Restaurant Wingman Weekly

April 29, 2025
Serving up hot takes, fresh tools, and food biz gossip every Tuesday.

🍽️ Big Story: Starbucks Decides Robots Aren’t That Hot

Apparently, the future isn’t a barista named HAL. Starbucks is backtracking on its tech-heavy “Siren System” (aka robot coffee land) and hiring actual humans instead. After five quarters of shrinking margins and a 1% sales dip, the coffee giant realized people kinda miss... people.

CEO Laxman Narasimhan plans to boost staffing in up to 3,000 stores by year-end. Why? Because customers want speed and someone who doesn’t sound like a toaster when they say “venti oat milk latte.”

TL;DR: More humans, less robot overlords. The pendulum swings back to good ol’ hospitality.

🛠️ Tool of the Week: 7shifts Labor Budgeting

Scheduling used to feel like playing Jenga on a boat. But 7shifts’ new Labor Budgeting Tool plugs into your historical sales data and auto-suggests the right staffing levels—no spreadsheets, no guesswork, no voodoo.

Operators testing it out cut labor costs by up to 12% while keeping service tight. And when labor is your biggest line item, that’s not small fries.

📉 Industry Snapshot: Mixed Signals

• 📈 $1.1 trillion in projected 2025 sales. The industry’s making bank.
• 📉 But Q1 diner foot traffic? Limp. Delivery orders dipped 6%, and customer budgets are looking like a deflated soufflé.
• 💼 80,000 new restaurant jobs added in March—so yes, you're not imagining all those new faces on the schedule.

Bottom line: There’s money out there, but it’s not walking through your door by accident. Gotta work the floor and woo the regulars.

💡 Pro Tip: The Extra Server Rule

Adding one extra server on Friday night might cost $120—but if it means faster turns and an extra 4 tables? You just paid for it in 90 minutes.

Track your shifts like mini-investments. Not just labor %—think labor ROI.
Your guests feel it, your tips show it, your stress drops 10 points.