Maximize your FOH team’s productivity from open until close with this server sidework checklist.
A server sidework checklist helps servers know what they are expected to do when they aren’t serving customers. From setting up the host stand and preparing outdoor tables to refilling condiments and tidying up, there’s always something servers could be doing during their downtime. This free, downloadable restaurant sidework checklist PDF helps turn this free time into productive time for your front-of-house (FOH) team.
What Is a Server Sidework Checklist?
In an ideal world, your restaurant will always be at full capacity and your servers will be floating from table to table nonstop like Flo from Diner Dash. In reality, every restaurant experiences slower periods. A sidework checklist helps wait staff make the most of downtime by giving them tasks to do while they’re not serving customers.
Our free downloadable checklist lists sidework 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.
Why Should You Use a Server Sidework Checklist?
Labor is one of the costliest operating expenses for restaurants, coming in at 31.6% on average. By using a sidework checklist to hold servers accountable for filling their free time with important tasks, you can make the most of your labor costs.
Beyond maximizing staff’s time, having a daily server sidework checklist also ensures that staff keep your restaurant clean and neat by sanitizing work stations and furniture, refilling condiments, and putting food away at the end of the day. By providing servers with a printable restaurant sidework template, you can help them complete these tasks quickly and efficiently.
What You’ll Get When You Download This Server Sidework Checklist PDF
Our free downloadable restaurant sidework checklist PDF comes with not one, but three checklists: an opening shift checklist, daytime checklist, and closing shift checklist. Here’s what you’ll get from each:
Opening Shift Server Sidework Checklist
An opening server sidework checklist lays out activities that staff should complete in the morning, like unstacking chairs and straightening tables, cleaning menus, and sweeping floors as needed. This restaurant server sidework checklist PDF also includes tasks for restocking daily inventory such as sugars, sweeteners, mints, and more.
By following this sidework 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 Sidework Checklist
Of course, there is more work to be done throughout the day too. That’s where a daytime shift server sidework checklist template comes into play.
To keep your restaurant running its best, this printable restaurant sidework template includes many ongoing cleaning tasks like setting tables for guests, rolling flatware in napkins, and wiping down tables between visits.
All of these to-dos ensure that guests will feel welcome and satisfied when visiting your well-maintained dining area.
Closing Shift Server Sidework Checklist
At the end of the day, it’s also important to provide your servers with a clear list of responsibilities for cleaning up your venue. A daily server sidework checklist for closing can also prepare your venue and save your servers time when you reopen the following day.
A closing restaurant sidework 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 sidework 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 template 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 sidework template comes in a PDF format so you can easily print or save it for future reference. Download this free server sidework checklist template today.
