It is very important for the smooth functioning of a department that one should perform their duties confidently. So, duties must be assigned based on the capabilities of a person. Gender must be considered when assigning duties. Responsibilities can be distributed evenly to avoid discrepancies and complaints, All service stations should have the same number of covers and each station should be allotted to a uniform number of staffs. Duties must be rotated at least once every week to prevent monotony. Change in responsibilities helps motivate the staff members, resulting in high productivity. It also helps the new joiners explore all the areas of work and get trained. For example, a waiter should be rotated through various duties such as linen change, store pickup, station holding, and food pickup. It is also necessary that staff must be rotated though different areas of work. The allocation of staff to a station should be on the basis of the number of covers it contains. There are a few standard urles to calculate the staff and guest ratio.
There should be one supervisor per station, one waiter for every 20 cover, and one assistant waiter per station. An idle station contains approximately 45 covers.
The above is just a guideline. The numbers may change based on the type of service and staff productivity.
DUTY ROTA
Duty rota is a format that shows the allocation of service duties to a team of staff members. The main objective of a duty rota is to ensure that all necessary tasks are covered and assigned, so that service may be carried out effectively. And it also ensures that the tasks are assigned in rotation. It can be made weekly or fortnightly.
An example of a duty rota
- 1-Day off
- 2-Linen change
- 3-Store-pickup
- 4-Sideboard arrangement
- 5-Dispense bar set-up
- 6-Back-area operation
- 7-Food pickup
STAFF SCHEDULE
Staff schedule is also known as ‘shift rota’. It is a format in which the staff members are distributed into different shifts of a day. It also enables to rotate day offs evenly. Any special requests for days off or shifts should be granted as far as possible unless it affects the operations. There are a few points to be considered when making a shift rota.
- Maximum and most efficient staff must be assigned during the peak and rush hours.
- Whenever necessary, overlapping of shifts should be done.
- Off days must be evenly distributed throughout the week.
- Staff must be rotated through all shifts, being impartial to all.
- Days of rush should be kept in mind.
The rota must be duly signed by the restaurant manager, and it should be prepared and displayed at least two days before it becomes effective
An example of shift rota
- M-Morning shift
- O-Day off
- E-Evening shift
- B/D Breakfast and dinner shift
- N-Night shift