Restaurant Schedule Template in Excel

Being in both the customer service industry and the food business, restaurants deal with many things in their day-to-day operations. From kitchen preparations to supply deliveries, employees often have their work cut out for them. To ensure efficient management for your restaurant business, you can use these Restaurant Schedule Templates in Microsoft Excel. Each one is a useful tool for plotting out daily or monthly activities and deliverables. 100% customizable and printable, these templates also feature sample content that you can refer to as you create your own schedule. Sign up, and download one now!

How to Make a Restaurant Schedule in Excel

Running a restaurant is no cakewalk. According to Forbes, planning is everything, and you need to have a firm grasp of how your business will operate to ensure that it doesn’t go under. One good way for you to run a tight ship is by setting up a reliable restaurant schedule. It will help you set-up duty rosters and a master plan for labor and resources. Below are some of the steps you can keep in mind on how to make one.

1. Determine the Scope

Your schedule has to cover a certain period of time. Decide if it’s best for your business operations to have a daily or weekly plot of tasks and activities. You also have to identify if the schedule you’ll be making is for the entire restaurant or only for specific aspects of the business. That way, the content of the schedule will only be focused on the information it needs to have.

2. Identify Your Deliverables

After finalizing the timeframe, list down all the things your restaurant has to accomplish within the time indicated in your schedule. Make sure to include the tasks for each employee and the outputs expected for every activity. Consider this part as the master to-do list for your business, covering things from inventory to menu changes.

3. Prioritize

Now that you know what to expect for the duration of your schedule, assess your list according to urgency and priority. Make sure to plot first the things you cannot afford to delay and delegate less important things afterwards. You also have to determine which activities have to be performed on a daily basis, like kitchen duties and clean-up, and indicate them in your schedule.

4. Consult and Collaborate

The entire restaurant will be affected by the details in your schedule, so don’t forget you consult with the staff before finalizing. You may conduct a survey or a meeting to make sure that you consider the perspective and suggestions of all employees. 

5. Update the Schedule Regularly

It’s important that you keep your schedule updated. There will surely be changes in the activities as you go along, and not all items will be applicable for the next week or month of operations. Be sure to have them reflected in your document, and inform all restaurant employees through a memo or an announcement.