Toast uses machine learning models within Toast IQ to surface labor insights for restaurant operators, including staffing recommendations tied to historical sales patterns, time of day, and day-of-week trends, to help restaurants align scheduled staff with expected customer traffic.

As described in industry reporting on Toast's earnings disclosures and investor communications from late 2025, Toast has indicated it uses machine learning models to generate labor insights connected to historical sales data, time-of-day patterns, and weekly traffic cycles. The goal is to help operators recommend staffing levels based on expected demand rather than fixed schedules. Toast IQ also flags unusual performance shifts—such as sudden drops in sales or labor percentages moving outside normal ranges—in real time. These insights are surfaced within the Toast IQ assistant interface.