The restaurant business can be super unpredictable. Sure, you can do models to predict how many people you’ll have each night, but sometimes it just goes wrong and there is not enough for everyone to do.
Before you start sending people home, you need to think through the consequences of that–Plus, you’ll want to get out your task list.
To figure out how to handle this situation, click here: How to Handle Employee Downtime
Good suggestions. When I worked in restaurants and cafeterias, cleaning and stocking was always my go-to when things got slow. It helped loads when the rush ramped back up again.
I saw a sign on a navy ship that said “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.”
I grew up in a small town and my mom waited tables at the local diner. She also taught me the job, which included how to keep moving when you are busy (keep coffee and other drinks topped off, remove dirty dishes, etc.). When you weren’t busy is when you did what she called ‘side work’ – wrapping silverware, cleaning, and so forth.
This was 50 years ago. Why are we having to relearn/rediscover this stuff?