Balance tricky availability and busy shifts with better scheduling

What's inside?

• A downloadable, customizable restaurant schedule template in an Excel spreadsheet. It includes instructions and a 7-day restaurant schedule template for both front of house and back of house employees.

How does restaurant scheduling work?

As covered in our guide to restaurant scheduling, a restaurant schedule – when done correctly – perfectly matches up the necessary number of staff to the number of guests they can handle.

This takes a lot of meticulous planning, research, and trial and error. This process isn’t simple, and it can take a lot of time to successfully build a schedule that works for you and your team.

The good news is that a restaurant schedule template can massively help here, and there are multiple ways to go about this process.

How do I create a restaurant schedule?

Many restaurants schedule week-to-week, but it varies from restaurant to restaurant. You’ll have to decide what works best for you and your team.

Whatever you decide, remember to consider your schedule lead time – from how soon it’s published to when it begins. Even a two-week schedule can feel last-minute if Monday’s shifts aren’t posted until Sunday morning.

Download the Restaurant Scheduling Template

If your restaurant’s schedule makes life more difficult for your staff, they’ll be frustrated. Whether you’re on your 10th restaurant location or new to the industry, if you master the art of the restaurant employee schedule, your team will love working for your business that much more.

Use the Restaurant Scheduling Template to easily schedule your restaurant staff's shifts. You can update the schedule digitally on a weekly basis, then either share it digitally with your employees or print it out and share it with each of your employees in-person.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is a restaurant schedule template?

A: A restaurant schedule template is a pre-built spreadsheet that helps managers assign shifts across departments and days. It includes columns for employee name, role, shift start and end time, and total weekly hours.

Q: How do I customize this scheduling template for my restaurant?

A: Add your staff roster, adjust shift blocks to match your operating hours, and organize rows by department such as front-of-house and back-of-house.

Q: What format is this template available in?

A: It's available in Microsoft Excel, so you can edit it on desktop or collaborate with managers in real time.

Q: Is this scheduling template free?

A: Yes, it's a free download in both formats.

Q: How often should I update my restaurant's schedule?

A: Most restaurants publish schedules 1-3 weeks in advance and update them as call-offs or shift swaps occur.

Q: Can I use this template alongside Toast's scheduling software?

A: Yes, many restaurants start with a spreadsheet template and graduate to Toast's scheduling tools, like Sling,  as they grow, for automated shift swaps and labor cost tracking.

Disclaimer: The Restaurant Scheduling Template is for informational purposes only, and Toast does not guarantee the accuracy or suitability of its content for a particular purpose. The information obtained by using the tool is not, and should not be taken as, accounting, tax, financial or legal advice. Additionally, Toast does not provide support services for the use of this tool or the results obtained from it.