Schedule by service, not by day

A restaurant day is really two or three shorter days: lunch, dinner, and sometimes brunch or a late bar. Each has its own covers, its own peak and its own staffing. Plan each service separately, then join them up into shifts.

For each service, write down the number of covers you expect (last year's same week, or the last four weeks averaged) and the number of people each station needs at that volume. Your own ratios matter more than any rule of thumb, because they depend on your menu, your layout and your team.

Staff each station

List every position you schedule, front and back of house, and who can work it:

  • Front of house: host, servers, bartender, bussers or runners.
  • Back of house: line cooks by station, prep, dish.
  • A shift lead or manager on every service.

Mark who is trained on more than one position. Cross-trained people are what make a schedule flexible when someone calls out.

Stagger starts and cuts

Not everyone needs to start at the same time. Bring servers in as sections open, stagger cooks so prep is done before the first ticket, and plan who gets cut first when it's quiet. Writing the cut order into the schedule (first cut, second cut, closer) saves a nightly negotiation.

Weekends and the busy nights

Friday and Saturday dinner usually decide whether a week went well. Schedule them first, with your strongest people, and fill the quieter services after. Spread the weekend fairly across the team over a month, not just within one week, or the same people burn out.

Plan for call-outs

Someone will call out on a Friday. Decide in advance:

  1. How much notice staff must give, and how (a call, not a text to a coworker).
  2. Who covers: an on-call person, a posted open shift anyone can claim, or you calling around.
  3. Whether you approve the replacement, so you can check their hours and training.

Posting the shift where the whole team can see it and letting someone volunteer is usually faster than calling people one by one. The shift swap guide covers trades.

Before you post it

  • Every service has an opener, a closer and a lead.
  • No one closes at midnight and opens at 9 the next morning.
  • No one is scheduled on a day they asked off.
  • Hours per person are where they should be.

For a sample of who opens, who closes and what each shift covers, see the restaurant opening and closing schedule.