5-Out vs DishMath

5-Out is a web-based restaurant forecasting and automation platform founded in 2013. It uses machine learning to forecast sales from historical sales and guest patterns, day-part trends, menu mix, weather, local events, and operational data. Forecasts are available hourly, daily, and weekly. The platform turns forecasts into automated prep lists, predictive Smart Pars, purchasing recommendations, inventory and recipe management, labor forecasting, and food-cost visibility. Restaurant operations tools include labor schedules and budgets, food budgets, purchase and prep lists, Smart Actions, forecasts, and custom reporting. Managers can adjust prep amounts, labor guidance, and purchasing recommendations for local events or promotions. 5-Out lists integrations including PAR Brink, Harri, MarketMan, Aloha, Square, Toast, 7shifts, SevenRooms, Craftable, MarginEdge, Micros, Restaurant365, Simphony, Tripleseat, and xtraCHEF. It supports restaurants from one location to 500 and connects to restaurant tools without manual setup or data entry. Pricing is on request, with a listed plan at $100 a month per location.

DishMath gives independent restaurants a way to examine the costs and margins of individual menu items, then sends weekly recommendations by SMS. It calculates food cost, labor cost, and contribution margin from POS sales and supplier invoices. Its weekly menu analysis sorts dishes into Stars, Plowhorses, Puzzles, or Dogs according to popularity and margin. Listed connections include Toast, Square for Restaurants, Clover, QuickBooks Online, and Xero, as well as labor tools, supplier invoice sources, and services such as DoorDash and OpenTable. TouchBistro, Lightspeed, and Revel connections are labeled beta; CSV import is offered as a fallback. The product runs on web and provides an API, including rate-limited REST access and webhooks for agencies and accountants. Group costs $149 a month, billed month-to-month; Solo costs $199 a month, billed month-to-month. Annual billing is listed as two months free. There is no free plan, but a 14-day trial is available.