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Best Shift Calculator
Compare the shifts you can pick, and see which pays best per hour and in total.
Part of the 🍽️ Restaurant Servers toolkit, with more tools made for the job.
Your wage
The same for every shift, so the comparison is only about the shifts.
Leave empty if you are paid only in tips.
Leave empty for none.
The shifts you can pick from
For each one: how long it is, what your tables spend each hour, and the average tip.
Type the shifts you can pick from, and which pays best appears here.
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Type the shifts you can choose from, with their length, what tables spend per hour and the average tip. This shows what each pays per hour and per shift, and which is best.
Servers often get a choice of shifts, and the best one is not obvious. A lunch shift may pay more per hour but is short, and a busy dinner may pay more in total but is long. Weekend shifts usually have more sales but more competition for them. This tool lets you put numbers on each and see the difference. It treats your wage and your tip-out the same for every shift, so the comparison is only about the shifts themselves.
How it’s worked out
- For each shift, tips per hour are the sales per hour times the average tip percentage.
- You keep that minus the share you tip out. Add your hourly wage to get your pay per hour.
- Per shift is the pay per hour times the hours in the shift.
- The best shift per hour and the best shift in total are marked. They are not always the same one.
With a wage of 5 and 20 percent tipped out, a 4-hour lunch with 100 of sales an hour at 15 percent earns 17 an hour and 68 for the shift. A 7-hour dinner with 90 an hour at 15 percent earns 15.80 an hour and 110.60 for the shift.
Common mistakes
- Judging by the best night. Use an average for each kind of shift, not the one night everything went right.
- Ignoring the hours. A shift that pays more per hour can still pay less overall if it is short.
- Forgetting the extras. Setting up, closing and travel are time you spend too, so count them in the hours.
- Assuming it stays the same. Sales change with the season and the day, so check a few weeks of your own figures.
Questions
What should I put for sales per hour?
Your own sales for that kind of shift divided by the hours you worked. Your POS report shows it. If you are new, ask a colleague, and be cautious.
Does it include the tip-out?
Yes, as a share of your tips, the same for every shift. Leave it empty if you do not tip out.
Why might the best shift per hour not be the best overall?
A short, busy shift can pay more per hour than a long, steady one, but the long one can pay more in total. Which is better depends on whether you want the most per hour or the most overall.
How many shifts can I compare?
Up to eight. Add and remove shifts with the links under the boxes.
Estimates only
These are estimates and general information, not legal, tax or employment advice. Tipping customs, tip-out and pooling rules, wages and tax on tips differ by country, state and restaurant, so use your own figures and your restaurant's written policy, and check the rules where you live.
Rain stopped play. Officially research.