One of the most important parts of managing a successful restaurant is scheduling employees. In order to guarantee seamless operations and top-notch customer service, it entails striking a balance between the requirements of your workforce and those of your company. The principles of restaurant staff scheduling, along with helpful hints, tactics, and best practices, will all be covered in this extensive guide.

How to Build a Staff Schedule

Choose how often you’ll create your employee schedule:

Certain restaurants operate on a weekly timetable, which puts a strain on work-life balance and leaves the entire staff on short notice. Additionally, because last-minute scheduling implies that every request for time off is equally last-minute, it forces schedule writers to work quickly to meet demands.

A schedule that extends deeper into the future is well appreciated by many team members. Monthly schedules can seem like a good idea, but it's not always possible to plan that far in advance, especially when so many restaurant employees have several jobs.

Two weeks is a good middle ground.

Don't forget to account for lead time in your schedule: the time between when it is published and when it starts. When Monday's shifts aren't announced until Sunday morning, even a two-week plan can feel hurried.

Create and communicate time-off request policies

Establish a regular period (monthly or biweekly) for employees to submit or amend their time-off requests and availability so that you can always access their most recent scheduling needs and desires and grant manager approval promptly.

Gather all the moving pieces

Have the previous schedule, personnel availability, their requests for time off, sales predictions, weather forecasts, and your local event calendar on hand when you sit down to create a timetable. Next, launch your employee scheduling template or employee scheduling software for restaurants.

Analyze previous schedule data and populate the schedule

Examine the data and make the necessary adjustments for you and your group. Include inquiries and observations such as:

Which shifts are ideal for scheduling a training session? Can the new team member and your trainer work the same shift?

Lunch sales were hardly affected by the weather last week.

Are the same shifts being requested far too frequently?

Next, complete the schedule by either filling out a spreadsheet template or by dragging and dropping an application.

Publish the schedule

Complete the form if you're using a restaurant scheduling tool or program, save it, and select "Publish." When a new schedule is released, your staff will be notified automatically and able to view it on their mobile devices.

Fill in the fields, save the schedule, print it, and hang it up in a prominent location within the restaurant if you're utilizing and printing one from a template for scheduling restaurants. Additionally, you ought to snap a picture of it and share it with your group by email, a text message, or an employee messaging app.

Prepare for (and accommodate) last-minute changes

There's always something to discuss. No matter how carefully you prepare, things happen in life: individuals get sick, call in, have problems with their transportation, need to take care of a family member, and schools need to be closed. Every employee should occasionally prepare to fill in for a teammate, so call someone to find out who can cover for the absentee.

Some restaurant owners look for temporary employees at the last minute via apps like Pared or Instawork. Bringing in a temporary colleague might ease some of the strain around the holidays and with no-shows, but it does need quick onboarding and faith in your core team.

Adjust the schedule as soon as you have a replacement. Simply adjust the schedule in an app and republish it to make sure everyone on your team receives the notification. If you are making and printing a paper schedule, make any necessary adjustments, print it again, publish it once more, and send out a snapshot of the updated schedule.

Reflect and ask for feedback

There is no such thing as an ideal schedule. How often did the schedule need to be changed? Did the sales projections come in on time? Did we have the necessary coverage? To what extent do the clock-outs of team members adhere to the schedule? Have you collected the necessary data to improve the accuracy of the upcoming schedule?

Ask your team members on a regular basis how they are finding the timetable. The viewpoints of your team members may differ greatly from your own, so this anecdotal knowledge is a wonderful supplement to the hard statistics that a restaurant scheduling tool will provide.

Restaurant staff scheduling tips

1. Plan Ahead:

• Anticipate busy periods and plan your schedule accordingly.
• Consider seasonal trends and events that may affect staffing needs.
• Establish a schedule well in advance to give employees time to plan.

2. Use Scheduling Software:

• Invest in scheduling software to automate the process and reduce errors.
• Look for software that allows for easy communication with staff and provides real-time updates.

3. Balance Employee Preferences:

• Consider employee preferences when creating the schedule to improve morale.
• Rotate shifts fairly to give all employees an opportunity to work peak shifts.

4. Communicate Effectively:

• Ensure that the schedule is easily accessible to all employees.
• Use a communication tool to notify employees of any changes or updates to the schedule.

5. Monitor and Adjust:

• Regularly review the schedule to identify any inefficiencies or areas for improvement.
• Be flexible and willing to adjust the schedule as needed based on feedback from employees.

6. Consider Alternative Shift Structures:

• Explore options such as split shifts or compressed workweeks to accommodate different employee needs.
• Be open to creative scheduling solutions that benefit both the business and the employees.

7. Prioritize Work-Life Balance:

• Avoid overworking employees by providing them with adequate time off between shifts.
• Encourage employees to take breaks and prioritize their well-being.

8. Cross-Train Your Staff:

• Cross-training employees in different roles can help you cover shifts more efficiently.
• It also gives employees the opportunity to learn new skills and advance in their careers.

Any restaurant's ability to successfully schedule its staff is critical to its success. You can make a schedule that works for both your company and your employees by using the best practices, advice, and tactics provided in this article. This will increase customer happiness, employee morale, and overall profitability.