WaveWage is incentive pay software that pays restaurant crews for the moments that move the store: the late sale, the order made right, the shift picked up.
What WaveWage does
Seven rules, each paying for one thing that moves a store. You turn on the ones that fit and set every amount.
Closing Hour
Everyone clocked in during the final hour before your posted close splits a share of every sale that hour brings in. You set the share and the most it can pay in a night.
Upsell
You pick the items: drinks, desserts, larger sizes, add-ons. Each one a guest orders and pays for adds a share of that sale to the crew's pool.
Surge Hour
You set each hour's expected sales, the same number that sets the schedule and the prep. When an hour rises far enough above it, a share of the dollars above that line goes to the crew clocked in for it.
Paid each period
Order Accuracy
Your own record of refunds, remakes, and comped items adds up what wrong orders cost the store. Each month or quarter that cost holds at or below the store's own normal, the crew earns an accuracy bonus.
Hospitality and Reputation
Guest comments are read one remark at a time, so each thing done right counts as its own win. Each month or quarter the store holds at or above its own normal, the crew earns a hospitality bonus.
Paid to each person
Coverage
WaveWage tracks who worked the shift they were scheduled for, who clocked in on time, and who picked up a shift somebody dropped. You set which of those pay extra, and each person earns from their own record.
Store Execution
Opening and closing checklists, prep lists, temperature logs, and cleaning duties are recorded as each job is done, with a manager's approval where you require proof. You pick the jobs and what each one pays, and each person earns from their own record.
What makes WaveWage different
It pays for what happens in the shift
Scheduling tools like 7shifts and Homebase put the crew on the floor and count the hours. WaveWage pays for what the crew does in those hours: the late sale, the order made right, the dropped shift picked up. It connects to the scheduling and POS systems you already run and adds pay on top.
The bonus lands on the paycheck they already get
Kickfin moves gratuities to the crew through its own payout app. WaveWage pushes each bonus into the payroll you already run as its own paycode, or exports it in the file your payroll imports, so it arrives on the same paycheck as the hours.
Every amount is the Client's
A rule ships with no dollar or percentage inside it. You set every amount at setup with WaveWage's recommendation beside it, and the same terms apply to everyone on the floor.
Priced per active employee, from $3
Plans run $3 to $5 per active employee per month, and an active employee is someone who worked a shift where a rule was live. There is no setup fee, no monthly minimum, and no contract, and the demo is free until you connect your POS.
Every dollar traces to the rule that paid it
A bonus spreadsheet or a round of one-off rewards shows a total. WaveWage shows each person the rule, the hour, and the sale behind every dollar, and checks the totals against your ceiling before anything reaches payroll.
Who uses WaveWage
- Quick-service and fast-casual franchisees running several stores
- Independent restaurants and cafes with an hourly crew
- Stores on TimeForge or Square for scheduling and POS, and Toast for payroll
- Brands that collect guest feedback through Ovation
The team behind WaveWage
We run restaurants. We watched our own crews scroll between rushes: the videos, the threads, the group chats about jobs that actually pay. Same story every week: hourly hospitality work that never paid for hospitality, and a quiet hunt for somewhere better.
When you pay strictly for time, time is what you get. So we built WaveWage for our own crews first, and now we are opening it to every Client who would rather better be here.
How WaveWage works
- 1
See it on your own store
Search your store on the homepage and WaveWage builds a sample day with your hours and your rules priced for it. There is no account and no card, and the demo stays free for as long as you want it.
- 2
Book a setup call
Request a setup call and one of us connects your POS, scheduling, and payroll with you. Setup is a connection, not an installation.
- 3
Set your rules
You pick the rules and set every amount, with the engine's recommendation beside each one. Each rule is checked against your ceiling before it goes live.
- 4
The crew watches it build
Each person sees what they have earned on their phone during the shift, rule by rule.
- 5
Pay reaches payroll
Bonuses push to payroll as their own paycode, checked against your ceiling and confirmed after every push.
Email hello@wavewage.com or use the contact form, and one of us answers, usually within a business day. Every live store starts with a setup call. Email us or open the contact form.
Key facts
- Company name
- WaveWage
- Type
- Incentive pay software (SaaS) for restaurants
- Website
- wavewage.com
- Core offering
- Seven pay rules that turn sales, guest feedback, attendance, and completed work into crew bonuses, pushed to payroll
- Rules
- Closing Hour, Upsell, Order Accuracy, Hospitality and Reputation, Coverage, Surge Hour, Store Execution
- Integrations
- TimeForge, Square, Toast Payroll, Ovation
- Pricing
- $3 to $5 per active employee per month (Base, Plus, Pro)
- Contract terms
- No contract, no setup fee, no monthly minimum. The demo is free until you connect your POS.
- Communication
- Email (hello@wavewage.com), contact form, and a setup call for every live store. Replies usually within a business day.
- Compared with
- 7shifts, Homebase, Kickfin, bonus spreadsheets
Frequently asked questions
What is WaveWage?
WaveWage is incentive pay software for restaurants. It pays the crew for the moments that move the store, such as the last hour before close, an upsell, or a month of accurate orders, and pushes every bonus into the payroll you already run.
How is WaveWage different from 7shifts or Homebase?
7shifts and Homebase schedule the crew and track the hours. WaveWage connects to that data and pays for what happens during those hours, rule by rule, so the two work side by side.
What does WaveWage cost?
Plans run $3 to $5 per active employee per month, counting only people who worked a shift where a rule was live. There is no setup fee and no contract, and the demo is free until you connect your POS.
Which systems does WaveWage connect to?
WaveWage reads sales, schedules, and time clock data from TimeForge and Square, exports bonuses for Toast Payroll, and reads guest feedback from Ovation. More POS and scheduling connections are on the way.
How does the crew see what they earned?
Each person sees their earnings on their phone during the shift, with every dollar tied to the rule that paid it. The bonus then arrives on the paycheck they already get.
Can a rule pay out more than I planned?
Every rule runs under a ceiling you set. The totals are checked against that ceiling before any money reaches payroll, and a failed check stops the push and tells you why.
Do I have to sign a contract?
No. WaveWage is billed month to month with no setup fee and no minimum, and you can stop at any time.
Better should be here.
See whether WaveWage fits your store. The demo is free and unlimited, and we connect your systems and write your first rules with you when you are ready.
See if WaveWage fits →