Tool profile
Fourth (HotSchedules): cost, fit and limits
Fourth, which includes the HotSchedules workforce product, is a restaurant workforce and inventory platform made by Fourth Enterprises, LLC, with Fourth iQ forecasting introduced as the artificial intelligence for restaurants. Pricing is through sales and demo requests only.
What to know first
Fourth bundles scheduling, payroll, recruiting, tip management and inventory, and introduces Fourth iQ as its AI for forecasting across above-store and in-store operations. The privacy policy labels an Austin, Texas address as headquarters. No plans or prices are published: buying runs through sales and demo requests. Two figures on the site, up to 30 percent food waste reduction and 80 percent less tip-out time, are vendor or testimonial claims that were not checked.
Fourth (HotSchedules) at a glance
| Maker | Fourth Enterprises, LLC, United States |
|---|---|
| Free plan | No |
| Entry price | Quote only |
| API access | No |
| Category | Best AI Restaurant Management Software in 2026, rank 6 of 13 |
| Website | fourth.com |
Who Fourth (HotSchedules) is best for
Chains already on HotSchedules
Scheduling shows staff needed per service level, so a restaurant already scheduling in HotSchedules can add forecasting without switching its rota tool.
Operators with tip pools to manage
Tip management reporting is listed, and one testimonial cites 80 percent less tip-out time. That figure is a vendor-sourced claim, worth testing with your own pool rules.
Groups hiring many hourly staff
Recruiting, payroll and compliance modules sit in the same navigation, which keeps onboarding data in the system that later schedules the worker.
Fourth (HotSchedules) plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Quote-based suite | Custom quote, no amount published | Workforce and inventory platform with recruiting, payroll, labor, scheduling and inventory with Fourth iQ forecasting. Pricing is handled through sales and demo requests. |
| Workforce modules | No separate price shown | Scheduling, tip management, recruiting, payroll and compliance modules appear in the navigation. The pricing page does not give module amounts. |
| Inventory and forecasting | No separate price shown | AI forecasting, menu management and production control in inventory. No price, minimum term or trial was found on the pages opened. |
Checked November 2026.
What Fourth (HotSchedules) does
- Fourth iQ forecasting
- The vendor introduces it as the artificial intelligence for restaurants, used for forecasting across above-store and in-store operations. No accuracy data or model detail was given.
- AI forecasting in inventory
- Forecasting sits inside inventory with menu management and production control. The vendor claims up to 30 percent food waste reduction, which is not verified here.
- Scheduling by service level
- The scheduling view shows how many staff each service level needs, which lets a manager build a rota against a target rather than from last week's copy.
- Tip management
- Tip-out reporting is listed, with a testimonial claiming 80 percent less time spent on tip-outs. The figure is a customer quote and not a measured result.
- Recruiting and payroll modules
- Recruiting, payroll and compliance appear alongside scheduling in the navigation, so hire, schedule and pay data can stay in one vendor's system for each worker.
How Fourth (HotSchedules) handles your data
The privacy policy says data entered into an employer's subscription is governed by that employer's own privacy policy, which makes the restaurant the first point of contact for staff data. Information may be stored and processed in the user's region, the United States and the United Kingdom. Retention has no fixed period and is as long as reasonably necessary. The policy names no certification and defers security to affiliates and service providers, and it does not say whether customer data trains AI models.
Where Fourth (HotSchedules) falls short in practice
- Sales-led purchase. No prices, tiers or trial appeared on the pages opened, so a budget needs a sales cycle and a demo before any figure can be set.
- Outcome figures are vendor claims. The 30 percent waste and 80 percent tip-out figures were not checked. Ask for a reference customer with your service style and size. Both figures come from the vendor's own pages.
- Security is deferred. The policy defers security details to affiliates and service providers, so request the actual controls, hosting arrangements and any audit reports. The policy also names no certification such as SOC 2.
Works with
Alternatives to Fourth (HotSchedules)
Fourth (HotSchedules): common questions
What is Fourth iQ?
The vendor introduces Fourth iQ as the artificial intelligence for restaurants. It is used for forecasting across above-store and in-store operations, and AI forecasting appears inside inventory. The pages opened give no accuracy data or model detail. The vendor's pages describe it as covering above-store operations too.
Is Fourth the same as HotSchedules?
The platform is presented as the HotSchedules workforce and inventory platform under the Fourth brand, covering scheduling, payroll, recruiting and inventory. The pages opened do not detail how older HotSchedules contracts map to current plans or prices. A sales call would be needed to confirm that.
Does Fourth publish prices?
No. The pricing page shows no plans or amounts and sends buyers to sales and demo requests. As of November 2026 no entry price, minimum term or trial was visible, so any budget has to come from a written quote.
Which POS systems connect to Fourth?
The pages name Toast, HungerRush, SpotOn, Upserve, PAR and onePOS as point-of-sale links, plus Sysco and US Foods as suppliers. Whether each connector is native or custom was not stated, so confirm yours. Whether each link is certified by the POS vendor is also unstated.
Where is Fourth headquartered?
The privacy policy labels 6504 Bridge Point Parkway, Austin, Texas, as headquarters. Data may be stored and processed in the user's region, the United States and the United Kingdom, per the same policy. The copyright line reads Fourth Enterprises LLC., Inc.