How to schedule restaurant and café staff: 6 practical steps

Scheduling in restaurants and cafés is a weekly puzzle: enough people at peak, not too many when it is quiet, everyone gets a day off, nobody stuck on late shifts all week. Here is how well-run shops do it.

1. Start from customer traffic

Use sales or orders by hour from the last 2–4 weeks to decide how many people each role needs in each time slot.

2. Define shift templates first

• Morning 7 a.m.–3 p.m.
• Evening 3–11 p.m.
• Split shift 10 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5–9 p.m. for peaks
• Night or overnight shifts if you open late

3. Ask for availability first

Have staff register availability by a fixed deadline before you build next week’s rota.

4. Keep it fair

• At least one day off each week.
• No closing shift followed by an opening shift.
• Rotate weekend and holiday shifts.
• Watch the 40-hour monthly overtime limit.

5. Have rules for swaps

Swaps go through a request with a replacement and manager approval, so the rota is always right.

6. Copy last week, adjust

Most weeks are alike — copy and change only what differs.

Scheduling with CTAS Work

CTAS Work does all of this on phone or computer: shift templates (including overnight and multiple shifts a day), weekly rotas, copying last week, self-registration and swap requests approved in one tap. Clock-ins are matched to shifts and flow into payroll. Download CTAS Work.