Features

One kitchen-first system for the work that falls between the POS, the clipboard, and the manager’s memory.

86 Chaos helps independent restaurants save time, reduce confusion, improve ordering decisions, protect food cost, and keep the whole shift visible. It is being tested by the founder inside a working kitchen, not just mocked up from a desk. Start with one workflow, then grow into the stronger intelligence tools when the restaurant is ready.

90 days freeNo card or purchase requiredUnlimited usersFree beta setup POS integrations planned

Limited Founder Beta

Test it on real shifts before paying anything.

Accepted restaurants receive 90 days free, hands-on setup help, first access to new features where their plan allows, and 50% off the first location for the first paid year.

Feature availability

See what each tier unlocks.

Entry plans keep daily work organized. Smart Kitchen and Owner Pro add the AI and intelligence features that help protect time, ordering, waste, and food cost.

Tier comparison

Plan capabilities at a glance.

86 chaos

Start simple with staff and kitchen coordination, then add labor, financials, AI ordering, Back Office Suite, QuickBooks review workflow, and owner tools as the restaurant grows.

Founder Beta: 90 days free, no credit card, free setup. First location gets 50% off the selected plan for the first paid year.

Shift

Basic staff + kitchen coordination

$49
/mo/location

Operations

Scheduling, labor + daily close

$99
/mo/location

Smart Kitchen

AI ordering + food-cost intelligence

$179
/mo/location

Owner Pro

Back Office Suite + owner tools

$299
first location
Unlimited staff users
✓
✓
✓
✓
Prep, tasks, recipes + reminders
✓
✓
✓
✓
Basic 86 alerts + team communication
✓
✓
✓
✓
Schedule Builder
✓
✓
✓
✓
Time clock, labor + timesheets
×
✓
✓
✓
Daily Close, tips, sales + basic reports
×
✓
✓
✓
Basic inventory + Burn Log
×
✓
✓
✓
Food cost, vendor spend + P&L
×
×
✓
✓
Invoice/menu scan intelligence
×
×
✓
✓
AI Order Assistant + Smart Kitchen Intelligence
×
×
✓
Higher
Back Office Suite, approvals + vault
×
×
×
✓
QuickBooks review hub / preflight
×
×
×
Owner
Owner reports + multi-location tools
×
×
×
✓

Legend: ✓ included, × not included at that tier. Smart Kitchen is the main food-cost and intelligence tier. Owner Pro adds the Back Office Suite, QuickBooks review hub/preflight, approval queue, document vault records, owner reports, and multi-location tools. QuickBooks tools are review-first during beta: preflight checks, mapping review, accountant packets, exports, and owner-approved drafts. 86 Chaos does not live-post to QuickBooks during Founder Beta.

What it does

The main jobs 86 Chaos handles.

See what needs attentionManager Brief pulls prep, 86s, reminders, maintenance, ordering signals, and manager follow-up into one daily view.
Schedule with fewer surprisesBuild schedules around custom roles, availability, request-off records, coverage targets, templates, and conflict warnings.
Stop duplicate prepSmart Prep Matching recognizes similar items, quantities, units, stations, and dates before another duplicate gets added.
Order from real signalsAI-assisted ordering can use stock, par, events, prep, waste, invoices, pending orders, and vendor history to build reviewable drafts.
Protect food costTrack inventory, invoice prices, burn/waste, par issues, recipe signals, and menu scan intelligence before small leaks become routine.
Understand every 86Menu Intelligence shows which menu items depend on an ingredient so managers can see the real service impact.
Make the app faster to use86Voice handles prep, tasks, reminders, 86 alerts, events, maintenance, waste, messages, status questions, and ordering commands.
Keep managers in controlAI suggests, drafts, explains, alerts, analyzes, and reports. Authorized people approve business-changing actions.

Full feature directory

More than a checklist. A working system for the whole kitchen day.

Use only the pieces you need first. As the team gets comfortable, 86 Chaos can replace more of the notes, texts, paper lists, spreadsheets, and memory that managers chase every shift.

60+ practical capabilities

Daily manager visibility

See the shift before the shift starts chasing you.

  • Manager Brief for priorities, exceptions, and follow-up
  • Kitchen Command Center for active operational issues
  • Overdue prep, tasks, reminders, and maintenance visibility
  • Active 86 alerts and affected-menu context
  • Ordering, stock, labor, and close signals in one place
  • Role-aware views so people see the work that matters to them

Prep and task execution

Keep work assigned, visible, and moving without another clipboard.

  • Daily prep lists with quantities, units, dates, and stations
  • Smart Prep Matching to catch likely duplicates
  • One-time and recurring daily, weekly, or monthly tasks
  • Due times, categories, ownership, notes, and completion tracking
  • Line checks, opening work, closing work, and manager follow-up
  • Fast add, update, search, and mark-done workflows

AI-assisted ordering

Build a stronger draft from the signals the kitchen already creates.

  • AI Order Assistant with manager-reviewed recommendations
  • Stock, par, prep, waste, invoices, events, and vendor history inputs
  • Vendor-grouped order drafts for easier review
  • Event-aware questions such as what is needed for Saturday
  • Pending-order awareness to help avoid accidental duplication
  • Managers approve every action that changes business records

Inventory, pars, and vendors

Keep the numbers useful enough to guide the next decision.

  • Inventory items, quantities, units, locations, and notes
  • Par levels and low-stock visibility
  • Vendor records, ordering context, and grouped purchasing views
  • Order-draft review and item adjustments before approval
  • Burn and waste logging tied to real kitchen items
  • Searchable history for managers reviewing what changed

Invoices and food-cost signals

Turn paperwork into useful warnings instead of another filing pile.

  • Invoice image and PDF scanning with manager review
  • Invoice price warnings and unusual-change visibility
  • Invoice history connected to vendors and inventory context
  • Waste and burn trends that can expose recurring leaks
  • Par issues and ordering signals surfaced for follow-up
  • Higher scan and intelligence limits on Owner Pro

Menu Intelligence and recipes

Know what an ingredient affects before service finds out for you.

  • Searchable recipe book and kitchen reference
  • Ingredient-to-menu-item dependency mapping
  • 86 impact showing unavailable or affected menu items
  • Menu image and PDF scan intelligence with human review
  • Ingredient questions such as “What does ranch affect?”
  • Recipe, prep, inventory, and menu signals connected together

Scheduling and availability

Build schedules around the people and roles the restaurant actually uses.

  • Schedule builder with weekly, biweekly, and monthly workflows
  • Custom roster roles used across scheduling and reporting
  • Employee availability and request-off records
  • Availability, request-off, and coverage conflict visibility
  • Schedule templates, shift editing, and publishing
  • Employee views for upcoming shifts and schedule details

Time clock, labor, and close

Give managers a clearer view of hours and daily operating numbers.

  • Employee clock-in and clock-out workflows
  • Timesheet review and punch visibility
  • Labor totals by the restaurant’s custom roster roles
  • Hours and labor exports for manager review
  • Daily ledger and close information in the Financials area
  • Permission-aware wage and financial visibility

86Voice and text commands

Make the system fast enough to use while the kitchen is moving.

  • Add, update, find, or complete prep and tasks
  • Create reminders, 86 alerts, events, and maintenance issues
  • Record waste or burn activity and post messages where permitted
  • Ask status questions such as “What needs done?”
  • Ask menu-impact and ordering questions in plain language
  • Undo safe recent actions while approvals stay in manager review

Maintenance and equipment

Keep equipment problems from living in somebody’s text messages.

  • Maintenance log for equipment and facility issues
  • Urgency, status, notes, ownership, and follow-up
  • Photos and supporting details where available
  • Open issues surfaced in daily manager workflows
  • Searchable repair and issue history
  • Voice-assisted issue creation during a shift

Staff, training, and communication

Put everyday team information somewhere more dependable than memory.

  • Staff roster with roles, contact details, and employment information
  • Role- and permission-aware access to sensitive workflows
  • HR and training records for manager follow-up
  • Message Board posts and restaurant announcements
  • Personal and shared reminders with teammate selection
  • Guided quick-start help for employees and managers

Events, reminders, and planning

Keep future work connected to the daily operating picture.

  • Event calendar for restaurant dates and kitchen planning
  • Personal reminders visible only to the creator
  • Shared reminders for authorized managers and team members
  • Daily, weekly, and monthly recurrence options
  • Event context available to prep and ordering workflows
  • Manager visibility into what is coming next

Owner and multi-location visibility

See deeper patterns without turning the app into an enterprise maze.

  • Owner-focused dashboards and reporting
  • Deeper labor, operational, and intelligence visibility
  • Workspace switching for authorized multi-location users
  • Higher AI scan and intelligence limits on Owner Pro
  • Advanced reports and owner-level summaries
  • Priority support for Owner Pro locations

Controls that fit the restaurant

Use the restaurant’s language, roles, and permissions instead of generic assumptions.

  • Custom roster roles used throughout the product
  • Permission-aware screens, actions, reports, and exports
  • Restaurant branding while 86 Chaos branding remains present
  • Time, schedule, workspace, and display preferences
  • Plan-aware access so locked features are explained clearly
  • Human approval around high-risk AI and business changes

Kitchen intelligence

Connect the signals that are normally scattered across different tools.

  • AI Forecast for ordering and demand context
  • Prep prediction using operational history and current signals
  • Waste and par insights for manager follow-up
  • Manager Brief intelligence that explains what needs attention
  • Advanced 86Voice menu-impact and ordering support
  • Recommendations and explanations, never fully autonomous decisions
86 Chaos does not replace the POS. It handles the kitchen operations, manager coordination, ordering intelligence, and daily visibility that usually live around the POS in paper notes, texts, spreadsheets, and somebody’s head. Feature availability varies by plan.
Founder Beta

Try 86 Chaos free for 90 days.

90 days free, no credit card, no purchase required, and free setup during beta. Accepted restaurants help shape the product and receive 50% off the first location for the first paid year.

Apply Free