AI-powered restaurant operations

Run your restaurant.
Not your overhead.

Helm gives independent restaurant owners scheduling, inventory, and an AI-powered operations assistant — unified in one platform built for the pace of a working kitchen.

Start free for 30 days—no card required Get in touch
No card required
Starting at $99/month
Easy setup
The problem

Independent restaurants run on gut instinct.

Scheduling happens in texts and notebooks
Hours wasted every week building the schedule, handling last-minute changes, and chasing confirmations from staff.
Inventory is managed by memory
No real-time visibility into what you have. Over-ordering, running out mid-service, food waste you can't track or explain.
Labour costs are invisible until payroll runs
No way to see what you're spending on staff until it's already happened. No comparison to revenue. Just a number at the end of the week.
Enterprise software is built for chains
The platforms that solve this cost $500–$2,000/month and require a dedicated IT team. That's not built for an independent owner.
Before Helm
×Schedule built in a notebook every week
×Inventory counted by walking the kitchen
×Labour cost only visible after the fact
×No alerts when stock drops dangerously low
×Operations questions go to Google — or nowhere
With Helm
✓AI-drafted weekly schedule in minutes
✓Live inventory with par-level alerts
✓Labour cost estimated before you publish
✓Automatic low-stock warnings + supplier cart
✓AI assistant that already knows your restaurant
The platform

Three modules. One login.

Scheduling, inventory, and AI — designed for the pace of a working kitchen, not a corporate office.

Smart Scheduling

Build your weekly schedule in minutes, not hours. Manage availability, time-off requests, and labour cost estimates — all from one screen.

Weekly drag-and-drop schedule builder
AI-generated schedule recommendations
Staff availability and time-off management
Labour cost estimator built for Nova Scotia
Live Inventory

Track 100+ items with par-level alerts, category filtering, and a supplier ordering cart. Know exactly what you have before service starts.

100+ items across 8 categories
Par-level alerts and low-stock warnings
Supplier ordering cart, grouped by vendor
AI-powered cost reduction analysis
Core feature
AI Assistant

A Claude-powered assistant that already knows your staff, your inventory, and your restaurant. Ask it anything — scheduling, costs, suppliers, operations.

Scheduling and labour cost advice
Inventory and waste reduction insights
General Nova Scotia operations guidance
Real-time streaming responses
How it works

Up and running the same day.

1
Book a 30-minute demo
We walk through the platform live using a real demo restaurant. No prep needed on your end — just show up and ask questions.
2
We set it up for you
We load your staff, your menu items, your par levels, and your suppliers. You don't touch a spreadsheet — we handle the setup call.
3
Build your first schedule with AI
Open the scheduling module, hit generate, and your AI-drafted schedule is ready to review. Edit anything, publish, done for the week.
4
Insights start immediately
Labour cost estimates, inventory alerts, and AI-powered recommendations appear from day one — no training period, no waiting.
Live inventory — The Coast Kitchen
Atlantic Salmon
2.1 kg
Critical
35% Whipping Cream
3 L
Low
Sourdough Loaves
6 pcs
Low
Chicken Breast
12 kg
In stock
Arborio Rice
8 kg
In stock
HELM ASSISTANT
Atlantic Salmon is critically low heading into Friday service. At current stock you'll run out by 6 PM based on your typical Friday covers. I'd recommend placing a Clearwater order today for at least 8 kg. Want me to add it to your supplier cart?
Pricing

Simple pricing. No surprises.

Month-to-month billing. No long-term contracts. Cancel anytime.

Starter
$ 99 $149
per month · month-to-month
Includes
Smart scheduling with AI generation
Staff availability + time-off management
Live inventory with par-level alerts
Labour cost estimator
Up to 25 staff · 1 location
Email support + guided onboarding
Book a demo
Most popular
Professional
$ 199 $249
per month · month-to-month
Everything in Starter, plus
Multi-location support (up to 3)
Full AI Assistant access
Supplier ordering cart
Advanced labour analytics
Unlimited staff members
Priority support
Start free for 30 days—no card required →
Enterprise
$ 349 $399
per month · month-to-month
Everything in Professional, plus
Unlimited locations
Dedicated account manager
API access
Custom onboarding + white-glove setup
SLA guarantee
Phone + priority support
Contact us
40% less than Toast. More than Toast.
Toast charges $165/month for Essentials — scheduling only, no AI, no inventory. Helm's Starter plan covers all three at $99. That's $1,980 back in your pocket every year, per location.

See it running on your restaurant.

Book a free 30-minute demo. We'll walk through scheduling, inventory, and the AI assistant — live, using your operation as the example.

Start free for 30 days—no card required tmacdougall@helmai.ca
Starting at $99/month
30-day free trial
Independent restaurants