Restaurant staff scheduling: how it affects costs and performance
Too many staff during quiet periods, but long waits for orders at peak times? Learn how to match the rota to your restaurant’s needs and review labour costs.
Match the rota to demand and tasks
Repeating the same rota every week may increase costs during quiet hours and leave too few staff at peak times. Before planning shifts, review:
- Sales, guest numbers and reservations at different times of day.
- Time needed for preparation, deliveries and closing.
- Skills needed on each shift and differences between planned and actual hours.
Measure productivity and labour cost
You can measure team productivity as sales excluding VAT per hour worked. Compare similar days and include kitchen preparation, cleaning and training. Not every hour without sales is unnecessary.
Also monitor labour costs as a share of sales. Include the full cost to the employer and use data from the same period.
Productivity = sales excluding VAT ÷ total team hours worked
Labour cost percentage = full labour cost ÷ sales excluding VAT × 100%
Sales per labour hour: comparing two shifts
The following figures are fictional. On shift A, four people each worked 6 hours, totalling 24 labour hours. Sales excluding VAT were PLN 6,000. On shift B, five people each worked 6 hours, totalling 30 labour hours, with sales of PLN 4,500 excluding VAT.
Shift A generated PLN 250 of sales per labour hour; shift B generated PLN 150. We count the combined hours of everyone working, not just the restaurant’s opening hours. Include the owner’s hours if they helped with preparation or service.
Shift B’s lower figure is a reason to investigate. Deliveries, preparation for the next service or training may have taken place. Prices and the mix of dishes sold also matter. The ratio alone does not prove that employees performed worse or that staffing can safely be reduced.
Shift A: 4 people × 6 hours = 24 labour hours
PLN 6,000 ÷ 24 = PLN 250 per labour hour
Shift B: 5 people × 6 hours = 30 labour hours
PLN 4,500 ÷ 30 = PLN 150 per labour hour
Connect productivity with the cost per labour hour
Now suppose the full cost per labour hour is PLN 40 on both shifts. This is a fictional assumption, not a recommended rate. Shift A then costs PLN 960, or 16% of sales excluding VAT. Shift B costs PLN 1,200, or about 26.7%.
In practice, the hourly cost may differ between shifts. Calculate it as the full labour cost allocated to the period divided by actual hours worked. If hours include unpaid owner work, show a separate scenario with an estimated value for it. Higher sales per hour do not, on their own, guarantee a lower labour cost percentage.
Shift A: 24 × PLN 40 = PLN 960
PLN 960 ÷ PLN 6,000 × 100% = 16%
Shift B: 30 × PLN 40 = PLN 1,200
PLN 1,200 ÷ PLN 4,500 × 100% ≈ 26.7%
How can you use the result when scheduling?
Compare several similar days, then break down sales and hours into shorter intervals. Look for recurring periods when staffing exceeds demand after allowing for preparation and essential tasks.
Consider later start times for some shifts, a different division of duties or moving suitably trained employees between F&B outlets. Allocate actual hours and their associated costs to the outlet where the work is done. Also review the whole operation: moving a cost between outlets is not a business saving. After changing the rota, compare productivity, service times and workload. Do not assume that higher sales per hour automatically mean higher profit.
- Record the date, time of day, sales excluding VAT and actual labour hours.
- Add guest numbers, reservations and tasks carried out outside service.
- Compare similar days and check that service quality remains consistent.
An example from my experience
While managing F&B at a hotel belonging to an international brand, I analysed team productivity, particularly during quieter periods. Matching staffing to demand was supported by employees trained to work across different outlets and times of day.
Labour costs as a share of revenue fell year on year from 39% to 29%, a reduction of 10 percentage points. I aligned rotas with occupancy forecasts, reduced overtime and reviewed responsibilities. The operation also scored 100% in an unannounced internal audit covering service, procedures and the quality of the F&B and conference offering.
This reflected broader work on organisation. A lower cost percentage does not automatically mean lower spending, because sales also affect the ratio.
Start by comparing the plan with reality
Review several similar weeks. Establish when staff were short, when staffing exceeded needs and why additional hours were worked. Only then change shift organisation and assess the impact on costs, service times and workload.
In a small restaurant, record the owner’s hours too. Lower spending should not hide work you have taken on yourself. With fixed salaries, fewer scheduled hours do not automatically reduce the monthly cost.