AI Forecasting for Restaurants

Anticipate customer demand with a new level of accuracy

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Eliminate guesswork with AI forecasting

Crunchtime's industry-leading forecasting engine is now even more powerful with the addition of a custom-built AI algorithm that accurately predicts your restaurant's future sales, number of guests, or number of checks. With AI forecasting, every GM can accurately predict demand and plan for the future with an easy-to-use data-driven forecasting tool. Let AI handle the calculations and give your teams more time to focus on managing the operation.

Stores achieved 98-99% accuracy using AI Forecasting.

Achieve best-in-class accuracy with capabilities like AI forecasting

Accuracy is paramount when forecasting your restaurant's future sales. As a market-leader in restaurant forecasting technology, Crunchtime's proprietary AI algorithms analyze a vast amount of your historical data to produce the most accurate model of your future sales.

Whether your restaurant is currently forecasting within 32% of actuals or within 7% of actuals, Crunchtime is designed to narrow the gap, bringing you as close as possible to the future.

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Easily anticipate how the weather will impact customer demand

The weather might be unpredictable, but with the right tools, your forecasting doesn’t have to be. Crunchtime's AI Forecasting analyzes a variety of data points, including weather, to accurately predict demand. Whether it's rain, snow, or sunshine in the forecast, your teams will be fully prepared with the right amount of inventory on-hand and the right number of staff scheduled.

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Improve your forecasting with a solution designed specifically for restaurant needs

Restaurants have a unique set of needs when it comes to forecasting sales. That's why our forecasting solution is purpose-built with flexible options and customizations for multi-unit restaurants. Choose from default options such as AI Forecasting, Budgeted Sales, and Last Years Actuals, or you can even import external forecast data.

To ensure you are never limited on your approach, Crunchtime can also forecast the expected number of guests and checks you should anticipate.

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Forecasting is just the first step

Crunchtime guides each manager with intelligent recommendations to plan for food and labor.

After generating an accurate forecast, Crunchtime provides your managers with smart recommendations to deploy your labor and keep your inventory levels optimized. With your forecast broken down into 15-minute intervals, planning for demand easy and accurate for every GM, no matter their experience level.

Learn how AI can transform your forecasting and position your brand for growth.

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“Crunchtime automated all of our forecasting and predictive ordering, so GYG restaurant managers are better supported. They spend less time doing complex and time-consuming tasks because Crunchtime guides them with accurate, real-time information.”

Steve Orleow
Head of Technology & Insights
Guzman Y Gomez

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How does Crunchtime create sales forecasts?

To generate an accurate sales forecast, Crunchtime applies a comprehensive methodology that has been thoroughly tested and verified by the restaurant industry. Users can customize their sales forecast with a choice of inputs that include recent and previous year’s sales for the same day/period, guest counts, checks, transaction counts, dine-in or take-out, and view other relevant data points for making informed decisions, such as upcoming holidays or events.

Are sales forecasts broken down by time of the day?

Yes! You can enter sales forecasts at whatever level of granularity you need. Our system will automatically break the forecast down by day, day-part or by 15-minute intervals. This gives your team clear insight into demand so they can stay proactive with the right amounts of food prepared and properly staffed shifts throughout the day.

How does the sales forecast inform suggested prep amounts?

Our suggested prep is driven by hypergranular predictive data at 15-minute intervals. Crunchtime connects with your POS and refreshes the data every 15 minutes to provide you with accurate prep amounts and important planning information like when to make more fries or start prepping more salads.

When scheduling labor, can I create a sales forecast on guest count or checks?

Yes! Crunchtime provides highly flexible restaurant sales forecasting. Typically, forecasts are generated using historical sales or guest count data as a starting point, and then adjusted as necessary for current variables. You can also easily generate your sales forecast based on checks, which is a popular option for many quick-serve restaurants.

Can I create a forecast based on dine-in or take out?

Yes! You can easily generate a forecast based on dine-in or take out. We refer to this as forecasting by “Revenue Center” and it provides managers with key insights for demand planning.