Shiftmate
Restaurant staff planning: how to separate before and after service?
Pre- and post-service shift approach to more accurately plan kitchen, service, cash register and closing teams in restaurants.
The most common planning mistake in restaurants is to think about the entire shift only based on service hours. However, preparation, service and closing produce different workloads.
Separate the prep team from the service team
Kitchen preparation, table setting and cash register check must be completed before the customer arrives. If these tasks start after the service personnel arrive, the quality will decrease at first peak.
Add support according to service density
Scheduling Friday evening and Tuesday afternoon with the same number of crews may create overtime or service quality risks. Treat busy days with a separate template.
Don't consider the closing as an invisible job
Cleaning, counting, closing the cash register and preparing for the next day are real working hours. It should appear on the timesheet.
Summary
A restaurant shift is not just about service time; When the preparation and closing are not planned correctly, the timesheet is disrupted.