What Is a Server Side Work Checklist?
A server side work checklist helps servers know what they are expected to do when they aren’t serving customers. From setting up the host stand station and preparing outdoor tables to refilling condiments and tidying up their work station and tables, there’s always something servers could be doing during their downtime. This free restaurant side work checklist PDF helps turn this free time into productive time for your FOH team. You can also include the checklists in your training so new and existing staff are all on the same page.
Our downloadable checklist includes side work tasks servers should do when things are slow during opening, midday, and closing shifts. There’s a checkbox next to each task, which employees can mark as they complete these duties. In the notes section next to the checkboxes, servers can record things they need to remember or relay to team members and managers. This article will also show you the pros of using a checklist.
Why Should You Use a Server Side Work Checklist?
A checklist for server side work offers your restaurant many benefits, from cost effectiveness to health and safety, to improved customer satisfaction and positive reviews.
- Make the most of your labor costs: Labor is one of the costliest operating expenses for restaurants, coming in at 31.6% on average. By using a checklist to hold servers accountable for filling their free time with important tasks, you can make the most of your labor costs.
- Ensure a safe and healthy restaurant: Having a checklist also ensures that staff keep your restaurant clean and organized by sanitizing work stations and furniture, cleaning up spills, and putting food away at the end of the day. It’ll also remind them to lock windows and set any alarm systems to secure the restaurant properly at the end of the day.
- Improve customer satisfaction: Checklists help your staff work more efficiently and make sure all the little things, like clean silverware and condiment refills, are taken care of. Your customers will appreciate your diligence and the quality of your service, and will be more likely to leave positive reviews.
By providing servers with a printable restaurant side work template, you can help them complete tasks quickly and efficiently, maximizing their time and ensuring your restaurant and customers are in good hands.
What You’ll Get When You Download This Server Side Work Checklist PDF
Our free restaurant side work checklist PDF comes with not one, but three checklists: an opening shift checklist, daytime checklist, and closing shift checklist. Make sure to account for these different side work tasks in your scheduling so staff have enough time during their shift to complete the necessary tasks.
Here’s what you’ll get from each checklist:
Opening Shift Server Side Work Checklist
An opening server side work checklist lays out activities that staff should complete in the morning, like setting up the host station, unstacking chairs and straightening tables, cleaning menus, and sweeping floors as needed. This restaurant server side work checklist PDF also includes tasks for restocking daily inventory, such as sugars, sweeteners, mints, and more.
By following this checklist template, your servers will know their responsibilities from the moment they step inside your venue so they can keep your space in tip-top shape.
Daytime Shift Server Side Work Checklist
Of course, there is more work to be done throughout the day too. That’s where a daytime shift server side work checklist template comes into play.
To keep your restaurant running at its best, this printable restaurant side work template includes many ongoing cleaning tasks, like setting tables for guests, rolling flatware in napkins, and wiping down tables between visits. And if staff are unoccupied, you can include a task to help with other work stations, such as supporting the host with seating when there’s a long line.
All of these to-dos ensure that guests will feel welcome and satisfied when visiting your well-maintained dining area.
Closing Shift Server Side Work Checklist
At the end of the day, it’s also important to provide your servers with a clear list of responsibilities for cleaning and locking up your venue. A checklist for closing can also prepare your venue and save your servers time when you reopen the following day.
A closing restaurant side work checklist includes tasks like putting away clean dishes, cleaning and sanitizing remote controls and TVs (if applicable), checking for low inventory that needs to be reordered, and more.
By using a printable restaurant side work template, you can set your venue up for success the following day, so you have peace of mind after your doors are locked for the evening.
While each checklist is filled in with suggested tasks, it also comes with blank spaces that you can customize with tasks that are unique to your restaurant. Best of all, each page of our printable restaurant side work template comes in a PDF format so you can easily print or save it for future reference. Download this free server side work checklist today to help your restaurant run more efficiently.
