Schlotzsky’s and Cinnabon franchisee Ted Taylor says ChatGPT Work shortened pricing analysis and cash reconciliation while supporting labor scheduling.
Ted Taylor, an independent franchisee operating three co-branded Schlotzsky’s and Cinnabon restaurants in New Mexico, is using OpenAI’s ChatGPT Work to assist with pricing, labor analysis and back-office administration, according to an OpenAI customer profile published October 20, 2026. Taylor previously spent 25 years in the semiconductor industry.
For annual menu repricing, Taylor combines information such as local competitors’ prices, portion sizes, item sales and supplier costs. OpenAI says the analysis now takes one to two hours rather than five days, a 95% reduction. ChatGPT Work produces suggested in-store and delivery prices; Taylor reviews the recommendations before adopting them.
The tool also compares labor schedules and budgets with actual hours and sales, using the previous 12 weeks of performance to flag issues such as overtime or coverage gaps. In a scheduling trial at one location, it produced a proposed staff schedule for a manager to check and enter into the restaurant’s scheduling system. Taylor estimates that improved scheduling could eventually free up $50,000 to $100,000 in annual cash flow across the three restaurants; that is a potential result, not a reported realized saving.
For monthly cash reconciliation, Taylor uploads transaction data and bank records for comparison. OpenAI reports that the work fell from three hours to five to 10 minutes, a 94% reduction. Taylor also says summarizing payroll inputs saves four hours of manual work per payroll cycle. Other uses include drafting workplace policies and creating a web portal for staff supply and repair requests.
Taylor says he checks outputs and adjusts them before putting recommendations into practice. The examples show how one small restaurant operator is applying ChatGPT Work to recurring analytical and administrative tasks, while retaining human review for decisions affecting prices, staffing and operations.