How Gott's Connects Payroll, Sales, Labor, and Operations with Forte
Gott's is a growing multi-location restaurant group committed to delivering exceptional guest experiences while maintaining consistent operations across every restaurant. To support that mission, the team looked for ways to better connect payroll, sales, labor, and operational processes without disrupting the systems they already relied on.
Today, Gott's uses Forte to bring together data from Toast and Paycom while providing restaurant managers and executives with the operational tools and visibility they need to make better decisions every day.
The Challenge
Like many growing restaurant organizations, Gott's relies on multiple technology platforms to manage distinct aspects of the business. After rolling out new Paycom time clocks across its restaurants, payroll and timekeeping resided in Paycom while sales data came from Toast, and operational information was spread across multiple processes and reports.
The challenge wasn't replacing existing systems - it was connecting them in a way that reduced manual work, improved visibility, and standardized operations across every location. Gott's wanted a solution that would bring payroll, labor, sales, reporting, and restaurant operations together while allowing each system to do what it does best.
Beyond connecting data, Gott's also wanted a platform that could support a broad range of restaurant operational workflows, including restaurant labor scheduling, manager communication, compliance tracking, payroll preparation, reporting, and daily restaurant operations, while continuing to evolve alongside their business.
The Solution
Forte became the operational hub connecting the systems Gott's already trusted while adding new tools to simplify day-to-day restaurant management.
Connecting Payroll and Sales
One of the most significant components of the implementation was Forte's integration with both Paycom and Toast.
Paycom serves as the single source of truth for payroll and timekeeping, while Toast provides sales data. Forte automatically brings those data sources together alongside additional operational tools, giving operators a complete view of labor and sales without requiring duplicate data entry or changes to existing payroll workflows.
This integrated approach allows managers to spend less time gathering information and more time acting on it.
Optimized Labor Scheduling
Labor Scheduling has become an important part of Gott's daily operations. Using historical sales, labor trends, and forecasting, managers can build schedules that better align staffing levels with expected business volume.
Because scheduling is integrated with the same labor, payroll, and sales information used throughout Forte, managers gain better visibility into labor costs before schedules are published, helping them make informed staffing decisions while maintaining service levels.
Instead of treating scheduling as a standalone task, Forte connects scheduling with reporting, payroll, and daily restaurant operations to provide a more complete workforce management solution.
Streamlining Daily Operations
Forte also provides the restaurant operation tools managers use throughout the day.
The Manager Log centralizes communication across shifts and locations, while auditable Checklists and Safe Counts help ensure operational consistency and accountability. Date Tracking helps managers stay ahead of compliance requirements by monitoring Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) certifications, Food Handler cards, and other important expiration dates.
Together, these tools provide greater visibility into daily restaurant operations while helping maintain consistent standards across every restaurant.
Simplifying Payroll Workflows
Payroll preparation is another area where Forte delivers meaningful efficiencies.
Using payroll and timekeeping information from Paycom, Forte supports tip jar tracking, automated tip pool calculations, payroll validation, and payroll-ready exports. By working directly with the customer's existing payroll system, Forte streamlines payroll workflows while improving confidence in payroll accuracy.
Better Visibility Through Reporting
Forte also delivers automated reporting and custom analytics tailored to Gott's operational needs.
Daily reports are automatically distributed to managers and executives, while custom metrics, including average tip calculations that exclude catered events and other special situations, provide more meaningful operational insights.
Forte also provides restaurant labor scheduling tools that leverage historical sales and labor trends to help managers forecast staffing needs, control labor costs, and build schedules with greater confidence.
Since implementing Forte, Gott's has created a more connected operational environment while reducing the manual effort required to manage payroll, reporting, and daily restaurant operations.
- Streamlined payroll preparation and validation
- Combined Paycom labor data and Toast sales data into a single operational view
- Automated tip pool calculations and payroll-ready exports
- Standardized manager communication, operational checklists, and compliance tracking across locations
- Improved labor scheduling decisions through integrated sales, labor, and payroll visibility
- Delivered daily operational reporting automatically to managers and leadership
- Developed custom reporting and metrics tailored to Gott's unique operational requirements
- Worked closely with the Forte team to refine workflows and implement enhancements as business needs evolved
Customer Perspective
“Forte has become an extension of our team. Their ability to connect the systems we already use while continuing to build features around the way we operate has made a real difference. Just as important, the Forte team is responsive, collaborative, and genuinely invested in helping us succeed."
Looking Ahead
As Gott's continues to grow, Forte remains an important part of its operational technology strategy. By connecting payroll, sales, labor, reporting, and day-to-day restaurant operations into a single platform, Forte helps the Gott's team spend less time managing systems and more time supporting their restaurants.
More than a software provider, Forte serves as a collaborative technology partner that continues to enhance the platform based on customer feedback and evolving operational needs.