Restaurant staff scheduling: start from demand

A rota answers three questions: how many people, in which role, at what time? The answer starts from a forecast of covers for each service, then for each one-hour or half-hour slot. The daily average is not enough: 90 covers spread over three hours do not call for the same team as 90 covers packed between 12:30 and 13:30.

To split the service total, look in your history at each slot’s share, for the same day of the week. Add what the history does not know: bookings, a group that has called ahead, an event in the neighbourhood. Count takeaway and delivery separately: they keep the kitchen and the counter busy, not the floor.

The method for forecasting sales service by service has a guide of its own. Remember the horizon: the week’s rota relies on a forecast made a few days ahead, and is corrected the day before if the forecast has moved significantly.

Each role has its own pace. On the floor, you count covers looked after per hour; in the kitchen, covers sent out; at the dishwash, covers handled; at the counter, orders instead. These productivity standards depend on your menu, your dining room and your equipment: measure them on your good services rather than borrowing a figure read elsewhere.

Minimum staffing is the threshold below which the role cannot function, even with an empty dining room: someone to greet guests, someone at the pass. Also separate variable hours, which follow covers, from fixed hours, which do not: opening, set-up, taking deliveries, cleaning, closing. Leave them out and the rota is right during the rush, and wrong before and after it.

The grid crosses time slots with roles; each cell holds the final headcount. It does not name anyone yet: it is the need, set before looking at who is available, so as not to confuse what is required with what you usually do.

Example: a Saturday lunchtime, 90 covers forecast. Standards used: 15 covers per hour on the floor, 20 in the kitchen, 40 at the dishwash; at least one person per role during service.

Between 12:00 and 13:00, the floor needs 35 ÷ 15 = 2.33 hours in a one-hour slot, so 3 people once rounded up. The grid totals 21 hours of presence: 4.5 for set-up, 15 for service, 1.5 for clear-down.

The rounding is open to debate: 2.33 servers could mean two people for the whole slot and a third arriving at 12:30. This is where hours are won or lost.

Example: figures invented for the calculation.

Next comes allocation, according to skills, contracts and availability. Every shift placed complies with the French Labour Code (Code du travail) and, in hotels, cafés and restaurants (HCR), with amendment no. 2 of 5 February 2007 to their collective agreement.

A consequence of daily rest: someone who closes at 23:30 does not start again before 10:30 the next day, unless a derogation applies. As for the break, put it in a genuine lull in the grid: scheduled at the peak, it will not be taken.

This table is not exhaustive: night work, under-18s, overtime, split shifts for full-time staff and company agreements have their own rules. The collective agreement depends on the activity: HCR (IDCC 1979), quick service (IDCC 1501)… Check yours, with its amendments.

This guide summarises general rules; it is not a substitute for legal advice.

The employer posts the start and finish times of work, as well as the times and length of rest periods (article L. 3171-1). Beyond the obligation, a rota known early lets everyone organise their week: set a publication day, early enough to meet the notice periods of each contract, and stick to it.

For a part-time employee, where there is no agreement, any change to how their hours are spread across the days of the week or the weeks of the month must be notified to them at least 7 working days in advance (article L. 3123-31). A collective agreement can shorten this notice period, but not below 3 working days, and then provides compensation for notice of less than 7 working days (article L. 3123-24). For full-time staff, the notice period depends on how working time is organised and on the applicable agreements: check it before changing a published rota.

Keep a record of every version: who changed what, when and why. Have swaps between colleagues approved by the manager, who checks skills and rest. Finally, share out closing shifts and weekends in a way everyone can follow: a rota seen as unfair comes apart faster than it was built.

After service, compare three figures: covers served, scheduled hours, hours worked. The rota is judged on the hours variance; the forecast, on the covers variance. Mixing them up makes it impossible to know what to correct.

Back to the example. The Saturday served 84 covers instead of 90, with 23 hours worked against 21 scheduled: a variance of +2 hours. Recalculated with 84 covers spread as forecast, the grid calls for the same 21 hours: the variance does not come from the forecast, but from the end of service running over.

With an average spend of €28 excl. VAT, revenue reaches 84 × 28 = €2,352 excl. VAT. Productivity: 84 ÷ 23 = 3.7 covers per hour worked, or 2,352 ÷ 23 = €102 excl. VAT per hour. At an hourly cost of €20 including employer contributions, staff cost 23 × 20 = €460, giving a labour cost ratio of 460 ÷ 2,352 = 19.6% for this service.

For a single service, the ratio only counts that service’s hours; over the month, staff costs include management, paid leave and hours outside service. Track its trend and, with several restaurants, compare it from one site to the next on a shared definition.

Example: figures invented for the calculation.

Rolling over last week. The rota copies yesterday’s needs, not those of the week ahead: school holidays, a public holiday, a group booking, roadworks in the street.

Scheduling on the daily average. The 15:00 lull then hides the understaffing at 13:00, or the other way round.

Forgetting fixed hours. Set-up, deliveries and closing drop out of the calculation, then come back as overtime.

Filling the cells without looking at skills. Three people on the floor and none of them can run the bar: the grid is covered, the service is not.

Covering the peak with a full shift. A staggered or shorter shift often covers the same need, within the limits of contracts and split-shift rules.

Judging the rota on scheduled hours. Only hours worked tell you what the service cost.

How many covers can a server look after per hour? It depends on the menu format, the number of courses, the dining room and experience. Measure it in your own restaurant: covers served ÷ floor hours, on services the team considers successful. The standard you get applies to your restaurant, not the one next door.

What labour cost ratio should you aim for? No single value fits everyone: the ratio depends on the concept, the average spend, owners who work during service and what you count as staff costs. Set your definition, then track it month after month.

Can the team work on Sundays? Hotels, cafés and restaurants may give weekly rest on a rotating basis rather than on Sunday (article R. 3132-5). The 24 consecutive hours, plus daily rest, are still due every week.

How much notice is needed to change a rota? Part-time: 7 working days where there is no agreement; with an agreement, at least 3 working days plus compensation. Full-time: check the applicable agreement or collective agreement.

Is a spreadsheet rota template enough? For one site and a stable team, often yes, if it builds in the forecast by time slot, fixed hours and rest checks. As sites multiply, scheduling software linked to forecasting by service saves you recalculating everything by hand.