Running a restaurant is like spinning plates — and one of the plates you can’t afford to drop is crafting an efficient rota (or schedule) for your stellar staff.
A top-notch rota is key to seamless operations and keeping your team happy as a clam.
But how exactly do you plan a staff rota when you’re also trying to juggle demand, availability, different skill sets?
Don’t fret. In this #snack, we’ll dive into the secrets of creating a fantastic restaurant rota that caters to your staff’s needs and improves productivity across the board.
5 things to consider before creating a rota
Before diving into rota creation, let’s touch upon six things that’ll make the process easier to handle.
1. Employee Availability
Be aware of your employees’ availability before you start making schedules. For example, any restrictions due to school, family commitments, or second jobs. This will help you allocate shifts as fairly as possible, and minimise the chance of any conflict.
It’s a good idea to have a system in place for regularly updating availability. With Nory, for example, you can edit an employee’s profile to change their availability. That way, you can ensure that your rota remains accurate and up-to-date.
2. Preferred shifts
Some staff members may prefer specific shift patterns, such as mornings, evenings, or weekends. While you can’t always accommodate everyone’s preferences, trying to do so can boost morale, reduce turnover, and contribute to a more harmonious working environment.
3. Work-life Balance
Overworking staff can cause stress, leading to burnout and decreased productivity. To prevent this from happening, you need to think about how to balance an employees’ working hours with their personal lives.
For example, avoid scheduling too many consecutive shifts, consider implementing a rolling rota system to give staff time off between shifts, and be flexible with out-of-work commitments. As a result, you’ll help them to recharge and perform at their best.
You can also use your rota to encourage staff to take breaks and annual leave. If you schedule these breaks as part of their workday, they’re more likely to take some downtime to recharge.
4. Staff Skills and Experience
Recognise the unique skill sets and experience levels of your staff members to schedule your rota planning as efficiently as possible. This enables you to allocate roles and responsibilities more effectively, ensuring a well-rounded team that can cover all aspects of the restaurant’s operation.
5. Employee workload
Overburdening staff can lead to stress and burnout, impacting the overall team morale and everyone’s ability to do their job.
So, you need to ensure each employee has a manageable workload during their shifts. This means distributing tasks evenly and fairly, and making sure you have enough staff on the roster to cover all the tasks for the day.
How to create a rota: top tips for creating an efficient schedule
Here are some best practices to follow to craft a truly efficient restaurant rota.
1. Assess your staffing needs
The first question to ask is, “how many staff do I need for each shift, and what skills do they need?”
Let’s break that down.
First, determine how many staff members you need on each shift to cover various roles, such as front-of-house, kitchen, and management.
Then, review their skills.
Does the manager have enough experience to fly solo during the busiest shift of the week? Should you schedule newer employees during quiet periods to help them learn the ropes?
By reviewing everyone’s skills and experience, you can ensure that you have a well-staffed shift.
2. Use rota management software
Embracing rota management software, particularly AI-based tools (like Nory – that’s us, hi 👋), can revolutionise the way you create and manage your restaurant’s schedule. These intelligent systems are designed to make your life easier and your staff happier.
Let’s dive into the key advantages of using AI-based rota management software for this task:
- Time-saving: Say goodbye to the headache of manually creating staff rotas! AI-based software does the heavy lifting for you, automatically generating an optimised online rota in just a few clicks. This leaves you with more time to focus on other aspects of running your restaurant.
- Demand forecasting: AI-powered tools are brilliant at analysing historical data and predicting future staffing requirements. By accurately forecasting demand, you can ensure your restaurant is always adequately staffed, and avoid overstaffing and understaffing issues.
- Seamless communication: Sharing schedules and updates with your team is a breeze with AI-based software. Employees can access their rotas from their smartphones, request time off, or swap shift times with their colleagues directly through the platform, streamlining communication and reducing confusion.
Find out more about using AI-tools to manage your workforce!
3. Incorporate staff preferences
Take into account your employees’ availability, preferred shifts, and personal commitments. This will help you create a schedule that suits people’s needs, which leads to a happy and motivated workforce.
Now, we know what you’re thinking.
It’s impossible to accommodate every preference.
You’re right — it is. But making an effort to do so shows that you care about the employee experience, which can boost team morale and reduce staff turnover.
4. Schedule in advance
Create your rota in advance to give staff ample time to plan their lives accordingly. We’d suggest at least two weeks notice — but if the further in advance, the better.
This allows time for adjustments and ensures everyone is aware of their upcoming shifts. It also gives you time to reshuffle shifts if people are unavailable during their scheduled slot, so it’s beneficial for you as well.
5. Rotate shifts and responsibilities
Rotating shifts and responsibility is a great way to encourage skill development. For example, you might schedule a member of your waiting staff as the host for an evening, giving them a chance to learn new skills and push themselves out of their comfort zone.
By doing this, you’re fostering a more versatile and adaptable team, which is beneficial for your restaurant.
Think about it. If your host is out for the evening, you can ask the waiting staff to step in at the lastminute. Because they already have experience in the role, it won’t be a problem!
6. Allow for flexibility
Last-minute changes are inevitable in hospitality. People get sick, there are changes in demand, and so on.
This means you need to be open to adjusting the rota when unexpected situations arise.
If you use technology to create your rotas, you’re in a much better position to be flexible — especially if it’s powered by AI. When things change, the software can automatically update your rota accordingly.
7. Ensure adequate coverage during peak times
You may want to create a demand-based schedule to account for busy periods, special events, and seasonal fluctuations. This will help you maintain top-quality customer service and ensure that your restaurant operations run efficiently even when you’re fully booked.
Again, using restaurant management software can be helpful here. With a platform like Nory, for example, you can forecast future demand to ensure you schedule the right number of staff during peak times.
8. Monitor and adjust
Continuous improvement is key to maintaining an efficient and successful rota. Without it, your rota simply won’t keep up with the demands of an evolving workplace.
Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your rota. If you notice any changes in demand or areas of improvement, you can make the necessary adjustments to improve it.
How to communicate the rota with your team
Nailing clear and open communication is the secret ingredient for crafting and executing a top-notch restaurant rota. It keeps employees in the loop on their shift schedule, and gives them a chance to voice their thoughts and concerns.
As a result, you’ll cultivate a vibrant work atmosphere, and fine-tune your scheduling game in the process.
Let’s explore the vital aspects of effective communication.
Share the rota
Ensure your team has easy access to the rota by sharing it through various channels. For example, via email, staff notice boards, or a dedicated rota management mobile app. Providing multiple access points reduces confusion and ensures everyone is aware of their shifts.
Encourage feedback
Invite your staff to share any questions, concerns, and suggestions about the rota. This open dialogue can help you identify areas for improvement and create an even more effective schedule for your staff.
It also demonstrates that you value their input, which builds trust between you and your restaurant employees.
Address concerns promptly
When issues arise or staff members have concerns, address them as quickly as possible. Why? Because promptly tackling problems shows that you take their well-being seriously.
Plus, it can prevent concerns from escalating and getting out of hand. It’s better to nip it in the bud and find a solution.
Keep your team informed about any changes, explaining the reasons behind your decisions to make sure everyone’s on the same page.
Keep monitoring and evaluating your rota
Monitoring and evaluating your restaurant rota regularly is a key part of running a seamless workforce. By reviewing the effects of your scheduling practices, you’ll pinpoint areas that need a little extra love and fine-tune them accordingly.
To effectively monitor and evaluate your rota like a pro, keep these tips in mind.
Track staff performance and attendance
Keep records of employee punctuality, absenteeism, and overall performance during their shifts. This information can help you identify patterns — such as consistently late or underperforming staff members.
When you spot these trends, you can start to address any issues and make appropriate changes to the rota.
Analyse sales data and customer feedback
Examine sales data and customer feedback to gauge the impact of your rota on restaurant performance. This can help you identify busy periods, staffing shortages, or other issues that may require adjustments.
For example, are customers waiting too long for food during your busy times? If so, you might need to add more staff to the rota.
Review employee satisfaction
Regularly check in with your team to gauge their satisfaction with the rota and their work-life balance. High levels of staff satisfaction can contribute to lower turnover rates, better performance, and a better working environment — so it’s important to take their perspective into account.
Evaluate the efficiency of your scheduling process
Assess the time and effort it takes to create and manage your rota. If the process takes up too much of your time, you might need to implement changes — such as adopting rota management software. This can help you streamline your rota management, improve efficiency, and keep track of key scheduling data.
Identify areas of improvement
Continuously look for ways to enhance your rota management practices. This could involve adjusting shift allocations, incorporating staff feedback, or investing in new tools and resources to support your scheduling process.
Use a restaurant management platform to streamline your scheduling
Crafting an efficient rota is a game-changer for any restaurant owner. By understanding your staff’s needs, expertly managing shifts and responsibilities, and keeping the communication channels wide open, you’ll be in a good position to schedule employees as effectively as possible.
And don’t forget — embracing the capabilities of AI-based rota management software can also elevate your scheduling practice.
If you want to give it a go and see how it works, why not give Nory a try? We can help you manage your rota, track productivity, and even onboard new employees.
Schedule a call with the team to get things moving!
FAQs
What is the importance of creating an efficient restaurant rota?
An efficient restaurant rota ensures smooth operations, enhances staff satisfaction, and improves overall productivity.
How can I effectively manage shifts and responsibilities in a rota?
Allocate responsibilities based on skills and experience, encourage cross-training, and allow staff to swap shifts (with approval, of course).
What role does communication play in creating a successful rota?
Transparent communication is vital for sharing the rota, encouraging feedback, and implementing necessary changes. It helps you create a rota that suits everyone’s needs, and makes sure that your entire team knows when their shifts take place.
Why is it essential to monitor and evaluate the rota regularly?
Regular evaluation helps identify areas of improvement, ensuring your scheduling approach remains successful and adapts to any changes in demand.
How can I ensure that my restaurant rota balances work-life for my staff?
Consider employees’ availability, preferences, and personal commitments when creating the rota. Encourage downtime, schedule breaks, and make sure to provide enough days off between consecutive shifts.
