How to run a restaurant: a practical guide for owners and managers

The core areas of restaurant operations

Our guide to front of house vs back of house explains how the two sides work together.

The daily rhythm

1. Opening: check the schedule against call-outs, walk the building, confirm deliveries and run the opening checklist.
2. Prep: prep lists based on forecast, with labels and dates.
3. Pre-shift meeting: specials, 86’d items, reservations, large parties and one service focus.
4. Service: managers on the floor, touching tables, supporting the line and moving staff to pressure points.
5. Shift change: handover notes, side work checks and cut decisions based on sales.
6. Closing: cash out, tip distribution, cleaning and the closing checklist.

The restaurant manager daily checklist puts these steps in one place.

The weekly rhythm

• Build next week’s schedule from forecast covers and sales.
• Review last week’s food cost and labor cost against targets.
• Approve timecards and fix missed punches before payroll.
• Count key inventory items and place orders against par levels.
• Review guest feedback and online reviews.
• Hold a short managers’ meeting on results and priorities.

Staff and schedule to forecast

Labor is one of the largest costs a restaurant controls. Forecast covers by day and daypart using past sales, reservations, weather and local events, then schedule each role to that forecast. Stagger in-times, plan cuts in advance and make sure experienced people are on the busiest shifts. See the restaurant schedule guide, the restaurant staffing guide and the restaurant labor cost percentage guide.

Train every role

Consistent food and service depend on consistent training. Write down the standards for each position, train new hires with an experienced partner and check that they can perform before they work alone. Use pre-shift meetings for short refreshers. Our restaurant staff training guide covers this in detail.

Keep food safety tight

A single food safety failure can close a restaurant or make guests sick. Train everyone on handwashing, temperature control, cross-contamination and allergens. Log temperatures, label and date food, and clean on a schedule. Make sure required food handler or food manager certifications are current. See the food safety checklist, the health inspection checklist and the HACCP guide.

Control food cost

• Cost every recipe and update when supplier prices change.
• Set par levels and order against them.
• Receive deliveries carefully: check weights, counts and temperatures.
• Rotate stock first-in-first-out.
• Track waste by reason: spoilage, overproduction, mistakes, returns.
• Engineer the menu: promote high-margin items and rethink low sellers with low margins.

The food inventory template and cost of goods sold calculator help.

Stay compliant

Restaurants face more rules than most businesses: health codes, minimum wage and tip credit rules, overtime, breaks for minors and in some states for adults, tip pooling, alcohol service and, in some cities, scheduling laws. Our restaurant compliance guide, tip pooling rules and restaurant payroll basics cover the main points.

Deliver great guest experiences

Guests remember how they were treated as much as the food. Set clear service steps: greeting time, order accuracy, check-backs, pacing and a warm goodbye. Empower staff to fix small problems on the spot. Read reviews every week, reply professionally and look for patterns rather than reacting to single comments.

Build a team that stays

• Post schedules early and honor availability.
• Allow approved shift swaps.
• Pay accurately and on time, including tips.
• Recognize good work in pre-shift meetings.
• Give people a path: server to trainer, line cook to sous chef, shift lead to manager.
• Train managers to coach, not just correct.

See why good employees leave and employee recognition ideas.

Develop your managers

No owner can be at every shift, so the quality of a restaurant depends on its managers and shift leads. Give each manager clear responsibilities, such as scheduling, inventory, training or guest relations, and hold them accountable with the weekly numbers. Teach them to run a pre-shift meeting, handle a guest complaint, make cut decisions, coach an employee privately and close out correctly. Hold a short weekly managers’ meeting to review results and agree on one or two priorities. When managers are trusted and trained, the owner can focus on the bigger picture. See how to be a good manager.

Plan for busy seasons and events

Holidays, graduations, local festivals and summer patios can double demand on certain days. Look at last year’s sales for the same weeks, book extra staff early, cross-train employees so they can cover other stations, build simpler menus for peak days and order inventory ahead. After each busy period, write down what worked and what did not so next year starts from a better plan. See holiday season staffing.

The numbers to review every week

Example (fictional)

A neighborhood bistro had good reviews but thin profits. The new general manager started costing every recipe, found two dishes selling below cost and repriced them. She rebuilt the schedule from forecast covers, moved a server from Monday lunch to Friday dinner and introduced a ten-minute pre-shift meeting. Food and labor costs both moved closer to target over the next quarter, and staff said shifts felt calmer.

Common mistakes

• Managing from the office during service.
• Copying last week’s schedule instead of forecasting.
• Not costing recipes or tracking waste.
• Training once at hire and never again.
• Letting food safety logs slide on busy days.
• Approving timecards and tips late.

How EZTime helps

EZTime gives restaurants scheduling by role and station, a time clock on a kiosk or phone, labor rule alerts for overtime and breaks, shift swaps and EzTip for tip pooling. Opening and closing checklists run as tasks with photo proof. See EZTime for restaurant managers.

Frequently asked questions

Where to go next