Restaurant operators don’t need another dashboard.
Will Stewart believes they need technology that helps managers make faster decisions, automate routine tasks, and spend more time leading their teams.
Before founding Rightwork, Stewart spent more than five years at Starbucks building labor optimization systems used across more than 10,000 stores. Those tools helped managers make better staffing decisions at one of the world’s largest restaurant companies.
Now he’s bringing that same approach to growing restaurant brands.
During a conversation with Shawn Walchef at the National Restaurant Association Show, Stewart explained why operators don’t need more dashboards, they need technology that helps them make decisions faster.
“We want managers on the floor interacting with their team and their customers,” Stewart said.
The idea for Rightwork started after Stewart left Starbucks. Restaurant operators began asking if the same labor tools available to enterprise brands could work for smaller chains.
The answer became Rightwork.
Bringing Enterprise Technology to Growing Brands
Rather than focusing only on scheduling, Rightwork helps operators forecast labor, automate staffing decisions, train employees, manage tasks, and keep stores running consistently as they scale.
Stewart says the company’s sweet spot is restaurant groups with five to 50 locations that are growing quickly and need repeatable systems.
“We wanted to bring some of those capabilities to the rest of the industry,” he said.
AI That Takes Action
One of Rightwork’s newest features is an AI assistant named Rovis.
Instead of simply answering questions, managers can ask Rovis to find someone to cover a shift, identify employees who won’t trigger overtime, contact available team members, or prepare a daily operations recap before the restaurant opens.
The goal is simple.
Let managers spend less time behind a computer and more time leading their teams.
Building With Restaurants, Not For Them
Stewart believes the best restaurant technology isn’t built inside a boardroom.
It’s built through constant conversations with operators.
His team regularly visits restaurants, gathers feedback, and releases new features based on real operational challenges. Those short feedback loops help Rightwork solve problems restaurants actually face instead of creating more software for managers to learn.
“Our team is full of builders,” Stewart said.
For Stewart, AI isn’t about replacing restaurant operators.
It’s about removing the repetitive work that keeps them away from guests and employees.
Because the best technology doesn’t replace hospitality.
It gives operators more time to deliver it.
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