How Pluckers Wing Bar scaled profitability by 15% and operational efficiency with 20 years of partnership with HotSchedules, combining great wings with cutting-edge technology.
Pluckers Wing Bar started with a simple craving: two college friends, Dave Paul and Mark Greenberg, wanted great wings but found none in their college town. Just days after graduation, the duo opened the first Pluckers in Austin, TX.
Fast forward 25 years, and Pluckers has grown into a 30+ location powerhouse, beloved for its food, culture, and unique experiences—think live DJs and pickleball courts. But scaling a business while retaining its authenticity wasn’t easy.
Challenge
Pluckers’ founders quickly discovered the inefficiencies of manual processes, from handwritten orders to labor-intensive operations. The team spent 16–18-hour days just trying to stay afloat, struggling to train new staff effectively and manage inconsistent scheduling practices. These challenges led to uneven performance across locations, which not only impacted service quality but also resulted in lost profitability. As the business expanded, the need for streamlined operations became even more critical to maintaining efficiency and consistency.
“Stagnant sales weren’t the problem it labor inefficiency. With 5 cooks on a Friday night instead of the 7 we needed, sales couldn’t grow.” – Dave Paul, Founder
Solution
Pluckers’ founders, eager to embrace cutting-edge technology, were early adopters of HotSchedules’ scheduling software and labor optimization solutions. By implementing labor optimization, they standardized staffing decisions across all locations, ensuring each was staffed to meet demand, reducing unnecessary labor costs, and saving managers 4+ hours per week on scheduling tasks—120+ hours weekly across locations.
“Now, we run our business in a way that wouldn’t be possible without HotSchedules. Every manager knows exactly how much staff are needed at each service level to meet demand. ” – Dave Paul, Founder
Over the past 20 years, Pluckers’ partnership with HotSchedules and cutting-edge labor optimization technology has been a key driver of their profitable growth, expanding from 1 to 32 locations. By applying demand-based scheduling and standardized labor rules across all sites, Pluckers streamlined processes, saved managers time, and reduced labor costs, resulting in a 15% increase in profitability. With over 120 labor hours saved weekly, this long-term collaboration has allowed Pluckers to stay ahead of the curve, maximizing efficiency and aligning staff deployment with customer needs.
“Fourth’s labor optimization is critical for any restaurant that wants to maximize their profitability. The ROI speaks for itself.” – Dave Paul, Founder
Results metrics:
Give us a call today +1 (877) 539-5156, or click the button below.
Save time, reduce costs, and increase profitability with Fourth’s intelligent solutions.