Overview
Restaurant owners and managers shouldn't have to be at the restaurant to know how the day went. Toast's reporting system combined with a simple automation delivers a clean, actionable sales summary every evening — so you can review performance from anywhere and make tomorrow's decisions tonight.
Before you start
- Toast POS account with Reporting access
- Email addresses for all report recipients
- Optional: Zapier and Google Sheets for Slack delivery
Step-by-step guide (5 steps)
Configure Toast's built-in automated reports
In Toast Web, go to Reports > Scheduled Reports. Click 'Create Schedule.' Select 'Daily Summary Report' — this includes: net sales, gross sales, covers, average check, voids, discounts, and payments by type. Set delivery time to 30 minutes after close.
Customize the report recipients
Add all relevant recipients: owner, general manager, and any investors or accountants who need daily visibility. Each person receives the same formatted report automatically. Toast sends it as a PDF attachment.
Add a labor cost column to your review
In the report settings, enable labor summary if your Toast subscription includes labor management. Having sales and labor in the same report lets you calculate your labor cost percentage in one glance — the most important daily metric for restaurant operations.
Set a personal rule: if labor is above 30% of sales, send yourself a Slack alert to review the next day's schedule. This catches labor creep before it compounds.
Set up a Zapier workflow for Slack delivery
For teams that live in Slack more than email: use Zapier with a Google Sheets integration. Configure Toast to export to a Google Sheet, then Zapier reads the sheet every night at close and posts a formatted message to your #daily-sales Slack channel.
Review and action the report each morning
Build a daily habit: review the previous day's report with your morning coffee. Flag items for follow-up: high void rate (potential waste or theft), low covers (investigate service issues), top-selling items running low (check inventory).
What you'll get
Daily visibility into sales performance without being on-site
Early detection of voids, discounts, and labor issues
Data-driven conversations with managers based on actual numbers
Historical record of daily performance for trend analysis
Common mistakes to avoid
Scheduling reports before close (captures incomplete day data)
Including too many people on the distribution (leads to everyone ignoring it)
Not reviewing the report consistently (set a daily calendar reminder)
Frequently asked questions
Do I need coding experience to set up this Toast automation?
No coding is required. This guide walks you through everything using Toast's built-in features and Zapier's visual interface. If you can follow a recipe, you can follow this guide.
How long does this automation take to set up?
Most users complete this setup in 30–60 minutes on their first try. Once set up, it runs completely automatically with zero ongoing effort.
What happens if the automation fails?
Zapier and Make both have error notifications and task history, so you'll know immediately if something goes wrong. We cover troubleshooting steps in the guide above.
Can I customize this automation for my specific business?
Absolutely. The guide includes notes on common customizations. Most automations have multiple variation points — timing, conditions, notification recipients, and more.