What Zignyl does

Zignyl is an AI-powered restaurant operations platform designed for quick-service restaurant (QSR) franchisees, founded in 2016 by multi-unit franchisee Matt Forbush and headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. The platform provides an integrated suite of workforce management tools—including hourly demand forecasting, employee scheduling, digital task management, performance-based incentives, time tracking, and tip pooling—built specifically for multi-location franchise operations. Its technology aggregates real-time POS data from systems such as Toast, PAR, and Clover, and applies machine learning to predict hourly sales, optimize labor allocation, and automate frontline coaching and rewards. A patent-pending Zignyl Report consolidates forecast sales, net sales, scheduled labor, actual labor, suggested labor, and operations metrics into a single real-time dashboard.

The platform is distributed as a SaaS subscription and historically targeted multi-unit QSR franchisees (typically managing 10-50+ hourly employees per location) through direct sales motions anchored by demo requests and free 30-minute "profit leak audit" discovery sessions. Zignyl's go-to-market leverages founder credibility as a multi-unit franchise operator and content marketing via its Franchise Profit Playbook blog series. Reported customer outcomes include 10-20%+ sales growth, $53K+ labor cost savings over 8 weeks, $11+ increases in Sales Per Labor Hour, and turnover rates described as half the industry average. The company raised $900,000 from Mucker Capital in February 2024, having been bootstrapped from founder Forbush's own franchise operations prior to institutional capital.

In February 2026, Zignyl was acquired by Miso Robotics, maker of the Flippy automated fry station. The acquisition integrated Zignyl's technology into Miso's product ecosystem under a new chatbot-style dashboard called Zippy, with the Zignyl team joining Miso and the combined entity now serving more than a dozen QSR brands including Auntie Anne's, Jersey Mike's, Cinnabon, Jamba, White Castle, Which Wich, and Carvel. Zignyl operates as a wholly-owned product line within Miso Robotics and is now marketed as "Zignyl by Miso."

Name

Zignyl

Legal name

Zignyl, INC

Website

https://zignyl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Zignyl is an AI-powered restaurant operations platform providing forecasting, scheduling, task management, and performance incentives for QSR franchisees. Founded in 2016 by franchisee Matt Forbush and acquired by Miso Robotics in February 2026, the Memphis-based company serves multi-unit franchise operators across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Workforce Management Software

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Management & Scheduling (BPACAPAI)

Keywords

• Workforce management software
• Restaurant operations platform
• AI demand forecasting
• Employee scheduling software
• Franchise management software

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SaaS Platform Subscription: Zignyl operates as a subscription-based workforce management SaaS platform for QSR franchisees, providing forecasting, scheduling, task management, and incentive tools on a recurring subscription basis. The platform is offered alongside Miso Robotics' Flippy robotics product following the 2026 acquisition, creating a unified kitchen operations platform.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Zignyl provides an AI-powered SaaS workforce management platform purpose-built for QSR franchisees, combining hourly demand forecasting, employee scheduling, digital task management, performance-based incentives, time clock, and tip pooling in a single integrated system. The platform pulls real-time POS data to drive frontline behavior change through automated scheduling, real-time coaching, and performance-based bonuses tied to sales goals, helping multi-unit franchise owners increase sales per labor hour and reduce turnover.

Product overview

Zignyl is a unified AI-powered workforce management platform for restaurant and franchise operators. The core Zignyl Platform combines native modules for forecasting, scheduling, tasks, incentives, time clock, and tip pooling into a single integrated system. Following Miso Robotics' acquisition of Zignyl in February 2026, the technology was integrated into a new product called Zippy—a chatbot-style data dashboard—while continuing to operate under the Zignyl brand. The platform is designed for QSR franchisees and integrates with POS systems like Toast and PAR to provide real-time visibility into sales, labor, and operations across multiple locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zignyl Platform AI-powered SaaS workforce management platform for QSR franchisees combining hourly demand forecasting, employee scheduling, digital task management, performance-based incentives, time clock, and tip pooling in a single integrated system. Designed for multi-unit franchise owners and operators managing frontline hourly workers across multiple restaurant locations.
• Forecasting Module Hourly and daily demand forecasting engine that pulls historical sales data from POS systems and uses AI algorithms to predict future sales, enabling optimized scheduling, prep, and labor allocation for franchise operators.
• Scheduling Module Visual scheduling assistant that generates employee shifts down to the quarter-hour based on hourly forecast data and sales-per-labor-hour targets, integrates time-off requests, provides mobile access, and includes revision history for compliance.
• Tasks Module Digital task management system replacing paper checklists with real-time, trackable shift tasks, compliance notes, integrated training materials, and completion reporting for franchise operations.
• Incentives Module Performance-based bonus and reward system that automates real-time incentives tied to sales goals, forecasts, and employee performance, with tiered rewards and payroll export capabilities for franchise frontline teams.
• Time Clock Integrated time tracking system with mobile access, automatic clock-out, punch editing, and payroll-ready reporting that consolidates hours, tips, bonuses, and incentives for restaurant employees.
• Tip Pooling Automated tip distribution engine that calculates fair tip allocations based on roles, hours worked, and output metrics, ensuring transparent and compliant tip pooling for restaurant employees.
• Zippy Chatbot-style AI data dashboard created from the integration of Zignyl's operations platform with Miso Robotics' technology, providing real-time restaurant insights through a conversational interface across forecasting, scheduling, tasks, incentives, and Flippy robotics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10%+ sales growth across locations through real-time coaching and incentives
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Miso RoboticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026Miso Robotics, maker of the Flippy automated fry cook robot, acquired Zignyl in early 2026 as part of its strategy to build an integrated AI platform for modern restaurants. The Zignyl technology was integrated into Miso's previously undisclosed Zippy product, creating a combined platform offering forecasting, scheduling, task management, incentives, and Flippy robotics. The Zignyl team joined Miso Robotics, and the combined entity serves more than a dozen restaurant brands including Auntie Anne's, Jersey Mike's, Cinnabon, Jamba, Which Wich, and Carvel. The acquisition expanded Miso's point-of-sale integration footprint through Zignyl's existing partnerships with Toast and PAR.
• ToastcoreTechnology or IntegrationToast is a leading restaurant POS system with whom Zignyl has an existing integration partnership, allowing Zignyl to pull real-time sales data for forecasting and scheduling. Following the Miso Robotics acquisition, Toast integration became part of Miso's expanded point-of-sale integration footprint.
• PAR (ParTech)coreTechnology or IntegrationPAR (ParTech) is a restaurant technology provider with whom Zignyl has an existing integration partnership for POS data access. Following the Miso Robotics acquisition, PAR integration became part of Miso's expanded point-of-sale integration ecosystem.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Shyft: Shift swapping and team messaging app for hourly restaurant and retail workforces. Adjacent emerging player in the QSR frontline engagement space Zignyl targets.

Direct peers

• 7shifts: Leading employee scheduling and workforce management SaaS built specifically for restaurants. Directly competes with Zignyl in QSR franchise scheduling, forecasting, and team management.
• Homebase: SMB-focused scheduling, time tracking, and team communication platform with strong penetration in restaurants and QSR. Competes with Zignyl on hourly employee management for small and mid-market operators.
• Fourth (HotSchedules): Enterprise restaurant workforce management and operations platform serving multi-unit restaurant brands. Closest direct peer to Zignyl at the multi-unit franchise / enterprise tier.
• Crunchtime: Restaurant operations platform covering labor, food cost, and inventory for multi-unit operators. Comparable to Zignyl on restaurant-specific operations and labor optimization.
• Deputy: Workforce management and scheduling platform for shift-based businesses including hospitality and QSR. Competes with Zignyl on AI-driven scheduling and forecasting.
• When I Work: SMB-focused shift scheduling and team management software used widely in hospitality and restaurants. Comparable to Zignyl on hourly workforce scheduling and mobile shift tools.

Broad incumbents

• Toast Workforce Management: Dominant restaurant POS with an embedded scheduling and team management module. Zignyl already integrates with Toast, but Toast's bundled WFM is a direct alternative for franchisees.
• Restaurant365: Restaurant back-office platform combining accounting, inventory, payroll, and scheduling. Adjacent competitor for franchise operations; broader scope than Zignyl.
• Lightspeed Restaurant: Restaurant POS and operations platform with workforce management features. Comparable as bundled restaurant tech alternative to Zignyl's specialized WFM stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zignyl
• Facebookfacebook.com/zignyl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zignyl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zignyl