Restaurant Server Side Work Checklist Template PDF

Glyceria Kirillova October 19, 2022 Checklist

The main responsibility of a server is to accept orders for food and drinks from clients, communicate those orders to the kitchen (and bar), and then deliver the ordered food and beverages to guests whenever they are available. This is the aspect of the service business that the vast majority of people are exposed to, and what many who have never worked in the sector before believe is the totality of a server's job responsibilities. Those who have worked behind the bar or as wait staff, however, are aware that there is far more to the job than what first catches the eye of the client.

In order to guarantee that everything works properly during their shifts, wait staff and bartenders are required to take on additional tasks in addition to their regular responsibilities. Side work for servers may consist of a broad variety of duties, such as rolling silverware, refilling salad station components, and matching condiments to get the most out of each bottle. These chores can be combined to get the most out of each bottle.

Why not make it simple for them to keep clipping along during their shift? The thing with superb servers is that they go searching for work; they don't want to stand about idly and would rather keep clipping along throughout their shift. Why not make it easy for them? The tasks that make up part-time labor at restaurants might vary from establishment to establishment, but often include things like cleaning service areas, replacing table condiments, organizing menus, restocking beverage and server stations, and so on.

A detailed restaurant side work checklist for waiters/ servers helps ensure that these tasks get done promptly and consistently even though servers engage in a relatively steady stream of similar side work each shift. This is because it removes the need for them to memorize the elements of each task and saves their brain space for memorizing the orders of regular customers.

You should establish a server side work checklist for your front-of-house personnel and a separate checklist for your back-of-house team in order to make restaurant side work as simple as possible for your employees. This is the greatest thing you can do to make restaurant side work as easy as possible for your staff.

Putting Together a Checklist for Server-Side Work

In order to create a personalized checklist, you must first determine all the tasks related to side work that must be completed each and every day. It is essential to make a list of everything that must be completed, and it is best to be as precise as possible. Begin at a certain area, such as a serving station, and then go around the remainder of the restaurant while making a mental note of all the additional work that needs to be done.

After you have everything written down, you should separate these jobs down into preliminary chores that need to be done before the restaurant opens, tasks for individual server stations, tasks for running sidework, end-of-shift tasks, and closing obligations, such as shutting down the restaurant POS.

You may guarantee that the work is allocated evenly throughout the employees by splitting it up into daytime and nighttime shifts. At the same time, you can ensure that everything that has to be done each day is expressly addressed.

In addition to the primary server duties, server side work duties must also be performed. The tasks of cleaning, refilling, organizing, and regulating safety are considered to be the most significant aspects of server side employment. This article will provide an overview of what each of these duties comprises and how they should be performed.

1. Duties related to cleaning the server

It is quite essential to clean your restaurant in order to both pass health inspections and make it more pleasant to guests. Sanitizing surfaces on a regular basis has emerged as a task of utmost significance.

Even though a restaurant may employ a custodian or other cleaning crew that cleans up at the end of the day, many cleaning duties need to be done throughout the day to guarantee a clean and secure eating environment. It is essential to include a few quick cleaning activities into the responsibilities of a server so that the restaurant may remain tidy even during the busiest parts of the day.

Checklist of restaurant side jobs for cleaning responsibilities:

A thorough cleaning of the various surfaces, including the chairs, tables, and countertops
Sanitizing bathrooms
Sweeping the dining room floor
Sanitizing or otherwise cleaning the menus
Replacing perishable items in the refrigerator
Checking to see that the windows are clean and clear of fingerprints, dust, and other debris
Cleaning the blades of ceiling fans
Cleaning the television displays and sanitizing the remote controls

Advice on how to do the following important server duties:

It is advisable to divide up the responsibilities of cleaning into shifts. During the opening shift, you will need to clean the restrooms, wipe down surfaces and menus, ensure that the dining room is tidy, clean the fans, and clean the windows.

During the closing shift, you are responsible for sweeping the floor, disinfecting the TV accessories, stocking the refrigerator, and cleaning the restrooms.

Regular housekeeping responsibilities:

Before and after guests depart for a party, wipe down counters and menus, and check on restrooms every hour.

2. Restocking server side work

If you run out of supplies during a shift, it might quickly transform into something that seems more like a round of Diner Dash. Tableware, menus, and other supplies should be proactively restocked in order to make the tasks of the servers simpler and the eating experiences of the customers more enjoyable.

Restocking responsibilities at restaurants include the following side jobs on the checklist:

Replenishing the various condiments (or during the pandemic: pouring condiments into single-serving containers)
Hand sanitizer bottles need to be replenished.
Providing self-service stations with additional supplies such as napkins, plasticware, straws, milk, and half-and-half, among other things,
Drink stations should be restocked with syrups, cups, straws, and lids on a regular basis.
Putting the finishing touches on the bar's garnishes
Bringing cups and plates from the kitchen to the dining room at the front of the home.
Restocking buffets and salad bars
Notifying management when the inventory is running low and a new order has to be placed

Advice on how to do the following important server duties:

As is the case with cleaning responsibilities, restocking duties might be delegated to certain shifts. Before the establishment opens to customers and after it closes, a waiter is responsible for doing all the responsibilities listed above. It's possible that tasks like refreshing the dinnerware and restocking the buffet will need to be performed more often during the day.

3. The server's responsibilities regarding organization

When waiters intersperse their shifts with chores related to organization, they contribute to making the restaurant seem more clean and pleasant to patrons.

Checklist of restaurant side jobs for arranging administrative responsibilities:

Making preparations for the place settings.
Tidying tables.
Setting up place settings.
Putting together and taking down the outdoor dining tables.
After the guests have left, the chairs are pushed in.
Lighting candles and then removing them from the room.

Advice on how to do the following important server duties:

Assign some responsibilities to the opening shift, others to the closing shift, and yet others as continuous responsibilities, as follows:

Setting up the outside dining and place settings for the opening shift
Last shift of the day:
Bring in the table settings for the alfresco dining area, arrange the table for the following day, and extinguish the candles on the tables.
Candles should be lit, and everyone should take a seat.

4. Responsibilities of the safety server

These activities on the server side are very necessary to do in order to avoid theft and break-ins. For instance, removing cash from the location helps to keep your personnel secure as well as preventing fraud from occurring.

The following items should be on the restaurant side job checklist regarding safety:

Putting the locks on the restaurant
The activation of the security alarm
Having shut all the doors and windows
Shutting off the lights
Comparing the cash on the register to the POS system's total
Making a cash deposit to the bank.

Advice on how to do the following important server duties:

You should delegate these safety responsibilities to reliable servers who are working the closing shifts. When planning shifts, be sure to provide enough time in the schedule to complete these responsibilities, which might take up to an hour.

How to Schedule Work on the Server Side Into Different Shifts

When server side work is included into shifts, there is less of a chance that staff members may forget to do it. To guarantee that secondary tasks may be completed without interrupting main duties, assign them depending on the stations or shift periods at which they are performed.

If a waiter works the first shift in the outside dining area, for instance, they should be responsible for putting up the tables and placing candles on them. In addition, the task of disinfecting television remote controls and replenishing bar garnishes need to be delegated to the bartender rather than the servers.

Place servers at certain stations and delegate additional obligations to those stations so that servers are aware of what tasks are expected of them in addition to their primary responsibilities. Don't forget to delegate responsibilities for beginning and concluding the meeting. Examples of these may be seen throughout this text as well as in the checklist that we use for starting and shutting the server.

The Most Effective Methods for Taking Care of Extra Tasks

To properly manage the work on the server side, communication and the use of to-do lists are essential. It is important to inform servers about their new additional responsibilities by holding a team meeting and making use of the staff communications tool; nevertheless, there is no substitute for showing servers how to perform these new responsibilities in person. Create training films and distribute them to FOH workers through your communications platform so that they may consult them whenever they find it necessary.

Create a shift checklist according to the station and time of the shift by making use of a task management application. You may get some ideas by downloading this free restaurant server checklist and then adapting it to include the activities that are specific to your establishment.

Server side employment tasks keep restaurants operating efficiently

There is more to the function of front of house (FOH) than first seems. The act of serving customers is, without a doubt, one of the most essential aspects of the job, but what happens behind the scenes is just as important to the success of a restaurant. The profitability of a restaurant depends on the side activities of its employees, which include ensuring safety, cleaning, organizing, and restructuring the space.