Top Picks: Discover the 13 Best Jolt Alternatives You Need in 2024

What is Jolt?

Jolt is an operational efficiency and accountability platform for different industries.

In the context of food businesses and restaurants, the program can be used for the same aforementioend purpose through different built-in features.

So, we can say that it's a digital operations platform, designed to save restaurant businesses money, hassle and the overall chaos of getting things done on time!

Why Choose a Jolt Alternative In The First Place?

Even though Jolt is a good piece of software for operators with dozens of locations and tens of millions in revenue, it’s hard to do that well while also satisfying the needs of the regular players: your favorite pizza place downtown, that cute new sushi spot that just opened a new location or even a small fleet of food trucks outside your office.

Experienced and tech-savvy operators who have the capacity to manage set-up might feel right at home with Jolt; others have expressed their challenges around navigation and occasional glitches. 

There isn’t an option to test the platform for yourself, either. 

If you want to experience the Jolt software hands-on, you’ve got to schedule a meeting with their team. 

Not the worst situation (and certainly not the only company to do that) but it could be seen as a turn-off for some buyers.

But then again, that’s just surface-level limitations or setbacks of using Jolt.

According to existing customer reviews, and our research, we found out that even though Jolt is a nifty software, it can be a little too much overwhelming. 

Features Overload + Bland Interface

On the upside, there’s a ton of different features that you integrate into your existing restaurant task, and take it from there.

For instance, food temperature procedures, corrective actions, anything based on measurement options, or simple Yes / No answers from a designated restaurant team member.

However, first-time users have reportedly mentioned that the program’s features don’t really help non-tech-savvy people.

You can see these features, the sub-level options, and stuff like that, but if you aren’t familiar with complex programs like Jolt, you’re going to have a steep learning curve.

On top of that, the program’s interface is mostly a combination of blue and greys, offering a rather dull experience. 

Had the icon color changed, or highlighted in a different tone upon hovering your mouse over it, it’d have been really helpful to begin with. Since visuals play a very important role in navigating users through any software, Jolt can certainly make a few changes to make their product interface stand out.

In a nutshell, it’s the information overload aspect, and the fact that the interface seems a little dull in terms of visuals seems to be a drag.

Gated Online Features

If you were to visit Jolt’s official website as a potential restaurant or food business owner looking to see the program’s features in action; whatever Jolt has to offer, etc., you wouldn’t be able to do that.

At best, Jolt urges potential customers to sign up for a product demo to fill you in on all the features centered around your use case/ requirements.

This is something understandable. 

However, users normally like to get a hint or two, or a free restaurant checklist software sign-up option to evaluate the program’s bare minimum features.

Lack of Pricing Information

Subsequent to the above info, Jolt apparently doesn’t have a pricing table on their website. 

Again, it’s a gated thing that you need to discuss with a Jolt product expert; someone who can fill you in on the demo, alongside product information and deliverables.

Of course, many companies don’t make their pricing tables available due to the nature of multi-sized restaurant businesses that come looking for sign-ups. In that sense, no two businesses would get the same quote. 

However, the availability of a pricing table around bare minimum features, and something along the tagline: “subject to change as per your business” would have made more sense.

Other Cons of Jolt

Some of the existing users reportedly suggested the addition of the following perks/ features to make the overall user experience better.

• The addition of media needs to be a little easier than its current state.
• The ability to customize menus and the overall look and feel of the lists, when they are populated would be extremely helpful.
• Log notes, or their specific sections should be made private because of the restaurant team’s designation level.
• Occasional Wi-Fi issues for areas where temperature units, probes, and sensors are installed for Jolt to read and automatically update the readings in the program interface, sometimes don’t work.
• Several reviewers have stated that devices often need to be deleted and re-added, requiring a new QR code for each new device. This process can be time-consuming and inconvenient, especially for businesses with a large number of devices to manage.
• Sometimes, when you are using Jolt, the program doesn't sync correctly from the device where the checklist was done so on the reporting side, it seems as if it wasn't completed.

Xenia Vs Jolt: Which Option Is Better For Restaurants and Food Businesses

If we were to compare both platforms, Xenia’s product offerings and the way everything is made available, and integrates seamlessly into a centralized dashboard is much better.

Operations Template Library - Build Your Own Restaurant Checklists, Inspections, Audit & Much More!

The dedicated operations template section acts as a hub, serving the requirements of restaurant managers, looking to create inspections, audits, or different range of activities.

The best part?

It’s two-fold!

The Operations Template area is maintained as a dedicated section in your Xenia Account. From there, you can create new templates per your own use-case or customize existing templates from an ever-growing library. 

The possibilities are endless.

The second cool thing is the availability of templates on Xenia’s website. As compared to Jolt, these are not gated behind any prerequisites. Any template that you want to use, directly import it into your account and take it from there.

Think of templates as a super-helpful way of conducting operations around any range of restaurant tasks, audits, training, location, opening and closing procedures - so on and so forth.

Xenia's implementation will result in streamlining daily operations at your restaurant, regardless of whether it’s a single unit, or spread over multiple branches. 

The platform's mobile-first approach and comprehensive dashboards have enabled real-time management of tasks and enhanced decision-making based on accurate, up-to-date information. 

The ability to track every detail, from service requests to equipment maintenance, within a single system has significantly improved operational efficiency.‍

Interactive Demos

Looking to see Xenia in action, or get a glimpse of how the program works for restaurants, with the main nitty-gritty highlighted, we’ve got you covered with interactive demos.

Simple, precise and directly cutting to the point, these interactive demos offer a great experience to businesses that are on the lookout for getting the overall idea of the program’s eco-system attributed to different industries.

Intuitive Interface

When compared directly to Jolt and many other software, Xenia’s minimalistic drool-worthy interface just stands out. 

First-timers can easily navigate through the program, customize menus to their liking, and effortlessly locate features over a visually stunning UI.

Automated Restaurant Sops

Are you looking to generate Sops specific to your restaurant operations and overall activities?

The integrated AI Assistant will enable you to create detailed SOPs that you can easily print, or share with your restaurant staff.

These automated restaurant SOPs can also be written from scratch - i.e. if you don’t need AI assistance. Moreover, these restaurant standard operating procedure documents are automatically stored and available in your account’s dashboard, within the ‘Documents’ section.

Retrieve them as per your needs, or archive them for later review, the choice is yours.

All documents and important files are stored through Xenia’s legacy Documents & Records Management system, alongside a 24/7 cloud storage facility.

Digital Restaurant Checklists

Checklists are a critical component of any modern-day restaurant. Especially during rush hour, when your restaurant crew is swamped with different activities, they count on checklists to complete any given activity without extra hoops or steps around it.

So, whether it's your drool-worthy signature Berry Blast smoothie recipe that a new crew member needs to be filled in on, or something critical concerning restaurant cleaning, maintenance, or overall hygiene standards, there's always a checklist that simplifies the process.

Plus, checklists and SOPs are a great way to get things done without the redundant repetition of the same orders or instructions over and over again.

Use a pre-shift checklist to ensure that every location is ready to start serving.

Use a daily cleaning schedule to keep all the locations clean and safe.

Form a training checklist to bring new employees up to the brand's appearance, knowledge, and skill standards. 

Create detailed checklists for restaurant opening and closing, kitchen cleaning, amenities upkeep and vice versa.

The platform comes with a multitude of out-of-the-box customization options centered around digital restaurant checklists, operations templates, and SOPs.

Knowing that any restaurant's specific needs aren't the same on any given day, customizable checklists are a great way of kicking off things.

Plus, there are tons of other features for restaurateurs that we have explained in Xenia section below. Keep reading.

Multi-Unit; Multi Sized Business Support

Xenia exclusively supports multi-sized businesses - and that too, regardless of whether there's a less than 100 units or 1000s of units out there under the same brand name.

The unrivaled support, bundled with some great out of the box features are perfect for helping businesses to scale and increase their accountability.

On that note, the platform's services extend to F&B businesses in different areas. Think of QSRs, Restaurants, food manufacturing companies - so on and so forth!

Best Jolt Alternatives For Businesses In 2024

Here's a quick look at some of the software that you can potentially use as a substitute to Jolt. This'll give you a better idea of what each platform is capable of delivering and how your business model eventually fits in the equation.

Furthermore, we have also discussed different aspects of Jolt software for restaurants. This is to fill you in on the program's benefits and setbacks.

Let's get started.

1. Xenia: Overall No. 1 Best Jolt Alternative

Xenia is our top pick for the best Jolt alternative(s) out there today. 

Incredibly user-friendly, affordable for all sizes of businesses, and probably the most comprehensive restaurant management software available, Xenia is the perfect solution for the first-time restaurateur all the way to a multi-unit franchise group.

Xenia helps restaurants, cafes, bars, and other hospitality owners reduce their daily workload, save time and increase productivity by streamlining daily operations, facility maintenance and compliance. 

Their robust template builder gives users the ability to create from scratch (or taken from one of 500+ pre-built templates) a form, inspection, or checklist that is unique to their business. 

Opening and closing checks that are detailed, timestamped and automatically assigned to the proper employee gives you hours back each week. 

Daily task management isn’t all that’s available, however. 

Quality management, including food temping, HACCP planning, audits and inspections are all managed through Xenia’s intuitive platform. Keep a detailed, end-to-end audit log of all actions performed through Xenia and never worry about a missing file or smudged signature again.

For those operators who are also responsible for asset management, Xenia handles that too. Add any number of equipment to log, track, and maintain with automated maintenance scheduling and detailed asset history. Attach a QR code to the side of your broiler and scan it for an instant read of its history and any upcoming repairs or inspections. 

Just as there is a Jolt temperature sensor, Xenia has its own temperature monitoring solution. 

Pair a Bluetooth temperature probe to input accurate and instantaneous readings to a log or inspection. 

Attach sensors to fridges, freezers, walk-ins, or any other area you need to keep within a certain temperature range and enjoy automatic alerts if they fall out of range. 

Continuously monitor the health of your business, even while you’re asleep.

When you’re all done collecting this data, you can use Xenia’s reporting feature to get valuable insights into how your business is doing. 

Half the battle is making sense of everything you’re recording - and for those who need more complex or personalized dashboards, Xenia offers custom reporting (for an additional fee).

Key Features:

• Templates - Create checklists, SOPs, and more. Smart logic allows you to automatically generate corrective actions and resolve issues in record time.‍
• Task Management - Assign, manage, and track work done in real-time. Increase productivity, streamline communication, and get better visibility into what your team is really doing.  
• Temperature Monitoring - Pair integrated temperature sensors or Bluetooth probes to make sure inventory doesn’t spoil and your assets are operable. Receive notifications the moment a freezer gets too warm based on user-defined parameters.
• Corrective Actions - Optimize inspections with instant tasks created from a failed inspection step. View corrective task data in checklist submissions for easy auditing and accountability.
• SOP & Document Management - Use Xenia’s powerful AI assistant to create new SOPs and policies in seconds. 
• Store training policies, safety documents, or any other kind of file you could think of in a secure cloud-based hub and share them with your team at the click of a button.

Pricing:

• Free Forever - Free, forever! (Feature access limited) for up to 5 users with unlimited access to all the basic features!
• Starter - $99 / month for the first 15 users, with unlimited access to all the core features and functionalities.
• Premium (*Best Value) - $199 / month for the first 15 users, with unlimited access to all the basic, core and advanced features and perks?
• Multi-Unit Setup: Got a restaurant with multiple branches? No issues. Get in touch with our sales team for a special pricing plan.
• Custom - Need something tailored to your organization? Book a Free Demo today!

Click here to get started for free today.

2. Vennfnb

Vennfnb is an exciting new startup. 

They claim to be the only restaurant operations system that can unite your front office with your back office in order to get control over cost and inventory.

They boast over 100,000 invoices processed and some customers have even used the software to handle over $6 million dollars worth of invoices. 

One of the Jolt competitors has a significant leg up in terms of pricing and accessibility, if you’re looking into restaurant software with a focus on cost controls, inventory and recipes, this could be a great choice. 

Key Features:

• Automatic PDFs sent right to suppliers
• Invoice and order reconciliation
• Centralized recipe tracking, tied to inventory
• Pay suppliers directly from the software or integrate with Xero for easy accounting

Pricing:

• Plan 1: Unlimited locations for ~$220/month
• Plan 2: Per location pricing at ~$36/month
• A 2-month free trial is available on all plans

3. BarSight: Best Alternative for Jolt Scheduling

Built by BarSight Restaurant Systems, this is a piece of software perfect for those looking for an alternative to Jolt scheduling. 

If your business is experiencing challenges around scheduling through the weekend, shifts extending overnight, and being able to assign multiple roles to cross-trained employees, BarSight has you covered.

Fit for the fast-paced culture of the hospitality industry, this is a proper solution to combine scheduling and accounting in one.

Key Features:

• Create and publish schedules in minutes
• Employee management
• Payroll
• Expense tracking
  

Pricing:

• Multiple tiers; pricing for a comprehensive package begins at $60/month for up to 6 locations.
• A 30-day free trial is available

4. Soft Restaurant

Launched in 2001 by parent company National Soft, Soft Restaurant is a Mexican restaurant management software company. 

They drive growth through thousands of locations in Latin America, making it a prime choice for those who prefer to do business in en Español. 

Just as with any other software on this list, Soft Restaurant doesn’t do it all. 

There doesn’t seem to be integrations for temperature sensors, nor am I aware of the full extent of their multi-language support. Regardless, if you’re looking at Jolt restaurant software alternatives, this is a great place to start.

Key Features:

• Inventory Control
• Sales Analytics
• Multi-platform access
• A number of add-ons are available including QR menus, online ordering systems, and more

Pricing:

• Lite: Starts at $~39/month on up to 2 devices
• Pro: Starts at ~$56/month on up to 2 devices

5. Vita Mojo

One of the UK’s hottest startups, Vita Mojo has created a space for themselves that is quite impressive.

Vita Mojo is a restaurant tech company that provides a platform for restaurants. 

Vita Mojo's platform helps operators personalize and customize their dining experiences. 

The platform includes features such as digital menu customization, allergen information, calorie counting, and the ability to make ingredient substitutions to accommodate dietary preferences and restrictions - they call this the VMOS, or Vita Mojo Operating System.

From our research, this is a great Jolt alternative for those bigger players. The suite of features and functions they boast are wide, and there seems to be a focus on ordering and POS, with less emphasis on daily operations. 

Key Features:

• Third party delivery integrations
• POS System
• Menu management
• Kiosk and digital experience management

Pricing:

• Please contact vendor for more details

6. Truffle Systems

One system to power your restaurant? Some may say that’s too good to be true, but Truffle claims they have the answer to having multiple apps in your stores. 

Ordering, fulfillment, and pickup & delivery are the three main focus areas of their platform. Their focus seems to be on enhancing customer experience through direct, consumer-facing areas like order pickup and contactless food lockers. 

If you’re not a very tech-forward brand it might be best to skip this one, but if you want to be on the cutting edge of fully contactless cuisine, give it a shot.

Key Features:

• Self-Service Order Pickup
• Online Order Pickup
• Cloud Kitchen Software
• Order Management

Pricing:

• Software begins at $79.99/month for a limited set of features. Hardware (i.e. pickup lockers) sold separately.

7. Polygon by Redcat

This Australian company calls itself the hospitality IT platform. 

Given their numerous products I’m inclined to agree; ordering, delivering, loyalty & marketing, operations & hardware, and financial reporting are all listed on their site.

Despite having a number of in-house products, their integrations are nothing to laugh at either.

Whether it’s for accounting, rostering, or reservations, they could have you covered (no guarantees - make sure to check with them first!)

With less of a focus on measuring work productivity or quality compliance, this seems to be another solid Jolt alternative for established players who have a very specific set of requirements. 

Key Features:

• Loyalty Platform
• ePOS
• Kitchen Management
• Digital Media Boards

Pricing:

• Not provided - please reach out to their team for a quote.

8. SmartLynx by Sabertooth

SmartLynx serves a multitude of markets - quick service, fast casual, table service, fine dining, cafeterias and more. 

A “total restaurant operations platform,” they provide back-of-house software to help maximize profitability. How do they do that, exactly? Great question.

Controls, visibility, and accountability is their method. By combining inventory management with labor scheduling and business intelligence, the platform gives users a 360-degree view of their back-of-house operations. 

With mobile-friendly applications and always available support, SmartLynx might be a dark horse in the best Jolt alternative race.

Key Features:

• Reporting and analytics
• Inventory Management
• Labor scheduling
• Bank deposit reconciliation

Pricing:

• Not provided - please reach out to their team for a quote.

9. Fimble.io

Speaking of robust Jolt alternatives with affordability on the side, we’ve got Fimble, a comprehensive F&B system for restaurants (and bars, cafes, and whatever else you can think of that serves food).

There’s no shortage of what Fimble.io can do according to their website. Web ordering, order management, delivery and a handful of other categories are all included under their features. 

Their visually enticing and functional system helps companies boost digital sales, with a focus on quality precision and performance throughout all of their services. 

Key Features:

• Marketing
• Analytics
• Inventory Management
• Custom Solutions ($$$)

Pricing:

• Basic: $69/store/month + $700 implementation fee
• Advanced: $99/store/month + $1000 implementation fee
• Professional: $199/store/month + $1800 implementation fee

10. Connecteam

Streamline F&B business management with Connecteam. Scheduling, time tracking, in-app communication, staff training, and other features are just a few of the tremendous capabilities it provides to manage all your restaurant operations.

With Connecteam's integrated GPS, you can create virtual boundaries around job sites called geofences. This way, workers can only punch in and out when they are in the right location. 

You can find restaurant-specific prebuilt templates on Connecteam. A wide variety of forms and checklists, including those for food safety, inventory, cleaning, health inspections, and more, can be made using these.

Key Features:

• Digital Checklists and Task Management 
• Drag-and-drop Scheduler
• Employee Training Tools 
• Built-in time Tracking with GPS Capabilities

Pricing:

Operations Expert:

•  $119/mo for the first 30 users, $3.6/mo for each additional user
•  $99/mo x 12 for the first 30 users, $3/mo for each additional user

Operations Advanced:

$59/mo for the first 30 users, $1.8/mo for each additional user

• $49/mo x 12 for the first 30 users, $1.5/mo for each additional user

Operations Basic:

• $35/mo for the first 30 users, $0.6/mo for each additional user
• $29/mo x 12 for the first 30 users, $0.5/mo for each additional user

The Small Business Plan:

•  $0/mo

11. HotSchedules by Fourth

The scheduling features of HotSchedules are impressive and are an important aspect of restaurant management. 

The app allows your employees to see their calendars, request time off, unsubscribe from shifts they don't want, and take up available shifts from colleagues. 

Additionally, it gives you a simple method to create timetables and monitor who is working at any given moment via a single dashboard.

Team communication, labor forecasts, reporting, and end-of-shift surveys are all part of HotSchedules's toolbox. 

Key Features:

• Employee scheduling
• Time off management
• In-app communication
• Analytics and reporting

Pricing:

• Contact the vendor for pricing.

12. 7shifts

7shifts is a software program that helps restaurants manage their teams while providing an extensive range of features. 

Time tracking, digital checks, scheduling capabilities, communication tools, and an employee database are all part of it.

You can employ it to figure out how much to pay employees, including tip share, and then hand them paychecks with tips included. 

One drawback is the difficulty in integrating with some point-of-sale (POS) systems. Additionally, the calculations for labor monitoring and forecasting might be a little puzzling at times. 

Key Features:

• Employee Scheduling
• Payroll and Tip Calculations
• Task Management
• Hiring and Onboarding Tools

Pricing:

• Comp: Free
• Entrée: $29.99 per month/location
• The Works: $69.99 per month/location
• Gourmet: $135.00 per month/location

13. Homebase

Homebase is a software program for managing teams.  In terms of simplifying scheduling and time monitoring, it's a good choice for small F&B businesses. 

This tool is designed to assist managers like you in automating the repetitive chores that come with managing employees. More than that, Homebase has a time clock, electronic timesheets, and the ability to connect to payroll systems. 

There is a self-service portal available to workers via Homebase. Until the approval step, you won't have to become involved when they seek time off or examine their calendars on this platform. 

Another way you and your team members may stay in touch is via the messaging function of Homebase. 

Key Features:

• Employee Scheduling and Distribution
• Digital Timesheets
• Payroll Management
• Employee Communication

Pricing:

• Basic: $0 for 1 location, up to 20 employees
• Essentials: $24.95/month/location, unlimited employees
• Plus: $59.95/month/location, unlimited employees
• All-in-one: $99.95/month/location, unlimited employees

If you made it this far, congratulations. 

The number of different software choices available to operators today is no less numerous than the challenges facing the food and beverage industry as a whole. 

It’s a dynamic environment where gastronomic innovation, customer experience, and operational excellence meet. Restaurant management software like Jolt (and its alternatives) plays a vital role in helping teams manage those challenges on top of the difficulty of everyday kitchen life.

Issues around inventory management can be solved with solutions like Jolt’s temperature sensor - or maybe not. Scheduling, food safety, and cost controls are just a few of the pains that are at the top of every manager’s mind and the problems often run deeper than they first appear.

Conclusion

These unique challenges of each restaurateur, be it scheduling your staff or figuring out which piece of restaurant software is right for you can be daunting and requires a personalized approach. 

As we’ve seen there is no shortage of options when it comes to digitizing your restaurant’s operations. 

Could we tell you, unequivocally, what is going to definitely work for you and your team? 

If you take one thing from this article, I hope it's the confidence to answer that question with a resounding “no.” 

Technology will help solve these problems, but it takes more than purchasing an app to run a great restaurant. The solution that works for you should satisfy these requirements:

• User-friendly
• Affordable
• Feature-rich (including, at least, a template builder, task management system, and temperature monitoring)

We hope this was as enjoyable to read as it was to talk about the best and free online Jolt alternatives out there.

Thanks again for tuning in and we look forward to sharing more of this restaurant software expertise with you again soon.