Checklist template

Labour scheduling and deployment for restaurants

A ready-to-use checklist with 104 items in 6 sections, covering Forecasting, Schedule building, Deployment on shift, Breaks and compliance, Labour results, Cross-training. Use it as-is in Bindy, or adapt it to your own standards in minutes.

  • 6 Sections
  • 104 Items
  • 82 Yes / No checks
  • 6 Scored ratings
  • 112 Points

Use this template How audits work

1. Forecasting 17 items

  1. A sales forecast for each day of the coming week was completed before the schedule was written Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The forecast is broken down by hour or by daypart, not only by day Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The forecast uses the same weekday's sales from at least the last 4 weeks Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Last year's sales for the same week are shown beside the forecast Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Local events (school calendar, games, concerts, road work) are noted on the forecast Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Promotions and limited-time offers starting in the week are reflected in the forecast Yes / No 1 pt
  7. The weather outlook for the week is noted on the forecast for patio, drive-thru or delivery sales Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Catering and large pre-booked orders are added to the forecast for their day Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Delivery and mobile order volume is forecast separately from dining room or counter sales Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Yesterday's forecast was compared with actual sales and the variance was written down Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Forecast accuracy for last week was within the tolerance set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Today's forecast was adjusted this morning when recent sales trends changed Yes / No 1 pt
  13. The manager who writes the forecast can explain the largest variance of last week Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Forecast sales for today (dollars) Number
  15. Actual sales for the same weekday last week (dollars) Number
  16. Forecast accuracy last week (% variance between forecast and actual sales) Number
  17. Quality of the sales forecast Rating
    • Hourly, based on history and adjusted for events 5 pts
    • Daily totals only or events ignored 3 pts
    • No written forecast 1 pt

2. Schedule building 19 items

  1. The schedule for next week was posted by the deadline set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Scheduled hours for each day come from the labor guide or staffing chart for the forecast sales Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Shift start times are staggered to follow the hourly sales curve Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Every operating hour has a certified or designated shift leader scheduled Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Opening shifts allow the preparation time stated in the opening checklist Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Closing shifts end within the time allowed by the closing labor guide Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Each employee's availability on file was respected in the posted schedule Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Approved time-off requests are reflected in the posted schedule Yes / No 1 pt
  9. No employee is scheduled into overtime without written approval from the district manager Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Hours are spread so that no employee holds a closing shift followed by an opening shift the next morning, unless they agreed Yes / No 1 pt
  11. The employees rated highest on the skills matrix for each station are scheduled for the peak periods Yes / No 1 pt
  12. New hires in training are scheduled alongside a trainer and not counted as full staffing Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Scheduled hours for the week are within the labor budget for the forecast sales Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Shift swaps are approved by a manager and recorded in the scheduling system Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Changes made after posting are communicated to the employee within the notice period set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Non-service tasks (truck put-away, deep cleaning, inventory) have hours assigned on the schedule Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Total hours scheduled for the current week Number
  18. Hours allowed by the labor guide for the current week's forecast Number
  19. Fit between the schedule and the forecast Rating
    • Hours follow the hourly sales curve 5 pts
    • Daily totals fit but peaks are under- or over-staffed 3 pts
    • Schedule copied from a previous week without review 1 pt

3. Deployment on shift 17 items

  1. A written deployment or positioning chart is filled in for the current shift Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Each employee on shift can name the station they are assigned to Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The positioning chart shows who moves to which station when sales rise above plan Yes / No 1 pt
  4. The shift leader is positioned where they can see the line and the guests, not in the office Yes / No 1 pt
  5. An employee is assigned to the dining room or lobby during peak periods Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Drive-thru, takeout or delivery hand-off has a dedicated person during peak periods Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Secondary duties (restocking, restroom checks, trash) are assigned by name on the chart Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The shift leader held a pre-shift huddle covering sales targets and positions Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Employees arrive at their station in uniform at the scheduled start time Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Early and late clock-ins on today's punch report each carry a manager note Yes / No 1 pt
  11. When sales fell below forecast today, hours were reduced by offering early departure in line with company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  12. When sales ran above forecast today, the shift leader called in help or redeployed within the first 30 minutes Yes / No 1 pt
  13. No station was observed idle while another station had a queue Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The number of employees on the floor matches the number clocked in Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Employees on the floor at the time of the visit Number
  16. Employees required by the labor guide for the current hour's sales Number
  17. Deployment observed during the visit Rating
    • Everyone positioned and stations balanced 5 pts
    • Positioned but slow to adjust to volume 3 pts
    • No positioning plan in use 1 pt

4. Breaks and compliance 17 items

  1. Meal and rest breaks are planned on the positioning chart before the shift starts Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Breaks are scheduled outside the peak periods Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Breaks taken are recorded in the timekeeping system as required by local regulation Yes / No 1 pt
  4. A sample of 5 time records from last week shows breaks taken at the required length Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Employees are fully relieved of duty during unpaid meal breaks Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Schedules for minors respect the hours and times of day allowed by local regulation Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Work permits or age documents for minors are on file where required by local regulation Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Minors are not assigned to equipment that local regulation prohibits for their age Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Last week's time records show no employee returned to work before the rest period set by local regulation or company policy had passed Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Schedule-change premiums or notices required by local scheduling rules are applied Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Employees asked confirm they clock in before opening duties and clock out only after closing duties Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Manager edits to time punches carry a reason and the employee's acknowledgment Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Overtime worked last week was approved before it was worked Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The schedules of the last period are retained as required by local regulation or company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Overtime hours paid last week Number
  16. Missed or short breaks recorded in the timekeeping system last week Number
  17. Break and working-time compliance Rating
    • Breaks planned, taken and recorded 5 pts
    • Taken but not consistently recorded 3 pts
    • Breaks missed or records missing 1 pt

5. Labour results 16 items

  1. Labor cost as a percentage of sales is reviewed every day against the target Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Actual hours are compared with scheduled hours after each shift Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Actual hours are compared with the hours the labor guide allowed for actual sales Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Sales per labor hour are tracked by daypart Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Last week's labor result is posted or shared with the shift leaders Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The restaurant manager can explain last week's variance between actual and guide hours Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Days with the largest overspend last week were traced to a cause (late cut, call-in, training) Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Speed-of-service or ticket-time results are reviewed alongside labor to detect understaffing Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Guest complaints about slow service were checked against the staffing of that shift Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Training hours are coded separately from productive hours Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Hours spent on maintenance or one-time projects are coded separately from productive hours Yes / No 1 pt
  12. An action plan exists when labor missed the target for two consecutive weeks Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Labor cost last week (% of sales) Number
  14. Labor target for last week (% of sales) Number
  15. Sales per labor hour last week (dollars) Number
  16. Labor result against target over the last 4 weeks Rating
    • On target every week 5 pts
    • Missed in one or two weeks 3 pts
    • Missed in three or four weeks 1 pt

6. Cross-training 18 items

  1. A skills matrix shows which stations each employee is certified to work Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The skills matrix was updated in the last 30 days Yes / No 1 pt
  3. At least three employees are certified on each critical station (grill, fry, expo, drive-thru or bar) Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Every shift on the posted schedule has certified coverage for every station Yes / No 1 pt
  5. A cross-training plan names the employees to be trained on a second station this month Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Cross-training shifts are scheduled in slower periods Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Station training uses the company's training materials and sign-off checklist Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Employees are certified on a station only after an observed check by a manager or certified trainer Yes / No 1 pt
  9. At least two employees besides the managers can open the restaurant Yes / No 1 pt
  10. At least two employees besides the managers can close the restaurant Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Shift leader candidates are identified, with a development plan on file Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Open positions and expected departures are covered in the hiring plan Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Turnover for the last period was reviewed for its effect on station coverage Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Employees certified on three or more stations Number
  15. Open positions at the time of the visit Number
  16. Name of the manager who writes the schedule Short text
  17. Overall labor scheduling and deployment Rating
    • Schedule built from an hourly forecast and every position filled on shift 5 pts
    • Schedule follows the forecast but deployment on shift is loose 3 pts
    • No forecast behind the schedule and no positioning plan 1 pt
  18. Corrective actions required Comments

About this template

This checklist is part of the Bindy template library. Yes / No checks score 1 point when met; ratings score the points shown for each option. The overall score is the percentage of points earned, with N/A answers excluded. In Bindy you can add photos, assign corrective actions, require sign-off and compare results across sites.

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