Fourth, the leading provider of workforce and inventory management solutions for the restaurant industry, today announced the release of Fourth iQ 2.1, expanding the capabilities of its AI-powered Fourth iQ App. The latest update includes new inventory-focused recommendations designed to help restaurant and hospitality managers act faster, reduce waste, and protect profitability.

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The latest update to the Fourth iQ App introduces smarter inventory alerts and forecasting capabilities that help managers reduce waste, optimize staffing, and make faster, data-driven decisions.

iQ 2.1 builds on the 20+ recommendations introduced in the September launch of the iQ App, which delivers AI-powered alerts and recommended actions across HR, workforce, and inventory management, all accessible via mobile, tablet, or web.

Clinton Anderson, CEO at Fourth, said: “The Fourth iQ App continues to raise the bar for the industry. With every release, we’re adding more AI-powered actions that deliver real value for our customers — saving time, improving accuracy, and helping managers focus on what really matters. iQ 2.1 is another step forward, bringing even more AI-guided decision-making into the hands of operators.”

Proactive inventory management

At the center of this release are two new recommendations that help teams proactively manage waste and maintain accurate data within Fourth’s inventory management solution.

• Wastage Trend Alerts - Highlights when inventory waste rises above normal levels in their own location and across similar stores in the business, allowing managers to quickly pinpoint problem areas and take corrective action to protect margins.

• Unrecognized PLU Alerts - Flags sales without valid product codes (PLUs) and links to detailed reports, helping teams maintain accurate stock and sales data. An upcoming above-store version will enable head office teams to manage and resolve issues across all locations.

Fourth is redefining inventory and financial management within restaurants. In contrast to traditional siloed inventory management systems, the Fourth platform connects forecasting, production, purchasing, and cash management in one continuous workflow, powered by AI. Built for multi-unit scale, it gives every level of the business from kitchens to finance live visibility and control over inventory, cost, and cash in a single intelligent system. With Fourth iQ, operators can plan precisely, prevent waste, and protect margins before issues arise.

Smarter scheduling decisions

Change in Forecast Labor Adjustment is another impactful new recommendation in iQ 2.1, assisting managers in optimizing labor productivity within HotSchedules. If the daily AI-generated sales forecast reveals a significant increase or decrease in demand, the manager is alerted. Fourth iQ then recalculates optimal labor hours and suggests creating, editing, or removing shifts to match demand. Managers have the option to directly review, accept, or reject the recommendations, ensuring schedules stay efficient and aligned with real-world conditions.

Among the many customers utilizing Fourth iQ to enhance their sales forecasting and labor productivity is Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar. Their Chief Financial Officer, Robert Linder, shared the following on their use of the broader Fourth iQ capability: “It took something that was a fair amount of work in our organization and just eliminated it. It’s been wonderful, so easy to use, and our teams have trusted the technology. Best of all, it wasn’t like that work was easier; it was eliminated. Sometimes in organizations, we seek to make a task easier, but Fourth iQ does us one better and eliminates the extra work.”

Streamlined HR processes

Rounding off Fourth iQ 2.1 are two new capabilities for Human Resources:

• E-Verify Case Status Updates – When an E-Verify case status changes, managers receive a clear action with the next best step to complete. Statuses include “Scan and upload” and “Close and resubmit case”. Each alert includes a short learning moment to ensure managers know exactly what to do next.

• Background Check Actions – Enables managers to review background checks and complete the hiring process once a candidate’s status is clear, ensuring faster, more confident onboarding decisions.

The iQ 2.1 release reinforces Fourth’s mission to help hospitality operators move from reactive management to proactive decision-making. By embedding AI directly into daily workflows, the Fourth iQ App empowers managers to control costs, improve performance, and focus more on their people and guests.

For more information, visit the Fourth website.

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