s Deli’s ongoing efforts to provide their managers with best-in-class technology that saves them time, improves overall productivity, and helps them provide great guest experiences day in and day
Fourth Appoints Strategic HR Partner
International Consultant HR Director and founder of HR consultancy, The People Factor, Davies brings with her a wealth of hospitality sector insight and experience. Davies’ role at Fourth will be peer-to-peer, working closely with HR Directors across Fourth’s customers to help them maximize the efficiencies their technology provides.
Pubs and Bars More Upbeat as Restaurant Confidence Falters
Confidence levels among the leaders of Britain’s pub, bar and restaurant groups remain broadly flat in light of continuing political uncertainty and multiple continuing business challenges, the latest CGA Fourth Business Confidence Survey reveals.
Location, Location, Location: Dining Habits of UK Regions Revealed by New Survey
Quality, good service and variety have been revealed as the top three criteria for British diners when it comes to choosing a restaurant. The survey, conducted by the UK’s leading software and data provider for the hospitality industry Fourth, took an in-depth look into the nation’s dining habits with interesting results, unearthing information across a number of areas, including diners’ biggest bugbears, tipping and what consumers really look for when choosing a restaurant.
Natural Grocers Teams Up With HotSchedules
Grocery retailer leverages HotSchedules’ forecasting and labor management solutions to improve employee retention and scheduling, increase productivity and inform management decisions
Hospitality Wages Spike After Months of Deflation
The latest statistics from Fourth, the leading global software provider for the leisure and hospitality industries, has revealed that the average hourly pay of workers over 25 in the UK significantly fell from £8.55 in June to £8.18 in November, before plateauing at £8.16 in December and rising to £8.38 in January.
Select Media Coverage
Inside the Social World of Shift-Scheduling Apps
Excerpt from The New York Times
There’s no such thing as remote restaurant work. But there is HotSchedules.
Zoom fatigue, layoffs in Slack chat, reply-all meltdowns and the general destruction of work-life boundaries: The digitized plight of the white-collar office employee, 9-to-5-ing remotely, has been documented extensively.
In non-white-collar industries, hit even harder by the pandemic — small businesses like restaurants, bars and independent retailers — managers have spent much of this year dealing with more immediate and brutal dilemmas, making major staff cuts and furloughs, navigating complicated loan applications and weighing closures both temporary and permanent. Their employees, many unable to collect unemployment benefits that are now running out anyway, are not only eager for work but also wary of its new risks.
Real-Life Data Can Now Inform Real-Life Decisions
Excerpt from Hospitality Technology
I’ve spent the majority of my career in the restaurant industry from cook to server to supervisor and this experience has been invaluable. I’m now in a leadership position at a company focused on harnessing technology to support restaurant and hospitality teams all over the world. My real-life experience has taught me that most people within a restaurant actually seek the same goal, though we may describe it in different ways – we all want to use our time efficiently to gain the most benefit. Labor optimization is critical at all times but paramount during this historic pandemic, especially for restaurant leaders who, unfortunately, have felt the effects of constant policy changes – arguably more than any other industry. Luckily, we now have something that can help.
How and Why Restaurants Should Create Predictable Schedules for Workers
Excerpt from Nation’s Restaurant News
An unpredictable schedule can wreak havoc on employees’ lives and leave operators short-staffed. New research, software and predictive scheduling laws are pushing restaurants toward stability.
Barry McGowan, CEO of Brazilian steakhouse chain Fogo de Chão and HotSchedules customer was quoted saying, “Ultimately, it’s really about the employee,” said McGowan. “We hired somebody to do something for us. We’ve got to balance their needs with ours.”
Decade of Disruption: Restaurant Insiders Dish What’s on the Plate
Excerpt from Modern Restaurant Management
Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine asked restaurant industry movers and shakers: “What do you feel is going to cause disruption in the restaurant industry over the next decade?”
Their answers touched on a variety of subjects including AI, virtual reality, virtual kitchens, staffing and retention, social media marketing, sustainability and third-party delivery. HotSchedules’ Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer weighed in.
Why Restaurants Need Inventory Automation
Excerpt from QSR Magazine
“Even restaurants with simple menus have complex inventory processes,” says Nathan Pickerill, principal solutions architect at HotSchedules, provider of the first cloud-based intelligent operating platform for restaurants. “That state of the many-to-one relationship between product production and what is actually sold to the consumer makes monitoring product throughout the week difficult. Items sold aren’t just a simple one-in, one-out type of equation in the restaurant world.”
Utilizing Technology to Create an Efficient Workforce
Excerpt from QSR Media
The merger between restaurant and hospitality solutions providers HotSchedules and Fourth highlighted one of the many truths in the changing industry: To survive, one needs to be adaptable and versatile.
Among the many goals of the union is to further strengthen both companies’ expertise in the industry to provide better solutions for their customers.
David Cantu, chief customer officer, was quoted as saying in a statement, “Since the merger, Fourth and HotSchedules have been working diligently to combine products and industry insights to ensure customers have the solutions they need to deliver superior guest experiences.”
6 Ways to Offset Rising Labor Costs in the Restaurant Industry
Excerpt from Night Club and Bar
Article by David Cantu, Co-founder and Chief Customer Officer at HotSchedules, now powered by Fourth
Rising labor costs are a constant headache for today’s restaurant operators. Labor is already one of a bar or restaurant’s top costs, but as minimum wages and healthcare costs rise across the country, owners and operators are seeking new, creative ways to cut costs and stay profitable. Let’s examine a few below.
Halting Turnover Turmoil: Tips to Attract and Retain Top Talent in the Restaurant and Hospitality Industry
Excerpt from Staffing Steam
By Simon Bocca, Chief Growth Officer at HotSchedules, Now Powered by Fourth
With a shrinking labor pool and employee turnover higher than ever before, it’s no surprise that finding and keeping staff is one of the biggest challenges restaurant and hospitality managers face today. Not only are there tremendous costs associated with training new employees, but high turnover also negatively impacts customer experience and points to a larger problem within the business. To solve labor challenges, operators must understand how to effectively manage the entire employee lifecycle.
HotSchedules, Fourth Unveil Post-Merger Leadership Team
Excerpt from Hotel Business
HotSchedules and Fourth, leading providers of the restaurant and hospitality industry’s only integrated workforce, cost control and inventory management solutions, revealed the formation of a new executive leadership team comprising industry experts and technology evangelists from both entities.
How New Tech Is Helping Restaurants Handle Food Allergens
Excerpt from Forbes
More than 170 food products have been identified as potential causes for allergies, and eight items are considered the top food allergens in America. They include wheat, milk, shellfish, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy and fish. According to Food Allergy Research & Education, food allergies force a person to go to an emergency room every three minutes. Eating out is a challenge for many people with allergies, and Simon Bocca, chief growth officer at Fourth, shared how new technology can help in a recent interview.
From Voicebots and Loyalty to Data and Delivery: What Are the Next Big Hits (and Misses) in Food Tech?
Excerpt from The Spoon
I have been tracking the food tech ecosystem for the past decade, and along the way have seen many business models and fads come and go, from daily deals and local loyalty schemes, to meal kits and the on-demand convenience economy, to the ever elusive promise of personalization via some version of “Pandora for Food”.
Hire, Train, Retain, Repeat: Tips for Finding and Keeping Employees
Excerpt from Franchising.com
Not since 1969 have so few people been unemployed in the United States. Evidence of a strong economy, but that doesn’t mean franchisees can relax. On the contrary, today’s record low unemployment rate means they must work harder than ever to hire and keep the kind of employees whose work sustains a successful business.
How C-store Chains Are Using Technology to Connect With Employees
Excerpt from Convenience Store News
NATIONAL REPORT — Over the past several years, there have been countless conversations around technology in the convenience channel. In fact, a record number of industry stakeholders converged in Nashville, Tenn., in late April for the 2019 Conexxus Annual Conference — lending even more proof to the growing importance of technology in the industry.
3 Steps to Navigating Effective Wage and Hour Compliance
Excerpt from Workforce
Restaurant operators face many unique challenges — labor management being a top one. In addition to today’s tight labor market, operators must also manage high employee turnover, complex scheduling as well as ever-increasing regulations around hour, wage and tip reporting requirements.
It’s no surprise that the restaurant industry continues to be a major target for Fair Labor Standards Act and class-action litigation. This type of litigation has proven to be costly in recent years as claims can be triggered by any number of employee complaints, including pay and hourly discrepancies.
The talent textbook: Algorithm scheduling and workers' choice
Excerpt from HR Drive
Late last year, Walmart announced that it would roll out an internal scheduling app across all its U.S. stores to enable managers to predict shift openings in advance and allow workers to have more flexibility and stability in their schedules.
But Walmart is far from the only employer thinking about this issue. ‘My Walmart Schedule’ reflects a broader trend in the hourly workplace regarding the use of platforms that allow employees to choose their shifts and enable managers to ensure they have the coverage they need. The internal app, as well as similar third-party apps used by various employers, could also help employers stay on top of overtime laws and a growing list of predictive scheduling laws in some localities.
A Costly Investment in Staff Training Technology Pays Off
Excerpt from Skift table
Hiring at The Dead Rabbit, a world-renowned bar located in lower Manhattan, is an exhaustive process. There’s the questionnaire on the application (“Tell us a story about the best place you’ve ever worked. What was your best day there? How did you know when it was time to go?”), an intensive interview to gauge ambition, curiosity, and emotional intelligence, a trial run with the team, and then — maybe — a job offer.
3 Reasons Predictive Analytics is Revolutionizing the Hospitality Industry
Excerpt from Hospitality Technology
Predicting what a business needs, when it needs it, sounds like an impossible feat to most. But with the right tools and technology, the hospitality industry can now come very close. For instance, when leveraging the power of true predictive analytics, hospitality chains and individual locations can routinely receive forecasts enabling them to increase operational efficiency, better manage labor and onerous HR issues and appropriately track and benchmark inventory. Once integrated, the intuitive technology provides actionable insights to hotels and restaurants by collecting, processing, analyzing and interpreting large amounts of varied data to better understand the past, make the necessary adjustments to the present and predict the future.
It's not just McDonald's — restaurant CIOs are hungry for tech
Excerpt from CIO Dive
…The consumer facing technologies that restaurants are exploring or investing in also requires the eye of professionals outside of technology.
A unique guest experience is derived from a seamless cohesion of data, digital offerings and marketing expertise.
“If you recognize the guest, you can get the food quite wrong, and they’ll still come back,” said Christian Berthelsen, CTO, of restaurant and hospitality software provider Fourth
3 Ways Italian Restaurants Can Reduce Turnover and Expenses
Excerpt from Sapore Magazine
For Italian restaurants, the industry-wide labor crunch is a real threat. Despite hourly turnover rates plateauing this year, the restaurant industry as a whole still faces a massive labor shortage. Though that turnover may have stopped growing, TDn2K reports that it has topped out at an astronomical 132 percent for quick service. Additionally, manager turnover, which measures at 50 percent, is still on the rise.
What Do Restaurants Need in a Forecasting Solution?
Excerpt from Hospitality Technology
As operators deal with the increasingly costly and complicated labor market, new strategies are being defined to maintain profit margins. There’s a lot of talk about kiosks as a form of customer service automation. In fact, some of the largest QSR chains are devoting significant budget to their FOH automation strategies.
Dairy Queen Franchisee Fourteen Foods Expands Deal with HotSchedules
Excerpt from QSR Magazine
HotSchedules, a leading provider of workforce and back office solutions for the restaurant and hospitality industries, announced that the largest Dairy Queen franchise in North America, Fourteen Foods, has expanded its partnership with HotSchedules to implement comprehensive labor and task management.
Bloomberg Radio: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Hospitality Businesses
From Bloomberg Radio
James England, Senior VP: Strategic Partnerships, was invited to Bloomberg radio talking about the current technology trends in the hospitality industry, focusing on:
- How tech-savvy the restaurant industry can be
- Why some hotels are lagging behind
- How Fourth are helping hospitality businesses increase their profits
- The impact of artificial intelligence on the hospitality industry
- The benefits of consolidating systems across a hospitality business
Adaco Acquired by Fourth
Excerpt from Hospitality Technology
Fourth, the global SaaS provider of labor, payroll, inventory and procurement systems for the restaurant/bar, hotel, contract catering and leisure markets, has announced the acquisition of Adaco Inc., supplier of SaaS based purchasing and inventory control solutions to the hotel sector in the US and throughout the world.