If you own a restaurant, chances are you have some scheduling process to keep your team on track. If not, your staff might be late, employees might drop out of the rotation unexpectedly, and you may have difficulty finding replacements. Here are five scheduling tips for restaurant business owners to avoid these problems in the future and keep your restaurant running smoothly when your schedule gets wonky.
1. Schedule The Most Productive Workers During Peak Hours
As you know, the peak hours for your business are the busiest times of the day. If you can’t keep up with demand or are running low on supplies, you need to schedule people that will be most helpful during this time. Also, when your servers are slow and can’t keep up with the pace, you should schedule people with a high production rate. Likewise, if you’re running low on supplies during peak hours, it may be a good idea to swap out those that aren’t as efficient and replace them with more productive workers. Also, if you want to keep the profits up during peak hours, schedule people capable of handling more of the work. After all, it’s essential to keep your numbers running smoothly since this is when you’ll get most of your profits from customers.
2. Consider Using A Scheduling Software
If you have a small restaurant or your schedule is easy to manage, you can probably get by without scheduling software. However, if you have to assign workers to different restaurants on different days or need to swap staff members around, you might benefit from using an automated restaurant scheduling software. You can find many of these tools online or through a local restaurant supply store. It’s essential to choose software that is easy enough for you to use and one that is right for your business.
3. Be Flexible
If something comes up with an employee’s current schedule, be flexible with them. This might mean discussing their schedule in the future if you need to change their time or having a backup on call in case someone drops out last minute. If possible, discuss with employees the dates they can work and when they are interested in working before setting any schedules. If you can, avoid getting into arguments with your workers at the last minute if something comes up. Instead, discuss scheduling changes ahead of time and have a few potential solutions ready to go.
4. Use A Calendar
Keep a calendar of everyone’s schedule if you are aiming for an entire team. Post it somewhere visible and ensure everyone can access it from mobile devices or computers. If you ever need to move someone around, you will make the scheduling easier for both parties. Also, if you are making last-minute changes to your schedule, you can add them to the calendar for everyone else to be aware of. This can help avoid confusion and any issues that may arise if employees don’t know about a schedule change.
5. Explain Your Policies
Your employees should know your specific scheduling policies before they start working with you. If someone drops out or wants a shift outside their usual schedule, they’ll know exactly how to approach you and what to expect. Also, let your workers know about any changes to your scheduling policies that may occur in the future.
A little communication goes a long way in keeping your staff happy, comfortable, and well-informed. Therefore, ensure your policies are easy to understand and agree upon and be clear to your employees. Also, ensure you review these policies with your employees regularly, as they might need to be updated to stay up-to-date with your business and its changing needs.
While you may want to manage your schedule in-house, it’s easier to do this with scheduling software. These tools offer resources that help you track your employees, especially if they are across different restaurants. They also give you insight into how your restaurant operates and how your team behaves during peak hours. If you follow these scheduling tips for restaurant business owners, you’ll be able to get more work done and have a better time managing your employees in the process.
