Overcoming the Restaurant Staff Shortage: How Technology Can Help

The global restaurant staff shortage has become the new normal, forcing operators to rethink how they approach daily operations. As the restaurant staff shortage continues to impact workforce availability, businesses must find ways to maintain service quality and profitability with smaller teams.

This challenge is not about replacing people, but about supporting them. Technology plays a crucial role in workforce management by filling the gaps left by labor shortages, not by eliminating jobs. By automating repetitive tasks, restaurants can improve operational efficiency, optimize labor costs, and manage peak hours more effectively. Solutions such as ordering kiosks help free employees from routine duties, allowing them to focus on guest experience — which ultimately strengthens employee retention in an increasingly demanding industry.

In this article, you will learn:

• How self-service kiosks act as a buffer against the global restaurant staff shortage.
• Why automation supports your team rather than replacing it.
• Strategies to maintain service speed and quality even with a smaller workforce.
• How reducing repetitive tasks (like order taking) lowers staff burnout and turnover.
• Case Study: How Pasibus improved operational efficiency during peak hours.

The Impact of Restaurant Staff Shortage on Operations

The ongoing restaurant staff shortage directly affects day-to-day operations, with longer order waiting times becoming one of the most visible consequences. When there are not enough hands on deck, even well-designed workflows start to break down, especially during peak hours. Delays in taking and processing orders quickly translate into frustrated guests and lost revenue, making peak hour management one of the biggest operational challenges for restaurant managers today.

At the same time, reduced headcount puts immense pressure on existing teams. Employees are often expected to handle multiple roles at once, which leads to overload and, eventually, burnout. Without proper workforce management, this strain negatively impacts employee retention, as exhausted staff are more likely to leave an already understaffed workplace — further deepening the labor gap.

Another critical consequence is the decline in service quality. Overworked employees are more prone to mistakes, such as incorrect orders or missed requests, which undermines guest satisfaction and brand reputation. Improving operational efficiency becomes essential, not by pushing staff harder, but by redesigning processes and automating repetitive tasks that do not require human judgment.

For managers facing these realities, the restaurant staff shortage is no longer a theoretical concept — it is a daily operational pain point. Addressing it requires smarter labor cost optimization and technology-supported processes that help teams perform better with fewer resources, without compromising the guest experience.

Self-Service Kiosks: A Buffer Against Staffing Issues

When a restaurant starts a shift short by two employees, the impact is felt immediately — unless part of the workload is already offloaded. This is where self-service kiosks become a practical buffer against staffing gaps caused by the restaurant staff shortage. By absorbing demand at the front of house, kiosks help stabilize operations even when the team is incomplete.

Self-service kiosks can take over 100% of the ordering process, from menu browsing to payment. This removes one of the most time-consuming and error-prone tasks from employees’ daily responsibilities. As a result, automating repetitive tasks directly improves operational efficiency, allowing a smaller team to handle the same volume of orders without increasing stress or wait times.

With ordering handled digitally, the kitchen and pickup area can focus entirely on preparation and fulfillment. This separation of responsibilities is critical for effective peak hour management, especially during rush periods when staffing shortages are most disruptive. Orders arrive clearly structured and standardized, reducing miscommunication and minimizing costly mistakes.

Importantly, kiosks are not about replacing staff but about supporting smarter workforce management. By reducing pressure on front-line employees, restaurants can improve employee retention and achieve better labor cost optimization, ensuring that limited human resources are used where they add the most value — delivering food faster and creating a better guest experience.

Empowering Employees, Not Replacing Them

Self-service kiosks are designed to support overstretched teams, not to replace them. In the context of an ongoing restaurant staff shortage, kiosks act as an extra pair of hands for exhausted employees, helping restaurants stay operational without increasing pressure on already limited staff.

It is natural for employees to worry about automation and “robots” taking over their jobs — but in reality, kiosks remove the most monotonous and repetitive parts of the workday. By automating repetitive tasks such as order taking and payment processing, restaurants allow staff to focus on activities that require human interaction and judgment. This shift improves operational efficiency while making daily work more engaging.

Lower stress levels lead directly to better morale and reduced turnover. When employees are not constantly rushing between tasks or dealing with order errors, the workplace becomes more sustainable. This has a measurable impact on employee retention, which is a critical pillar of effective workforce management in times of labor scarcity.

Ultimately, using kiosks is also a smart approach to labor cost optimization. Instead of compensating for staff shortages with overtime or constant hiring, restaurants can stabilize teams and create healthier working conditions — proving that technology empowers employees rather than replacing them.

Increasing Efficiency Despite the Shortage

One compelling example of how restaurants can increase operational efficiency despite persistent labor constraints comes from the Polish burger chain Pasibus, which leveraged digital tools to stay agile without hiring large numbers of new staff. Facing the realities of limited workforce availability and rising customer expectations, Pasibus began a strategic digital transformation that leaned on self-service kiosks and integrated ordering systems rather than expanding headcount.

By implementing advanced self-service kiosks across its most popular locations, Pasibus was able to automate repetitive tasks associated with order placement and payment processing. This not only streamlined the guest journey but also reduced the burden on front-of-house teams, enabling existing employees to focus on food preparation, customer interaction, and other high-value tasks. The digital system integrated seamlessly with Pasibus’ POS infrastructure, consolidating orders from multiple channels and minimizing manual data entry — a key step toward better workforce management under staffing pressure. 

Another important aspect of Pasibus’ approach was the use of data to inform staffing and operations. With accurate, real-time insights into order volume patterns and customer behavior, managers could plan shifts more effectively and allocate staff where they were most needed, especially during peak hour management windows. By analyzing this data over time, Pasibus gained a clearer picture of demand trends, helping the company optimize labor costs and reduce overstaffing or understaffing scenarios without sacrificing service quality.

This case demonstrates that even in the midst of a restaurant staff shortage, technology and data-driven decision making can significantly enhance productivity and service delivery. Rather than relying on an “army” of new hires, Pasibus succeeded by empowering its existing workforce with tools that amplify their capabilities and enable smart operational planning — a strategy that also supports long-term employee satisfaction and retention.

Concusion

The restaurant staff shortage is not a temporary disruption — it is a long-term reality that restaurant operators must adapt to. Labor gaps, rising pressure on teams, and increasing guest expectations will continue to shape how restaurants operate in the years ahead. Waiting for the market to “return to normal” is no longer a viable strategy.

Investing in Ordering Stack is a way to future-proof your business against the operational risks caused by staffing shortages. By improving workforce management, enabling labor cost optimization, and automating repetitive tasks, Ordering Stack helps restaurants maintain high operational efficiency even with smaller teams. It allows staff to focus on what truly matters, while technology handles the rest.

Discover how to automate order taking and relieve pressure on your team — and see how Ordering Stack can help you stay resilient despite the restaurant staff shortage.