Key Takeaways
- Start planning your holiday staffing restaurant schedule EARLY – think at least 6-8 weeks out.
- Gather employee availability and preference data using a simple form or a built-in feature in a scheduling app.
- Prioritize fairness and offer incentives to motivate employees to work during peak hours.
- Use a flexible scheduling system, and be prepared to adjust as demand shifts.
How to Schedule Holiday Staffing in Restaurants Without the Headache
The smell of roasted turkey, the festive music, the cheerful chatter…and the utter chaos of your restaurant during the holiday season. Sound familiar? Let’s face it, holiday shift scheduling can be an absolute nightmare. One minute you’re trying to figure out if you have enough staff for Christmas Eve, and the next you’re fielding last-minute call-outs and trying to juggle a thousand different requests. Sound familiar?
I remember Sarah, a cafe owner in Austin, who told me about the time she spent three days straight just creating and revising the holiday schedule. She was manually calling people, dealing with endless text messages, and ending up with a schedule that still had gaps. And on the actual day? A key server called out sick. It was a disaster!
But it doesn’t have to be this way. With the right planning and a few smart strategies, you can tackle staffing for holidays and create a schedule that keeps your team happy and your restaurant running smoothly. Let’s break down how to handle your restaurant holiday schedule.
1. Start Planning Now (Seriously, Right Now!)
Don’t wait until the last minute! The key to a stress-free holiday schedule is early planning. Aim to start the process at least 6-8 weeks before the busiest holiday. This gives you ample time to collect availability, negotiate shifts, and handle any unexpected issues.
Think about it: You need to account for increased customer traffic, longer operating hours, and potential staffing shortages. Early planning allows you to anticipate these needs and proactively address them. You’ll be able to hire extra staff if needed, train them, and ensure everyone knows their roles well before the rush hits. Waiting until the last minute just adds to the stress and dramatically increases the chances of scheduling errors.
Actionable Tip:
Create a holiday planning calendar with key deadlines. This might include a deadline for employees to submit their availability, a date for publishing the draft schedule, and a date for finalizing it. Share this calendar with your team to keep everyone on the same page.
2. Gather Employee Availability and Preferences
The foundation of any good schedule is understanding your employees’ availability. Instead of relying on scattered text messages or emails, create a simple, organized way to collect this information. An employee availability form (either digital or paper) is your best friend. Make sure you request all the dates and times you’ll need covering.
Be sure to ask about any specific requests or preferences. Maybe an employee has a family obligation or wants to work a particular shift. While you can’t always accommodate everyone, taking their preferences into account can boost morale and improve your chances of getting the coverage you need. Ignoring these preferences leads to resentment, and increases the chances of no-shows.
Here’s a comparison of methods:
| Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Text Messages/Emails | Quick initial communication | Unorganized, difficult to track, easy to miss information. Prone to errors. |
| Paper Availability Forms | Tangible, can be easily scanned. | Time-consuming, difficult to aggregate data, prone to misinterpretation and manual input errors. |
| Scheduling Apps (like Shifty!) | Centralized, automated data collection, easy access, real-time updates, eliminates human error, and instant notifications. | Requires a smartphone or internet access. |
Pro Tip:
To make gathering availability even easier, consider offering a small incentive for employees who submit their availability early. This could be a small gift card or a chance to get first pick of shifts.
3. Prioritize Fairness and Offer Incentives
Fairness is crucial to a happy team. Avoid playing favorites and strive to distribute shifts equitably. Rotate the most desirable shifts (e.g., Christmas Day) fairly among your employees.
Consider offering incentives to encourage employees to work during peak hours or on holidays. These incentives could include:
- Extra pay (time and a half or double time).
- Bonuses based on sales volume.
- Paid time off later in the year.
- Priority for future scheduling requests.
Offering incentives not only helps fill shifts, but it also shows your team that you value their time and dedication. And be sure to track those extra hours. Don’t get stuck in a situation where you’re scrambling to calculate overtime pay. Using an overtime tracking template can help you stay compliant.
4. Build a Flexible Restaurant Holiday Schedule
No matter how well you plan, things will change. Customers will call out, weather events will occur. Be prepared to be flexible and have a plan for handling last-minute changes.
This includes:
- Having a list of on-call employees.
- Developing a system for employees to swap shifts. Consider a clear shift swap policy.
- Being ready to fill shifts with a manager.
Having a way to quickly notify staff about available shifts is key. This is a common situation for restaurants that use scheduling apps. If a server calls out sick, you can instantly message all employees with the needed skills to cover the shift.
In cases of employees calling out, knowing how to handle employee call-outs, and having a good strategy in place, can save you a lot of time and reduce stress.
There’s a faster way
Shifty handles shift scheduling, swap requests, and team notifications — all from your phone. Built specifically for cafes and restaurants.
5. Communicate Clearly and Frequently
Once your restaurant holiday schedule is created, communicate it clearly and promptly. Post it in a place where everyone can see it (both physically and digitally, if possible). Make sure everyone knows how to access the schedule and what to do if they have questions or need to request a swap.
Use multiple channels to communicate, such as:
- Text messages
- A digital bulletin board
- A scheduling app (like Shifty – see a pattern here?)
Regular communication is key to avoid misunderstandings and ensure everyone is aware of their responsibilities.
6. Review and Refine Your Process
After the holiday rush, take some time to review your scheduling process. What worked well? What could be improved? Did you have any unexpected issues?
Collect feedback from your team. Ask them what they liked and didn’t like about the schedule. Use this feedback to refine your process for future holiday seasons. This is how you learn from the process, and will make next year’s staffing significantly less stressful.
If you find a lot of time is being spent on tedious manual tasks, consider whether it’s time to upgrade to a system that automates scheduling. Manual processes can lead to errors and stress. Using an app to schedule is an easy solution. Read up on scheduling apps vs. spreadsheets to see if your scheduling tool is the best for your needs.
7. Use Technology to Your Advantage
Don’t be afraid to embrace technology to streamline your scheduling process. There are many great tools available to help you manage your restaurant staff schedule.
Using a scheduling app can:
- Automate schedule creation.
- Allow employees to submit their availability and swap shifts easily.
- Send automatic notifications about schedule changes and shift reminders.
- Reduce scheduling conflicts and errors.
Consider reading about the 7 best apps for shift scheduling on the market.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start planning my holiday staffing schedule?
Ideally, you should begin planning your holiday staffing schedule at least 6-8 weeks before the holiday rush. This allows you to gather employee availability, negotiate shifts, and handle any unexpected issues, as well as giving you time to read up on our article about how to schedule holiday staffing.
How can I ensure fairness when creating my holiday schedule?
Prioritize fairness by rotating the most desirable shifts equitably among your employees. Consider offering incentives, such as extra pay, bonuses, or paid time off, to motivate employees to work during peak hours or on holidays. Having a fair system can help you retain staff and improve productivity.
What are the benefits of using a scheduling app for holiday staffing?
Scheduling apps, like Shifty, can automate schedule creation, allow employees to easily submit availability and swap shifts, send automatic notifications about schedule changes, and reduce scheduling conflicts and errors. This saves you time and reduces the stress of manual scheduling.
How can I handle last-minute shift changes or employee call-outs?
Build a flexible schedule, have a list of on-call employees, and establish a clear shift swap policy. Communication is key. You can instantly notify your staff of available shifts using a scheduling app like Shifty.
Next Steps
Ready to ditch the holiday scheduling headache and make this season smoother?
- Create a holiday planning calendar with key deadlines.
- Use a digital form to gather employee availability.
- Try a scheduling app like Shifty to save 3+ hours per week.
Stop losing hours to scheduling
Shifty is free for small teams. Build your first schedule in under 5 minutes — your team gets notified instantly.
