Staff the long weekend you're actually going to get
Long weekends bring this restaurant extra orders. Thanksgiving weekend brings fewer, every year. Shiftova learned the difference from the restaurant's own sales, so the forecast was ready for the weekend that actually happened.
Thanksgiving weekend, Sat–Mon
How far over the sales forecast was
Before, the schedule would have been built for about 1.5× the sales that came in.
- The restaurant
- Single-location pizza, British Columbia
- Sales history
- Almost 4 years of daily sales
- Uses Shiftova for
- Schedules, time clock, payroll hours, sales forecast
- The weekend
- Thanksgiving 2026, Oct 9–13
This restaurant is owned by Shiftova's founder. It's where every feature gets tested first.
Every long weekend brings extra orders. Except one.
At this restaurant, 15 of the last 16 Monday long weekends (Family Day, Victoria Day, BC Day and Labour Day) sold more than a normal Monday, usually by about a quarter. So it's natural to staff every long weekend the same way.
Thanksgiving goes the other way, likely because it's the long weekend built around a home-cooked meal. The Sunday before has sold 27% to 44% less than a normal Sunday, four years running. Staff it like Victoria Day and you pay a full crew to wait for orders that don't come.
A forecast that treats every holiday alike makes the same mistake. Replayed against past years, Shiftova's earlier forecast had Thanksgiving Day too high every time: by 65%, 16% and 68%.
Friday
3 days before
Saturday
2 days before
Sunday
The day before
Monday
Thanksgiving
Tuesday
The day after
Each dot is one year: that day's sales compared with a normal day of the same weekday. Friday has no steady pattern. Saturday, Sunday and Monday were below normal all four years.
Show the numbers as a table
| Day | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday (3 days before) | +17% | −12% | +6% | +8% |
| Saturday (2 days before) | −28% | −24% | −25% | −29% |
| Sunday (the day before) | −27% | −31% | −36% | −44% |
| Monday (thanksgiving) | −9% | −11% | −28% | −20% |
| Tuesday (the day after) | −23% | −7% | −23% | −28% |
It learns your restaurant's calendar, holidays included
Shiftova doesn't know what Thanksgiving is. It notices that this holiday, and the weekend around it, has gone against the usual pattern every year, and forecasts it from its own track record instead. A restaurant whose Thanksgiving is busy gets the opposite answer.
- 1
Enter your daily sales
Type each day's total into Schedule → Labor, a week at a time if that's easier. No POS integration or setup. Forecasts start after four weeks.
- 2
Shiftova learns your calendar
Your weekly rhythm, the time of year, the last three months' trend, and every holiday: the busy ones, the slow ones, and the days around them.
- 3
You schedule to the forecast
Each day of the schedule shows its projected sales. Set a labor goal and you see the hours to schedule. Know something it doesn't? Adjust that day's forecast yourself.
Thanksgiving weekend, forecast within 11%
We took the sales the manager had on hand while building the schedule, forecast the weekend, then compared each day with what actually sold.
- Saturday
- 43% over7% over
- Sunday
- 78% over22% over
- Thanksgiving Monday
- 35% over7% over
Fri, Oct 9
No pattern, left alone
Sat, Oct 10
2 days before
Sun, Oct 11
The day before
Mon, Oct 12
Thanksgiving
Tue, Oct 13
The day after
Zero means the forecast matched what sold. Friday ran a little busier than forecast, within a normal Friday's swing. Tuesday is the one day the pattern didn't cover, so the owner adjusted it.
Show the numbers as a table
| Day | Before | With Shiftova | With the owner's adjustment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 9 (no pattern, left alone) | −12% | −12% | — |
| Sat, Oct 10 (2 days before) | +43% | +7% | — |
| Sun, Oct 11 (the day before) | +78% | +22% | — |
| Mon, Oct 12 (thanksgiving) | +35% | +7% | — |
| Tue, Oct 13 (the day after) | +35% | +35% | +12% |
You still know things the forecast doesn't
The Tuesday after Thanksgiving had been slow before, but one year it was only 7% under a normal Tuesday. So Shiftova didn't treat it as a sure thing, and the forecast came in 35% high. The owner knew better and adjusted that day on the schedule, which brought it to within 12%. It's the same adjustment you'd make for a big catering order, a school event or closing early.
Labor is the cost you fight every week
A schedule is only as good as the sales number behind it. Get that number right and the rest of the week gets easier.
Fewer paid hours on slow days
Stop paying a full crew to wait for orders on the days that never get busy.
Enough hands on busy days
The same forecast tells you when to add people, before the line backs up.
Built from your sales only
No outside data, and nothing pooled with other businesses. It learns your restaurant, not an industry average.
You make the call
Shiftova shows the forecast and suggested hours. Nothing changes on your schedule unless you change it.
Questions owners ask
How much sales history do I need?
Forecasts start after four weeks of daily sales. Shiftova picks up the time of year once it has a full year, and a holiday's own pattern once it has seen that holiday two or three times. It gets sharper the longer you use it.
Do I need to connect my point-of-sale?
No. You type in each day's total sales. It takes a few seconds a day, or a minute a week.
Will it change my schedule on its own?
No. You see the forecast and the suggested hours on each day of the schedule, and you decide.
How accurate is it?
Over the past year at this restaurant, a typical day landed within 13% of what sold, and 7 days in 10 within 20%. Every restaurant is different, and the 3-month free trial is the easiest way to see it on your own numbers.
What else comes with it?
The forecast is one part of Shiftova. The same app handles clock-ins with GPS, schedules and shift swaps, payroll hours with overtime and stat pay, and team chat. Sales forecasting and Draft week come with the Pro and Premium plans, and every plan starts with 3 months free with everything unlocked.
Get ready for your next holiday now.
Start entering your sales today and Shiftova starts forecasting in four weeks. Holiday patterns build up as the years add up. 3 months free on any plan, cancel anytime.
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