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Payroll and HR for Restaurants

Restaurants operate like multiple businesses under one roof—front of house, back of house, kitchen, bar, and more. Manage varying roles, pay structures, and compliance needs with tools built specifically for the fast-paced hospitality world.

Fill out the form below for a quote, demo or more information and a member of our team will be in touch.
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Streamline Restaurant Operations with Payroll and HR Software

Owning a restaurant means handling a lot—figuratively and literally. Between hiring, scheduling, tracking hours, handling tips, and staying compliant with wage laws, managing your team can become more stressful than a Friday night dinner rush.

That’s where Paper Trails comes in. Our payroll and HR software, powered by isolved, is built with restaurants in mind and can help you simplify your back-office operations so you can focus on creating unforgettable dining experiences. Whether you're managing a 15-employee bistro or a 500-employee multi-location operation, we offer tailored tools and local support to help you stay compliant, organized, and efficient.

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Payroll and HR Challenges Restaurants Face

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Managing tipped and non-tipped employees

Tracking reported tips, managing tip pooling arrangements, and calculating FICA tip credits can quickly become overwhelming. Staying compliant with tip-related regulations and reporting is complex, and a single mistake can lead to penalties or audits.

 

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Handling multi-roles and various pay rates

In many restaurants, employees work multiple roles—sometimes even across different locations—with different pay rates for each. Calculating blended overtime and ensuring accurate pay each shift is tedious, error-prone, and time-consuming.

 

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Staying compliant with evolving labor laws

Federal and state labor laws are constantly changing. From Maine’s Earned Paid Leave and Paid Family and Medical Leave Program to minimum wage updates and employee classification rules, staying compliant takes time, attention, and up-to-date knowledge.

 

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Employee turnover, hiring, and onboarding

With high turnover and seasonal staffing needs, you're constantly bringing on new employees. Without an efficient process in place, sourcing candidates, hiring, and onboarding becomes a paperwork headache—slowing down operations and increasing the risk of errors.

 

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Managing tipped and non-tipped employees

Tracking reported tips, managing tip pooling arrangements, and calculating FICA tip credits can quickly become overwhelming. Staying compliant with tip-related regulations and reporting is complex, and a single mistake can lead to penalties or audits.

 

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Handling multi-roles and various pay rates

In many restaurants, employees work multiple roles—sometimes even across different locations—with different pay rates for each. Calculating blended overtime and ensuring accurate wages each shift is tedious, difficult, error-prone, and time-consuming.

 

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Staying compliant with evolving labor laws

Federal and state labor laws are constantly changing. From Maine’s Earned Paid Leave and Paid Family and Medical Leave Program to minimum wage updates and employee classification rules, staying compliant takes time, attention, and knowledge.

 

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Employee turnover, hiring, and onboarding

With high turnover and seasonal staffing needs, you're constantly bringing on new employees. Without an efficient process in place, hiring and onboarding become a paperwork headache—slowing down operations and increasing the risk of errors.

 

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Key Payroll and HR Features of Our Software

Tip Management & Compliance

Our software takes the stress out of tip management by automatically tracking reported tips, calculating FICA tip credits, configuring tip pooling rules, and distributing tips accurately—helping you stay compliant, avoid errors, and reduce the risk of audits.

Custom POS Integration

We create custom integrations that connect your restaurant’s POS system directly to isolved, eliminating manual data entry and reducing the risk of costly errors. Whether you’re using Toast, Square, Aloha, or another platform, we configure tailored import tools that automatically pull in time punches, tip totals, job codes, and more—so your payroll is accurate, fast, and stress-free.

Multiple Pay Rates & Blended Overtime

Restaurant employees often work multiple roles. Our system supports blended overtime, shift differentials, and multiple job rates across locations, departments, and roles.

General Ledger Integration

We’ll build custom general ledger reports tailored to your accounting system or QuickBooks, making it easy to reconcile and report payroll expenses.

Custom Reporting

Generate custom reports for audits, labor costs, and tip tracking. Whether you need payroll summaries by job role, shift, or location, or detailed breakdowns for overtime and service charges, our team can tailor reports to fit your restaurant’s exact needs.

HR Consulting Support

Augment your internal HR team with our HR consultants. Whether you need policy updates, compliance guidance, or strategic advice, our local experts are here to help.

Employee Financial Wellness

Employee financial wellness benefits such as financial coaching and low-interest lines of credit (via FinFit) and early access to earned wages (via ZayZoon) right inside the isolved People Cloud mobile app.

Empowered Employees

Improve the employee experience by providing 24/7 access to self-service accounts, allowing employees to manage their benefits, access payroll information, change direct deposits, and other HR tasks, and more from any device.

Department Tracking & Labor Allocation

Track labor costs more accurately by assigning wages and hours to specific locations and departments. Our system supports detailed labor allocation and department coding, giving restaurant owners clear visibility into where every labor dollar is going.

Workers' Comp Administration

Accurately break down workers' compensation premiums by department or class code. Pay-as-you-go options keep billing tied to real-time payroll data instead of large upfront payments, which is a great cash flow tool for restaurants.

Retirement Plan Integrations

Easily manage retirement plan contributions and eligibility with direct integration to many 401(k) and SIMPLE IRA providers, as well as to the Maine Retirement Investment Trust (MERIT). Our system simplifies tracking, enrollment, and payroll deductions—ensuring compliance with state requirements and reducing administrative burden for your team.

Compliance & Security

Our software helps you stay compliant with evolving labor laws and tax regulations unique to the restaurant industry. From managing employee classifications and calculating blended overtime to automating FICA tip credits and preparing for programs like Maine PFML and MERIT, we make it easy to meet your legal obligations—without the stress.

Applicant Tracking & Onboarding

Hiring is a never-ending part of operating a restaurant. Effortlessly manage the process from start to finish with our streamlined applicant tracking and onboarding solutions. Our platform allows you to post job openings across multiple channels, track candidate progress, and streamline new hire onboarding with mobile-friendly electronic forms.

Mobile Time Tracking & Scheduling

Easily track employee hours and manage even the most complex schedules with our mobile-friendly tools. Whether your team is full-time, part-time, or seasonal, our platform supports flexible shift planning. Employees can check their schedules, request time off, and clock in right from their phones, while managers can automate approvals and monitor coverage. Geofencing ensures staff are clocking in from approved locations—keeping operations accountable.

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Running a Restaurant Is Hard. Payroll Doesn’t Have to Be.

Let us handle the back-office chaos—so you can focus on great food and great service.

Let's Talk!
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Types of Restaurants We Serve

city government payroll and HR

City Governments

Managing HR and payroll for city employees can be overwhelming, especially when dealing with complex union agreements, blended overtime calculations, and ever-changing local labor laws.

Paper Trails provides city governments with a centralized payroll and HR platform through isolved, automating complex payroll calculations, tracking time-off policies, and maintaining secure employee records. Our compliance monitoring ensures that city governments stay up-to-date with local regulations, while our Maine-based support team is always available for guidance.

County offices payroll and HR

County Offices

County offices must manage diverse departments with unique payroll needs—ranging from public safety to administrative roles—each with different overtime rules, shift differentials, and reporting requirements.

Paper Trails simplifies county payroll management with isolved, offering customizable workflows that accommodate the unique payroll needs of each department. Our platform supports automated calculations for overtime, blended rates, and shift differentials, reducing errors and saving time.

NGO payroll and HR

Public Service Organizations

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and public service entities often have limited budgets and resources, making it difficult to manage HR and payroll efficiently. These organizations may struggle with onboarding volunteers, tracking employee hours, and maintaining compliance with labor laws.

Paper Trails supports these organizations with simple employee and volunteer onboarding, time and attendance tracking, and payroll calculation automation.

school payroll and HR

Educational Institutions

Schools, colleges, and universities face the challenge of managing both full-time staff and part-time faculty, each with different pay rates, seasonal schedules, and benefits eligibility.

Paper Trails makes payroll management for educational institutions simple with a platform that automates pay calculations for salaried and hourly staff, handles seasonal employment, and manages benefits administration.

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Quick-Service Restaurants (QSRs)

Fast-paced and high-volume, QSRs deal with frequent turnover, variable shifts, and fast onboarding needs—all while keeping labor costs tight.

 

Paper Trails supports QSRs with a centralized HR and payroll platform through isolved, making it easy to onboard staff quickly, manage tip reporting, and track time across roles. Our tools help you stay compliant with wage laws, minimize errors, and reduce admin time—so your team can stay focused on speed and service.

Full Service Restaurant Payroll & HR (1)

Full-Service & Fine Dining Restaurants

Managing front-of-house and back-of-house staff, each with different pay rates, schedules, and tip pools, can get complicated fast.

 

With Paper Trails, fine dining establishments get tailored support for tip credits, blended overtime, and multiple job roles. Our isolved platform tracks labor costs in real-time, manages compliance with Maine’s labor laws, and automates payroll for a smoother back-office experience—no matter how complex your service model is.

Multi-Location Restaurant Payroll & HR

Multi-Location & Franchise Groups

Managing consistent payroll and HR practices across multiple locations or franchise units presents unique challenges—from reporting to tax filings to staff access.

 

Paper Trails simplifies multi-location payroll with centralized control, location-specific reporting, and secure employee self-service tools. Whether you’re operating 2 or 20 units, our scalable platform grows with you while maintaining compliance and efficiency at every site.

Seasonal Restaurant Payroll & HR

Seasonal Restaurants

From waterfront seafood shacks to food trucks and ice cream stands, these businesses have unique staffing challenges with short hiring windows, seasonal workers, and changing schedules.


We simplify onboarding for temporary staff, automate blended overtime and tax compliance, and provide flexible payroll runs that adapt to your season—whether it’s three months or year-round with peaks.

Quick-Service Restaurants (QSRs)

Fast-paced and high-volume, QSRs deal with frequent turnover, variable shifts, and fast onboarding needs—all while keeping labor costs tight.

 

Paper Trails supports QSRs with a centralized HR and payroll platform through isolved, making it easy to onboard staff quickly, manage tip reporting, and track time across roles. Our tools help you stay compliant with wage laws, minimize errors, and reduce admin time—so your team can stay focused on speed and service.

Quick Service Restaurant Payroll & HR
Full Service Restaurant Payroll & HR

Full-Service & Fine Dining Restaurants

Managing front-of-house and back-of-house staff, each with different pay rates, schedules, and tip pools, can get complicated fast.

 

With Paper Trails, fine dining establishments get tailored support for tip credits, blended overtime, and multiple job roles. Our isolved platform tracks labor costs in real-time, manages compliance with Maine’s labor laws, and automates payroll for a smoother back-office experience—no matter how complex your service model is.

Multi-Location & Franchise Groups

Managing consistent payroll and HR practices across multiple locations or franchise units presents unique challenges—from reporting to tax filings to staff access.

 

Paper Trails simplifies multi-location payroll with centralized control, location-specific reporting, and secure employee self-service tools. Whether you’re operating 2 or 20 units, our scalable platform grows with you while maintaining compliance and efficiency at every site.

Multi-Location Restaurant Payroll & HR
Seasonal Restaurant Payroll & HR

Seasonal Restaurants

From waterfront seafood shacks to food trucks and ice cream stands, these businesses have unique staffing challenges with short hiring windows, seasonal workers, and changing schedules.


We simplify onboarding for temporary staff, automate blended overtime and tax compliance, and provide flexible payroll runs that adapt to your season—whether it’s three months or year-round with peaks.

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FAQs for Restaurant Payroll & HR

What makes payroll software tailored for restaurants different from generic payroll solutions?

Generic payroll systems often can’t handle tip credits, variable pay rates, or POS integrations. Payroll software geared towards restaurants is built with hospitality in mind, offering compliance tools and integrations that simplify your life and protect your business.

Can payroll software help with scheduling and labor cost management?

Yes. Many platforms include or integrate with scheduling tools, enabling managers to build shifts, track labor costs in real-time, and prevent costly overtime. This visibility helps you make staffing decisions and improve your bottom line.

Can payroll software support multi-location or franchise operations? 

Yes. If you manage multiple restaurant locations or franchises, payroll software like ours can support location-based reporting, department-level labor tracking, and role-specific access—giving you better control over each location’s operations while maintaining centralized payroll management.

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Tired of Payroll Headaches Between Shifts?

We’ll manage your tips, taxes, and time tracking—without missing a beat.

Let's Talk!

Why Work With Paper Trails?

Choosing the right HR and payroll partner is essential for restaurants navigating tight margins, high turnover, and complex compliance requirements. Paper Trails offers more than just payroll software—we provide hands-on support, restaurant industry experience, and tools designed to meet the unique challenges of restaurant operations.

Local Support, Real People

Work with a Maine-based team that understands your needs—no call queues, just real people ready to help.

Deep Industry Experience

We work with hundreds of restaurants in Maine and the surrounding states, from 3-employee mom and pops to 300 employee multi-location operations. 

Hands-On Implementation

From setup to staff training, we’re there every step of the way to ensure a smooth transition and long-term success with your payroll and HR processes.

Restaurant-Focused Features

From POS imports to tip calculations and tax credits, we understand the industry because we’ve worked in it.

Regulatory Expertise

Our team stays on top of local, state, and federal mandates, ensuring you're always prepared for audits or legislative changes.

Powered by isolved

We’ve partnered with isolved, one of the most robust and reliable HCM platforms available, to deliver a modern and secure experience.

Paper Trails Team
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What clients are saying about the team at Paper Trails

5-star

The tools that Paper Trails provides to me and my employees improve our HR processes and keeps my team engaged in providing world-class service to our guests.

The Lost Fire

German Lucarelli
The Lost Fire

5-star

We began with Paper Trails at the beginning of 2020 and have never once regretted the decision. Jeff, Chris, and Teresa have all made the process amazingly seamless which has let us focus on so many other important things to continue to grow our business. Paper Trails has saved me countless hours and headaches over the last few years. Congdon’s Doughnuts is better equipped for future growth thanks to Paper Trails.

Congdon

Jillian Shomphe
Congdon's Doughnuts

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Is Your Payroll Situation Less than Perfect?

We’ll stay in the weeds to manage your payroll, Human Resources, and compliance needs.

Let's Talk!

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207.721.8575

10 Main Street, 2nd Floor Kennebunk, ME 04043

1 Bowdoin Mill Island, Suite 302 Topsham, Maine 04086

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