Cost of a No-Show Calculator
Enter the hours that went uncovered, what you pay the person who covers, and the sales you lost being short. You get the cost of one no-show and what it adds up to in a month.
The length of the shift the no-show was scheduled for.
Straight-time rate of the person who stays late or comes in. Enter 0 if a salaried manager works it.
1.5 for time and a half. Use 1 if the cover stays under overtime. Overtime rules vary by state.
Your best guess at sales lost from slower tickets, a closed station, or walkouts. Use 0 if none.
How many no-call no-shows a typical month brings. Used for the monthly total.
- Cover labor
- $135.00
- Overtime premium
- $45.00
- Lost sales
- $150.00
- Cost per month
- $570.00
How I use this on a Friday
A no-call no-show costs more than the hours that employee was scheduled to work. Someone else may have to stay late, I may have to call somebody in on their day off, and if I can't fill the gap quickly, the guest experience can suffer. Most of the time, I work the position myself because I'm salary. That may keep labor from increasing, but now I'm working a position instead of managing the restaurant. I always attempt to contact the employee. Until we have a conversation about the attendance issue, I take them off the schedule, and the incident is documented. The calculator can put a dollar amount on a no-show. What it can't calculate is the disruption to the shift, the team, and the guests when somebody simply doesn't show up.
K. Pinckney, restaurant GM and founder of WRI
The math
Cover labor is shift hours times the hourly rate of the person who covers, times the overtime multiplier. The cost of one no-show is cover labor plus your estimate of lost sales. The monthly cost is that number times how many no-shows you get in a month.
Example: A 6-hour shift goes uncovered. Someone stays late at $15 an hour on time and a half. Cover labor is 6 x 15 x 1.5 = $135, and $45 of that is the overtime premium. You were short and lost about $150 in sales. One no-show costs 135 + 150 = $285. Two a month is $570.
Questions operators ask
What does a no-show really cost a restaurant?
More than the shift. Someone covers it, often at overtime, and if nobody does, the line runs short and sales slip. Put the cover pay and a lost sales guess together and one no-show usually costs more than the wages you planned to pay.
What if I work the shift myself because I am salaried?
Enter 0 for the hourly rate. Labor dollars stay flat, but the restaurant has no manager while you work a station. Keep your lost sales estimate in, because that is where the cost shows up.
How do I estimate lost sales?
Look at the same shift on a normal week and compare. Slower ticket times, a closed drive-thru lane, or a section you could not seat all show up there. A rough number is better than leaving it at zero.
Does the cover always get overtime?
Not always. If the person who covers is still under 40 hours for the week, use 1. Once they cross it, most places pay time and a half. Overtime rules vary by state, so check yours.
How should I handle a no-call no-show?
Try to reach the employee, document it, and have a conversation before they go back on the schedule. Follow your written attendance policy the same way every time.