Most Important Pre-Shift Topics for Restaurant Staff

Some of the most important pre-shift topics for restaurant staff include food safety protocols, customer service, and menu updates. The importance of dietary restrictions and allergies should also be discussed. Well-run pre-shift meetings can make the difference between smooth service and chaos.

Maintaining communication with your restaurant staff is essential to providing exceptional customer experiences. Whether discussing the day’s specials or sharing information on food and health safety policies, the following are critical pre-shift topics for your foodservice team.

Daily Specials and Menu Changes

Daily pre-shift meetings should review the day’s specials and any menu additions or alterations. This keeps every server, bartender, and kitchen staff member up-to-date with menu changes, helping them to make well-informed recommendations to customers. Staff should also be informed about any discontinued items or ingredients that are no longer available.

Restaurant staff also need to be informed immediately if an ingredient or menu item runs out after the pre-shift meeting has taken place. One way to do this is by using an LMS system to easily update and communicate menu changes to all staff members in real time. Leading restaurant LMS Axonify, for example, delivers push-targeted communications to the frontline workforce to keep everyone informed throughout their shift and ensure seamless service.

Guest Experience Focus

Pre-shift meetings in the restaurant industry should focus on reminding staff of the importance of the guest experience. During these pre-shift meetings, pre-shift presenters can refresh staff members about factors that lead to a great guest experience.

Some core elements that contribute to a positive guest experience include:

• Customer Attentiveness: Showing customers attentiveness and addressing their needs quickly leads to higher guest satisfaction. This means greeting customers with a warm welcome and personal attention. Hubspot states that 93% of customers are likely to make repeat purchases with a company that offers excellent customer service. Pre-shift meetings should always stress the importance of making guests feel welcome and appreciated.
• Friendly and Authentic Service: Front-of-house staff members should provide friendly, personalized, and authentic service to guests. This is because guests want to feel like individuals, not numbers that servers rush out the door to maximize profits. Emphasize the importance of building genuine connections with guests for a positive guest experience.
• Expert Menu Knowledge: Guests should feel that their servers are experts about the menu items. A staff member’s understanding of the menu can offer a curated experience for guests to tune into their cravings. When an FOH employee understands the menu, this helps guests feel confident about their food choices.
• Quality Food: Food quality is essential to the experience of guests in restaurants since it influences customer satisfaction. Dishes prepared with fresh, high-quality ingredients increase the likelihood that a guest will enjoy their meal and return to the restaurant. Customers who enjoy their dining experience are more likely to refer the restaurant to family and friends.
• Clean and Comfortable Environment: A clean and welcoming atmosphere with soft lighting can make guests feel more comfortable and relaxed. Well-maintained restaurants should be uncluttered and hygienic, adding to a pleasant dining experience. Food and drink spillage should be addressed promptly.
• Personalization: Restaurant decor should match the establishment’s mission and style. For instance, an Old Country and Western restaurant could be decorated using vintage signage or cowboy memorabilia like saddles and horseshoes. Themed decor adds flair and personality to a dining environment. 
• Server hygiene, food cleanliness, and order accuracy are also essential for ensuring a pleasant experience for restaurant guests.

Health and Safety Regulations

Every restaurant must have proper health and safety protocols for clients and staff. A pre-service briefing can cover food safety procedures and sanitation practices. Common health and safety regulations include the following:

• Reminding employees about proper hand-washing techniques.
• Reviewing food storage standards, including temperature control.
• Going over dress code and personal hygiene standards.
• Briefing servers on foods that could cause moderate or serious allergic reactions in customers.
• Providing solutions for customer complaints related to food safety.

During a pre-shift meeting, a restaurant manager can also review company policies or any upcoming events that require extra cleaning. Large reservations should be discussed to ensure appropriate staffing levels. Keeping FOH and BOH employees informed of safety measures can reduce errors and ensure that the staff remains compliant with public health regulations.

Defining Team Roles

Defining team roles during a pre-shift meeting is an effective strategy for avoiding confusion and keeping things running smoothly in a restaurant. This can involve assigning server sections and tailoring floor coverage to meet reservation demands. Managers can also review the responsibilities that both FOH and BOH employees will have during their upcoming shifts.

For example, FOH managers may assign more than one server per section in a restaurant if they know it will be busy that night. Likewise, BOH managers could decide to have more line cooks on duty to make sure food is prepared quickly. This proactive approach helps to prevent conflict and promotes a collaborative work environment.

Upselling Strategies and Sales Goals

Pre-shift meetings can motivate staff to increase sales through upselling and suggestive selling. Restaurant managers can specify which items they want staff to promote in the upcoming shift. Examples of menu items that staff members can upsell are menu specials, appetizers, drinks, and desserts.

Managers can offer a visual training experience by presenting “model” plates of the daily specials. These are dishes that the cooks have prepared ahead of time. Staff members may also want to make recommendations and practice upselling using role-playing scenarios.

Management and Staff Promotions

Pre-shift meetings are a great time to promote a staff member into a managerial position or recognize an FOH or BOH employee for their hard work. Appreciating staff boosts morale and increases productivity. This, in turn, can translate into a happier workforce that feels inspired to deliver exceptional customer service. 

You can also honor staff milestones and promotions throughout the day (or night) using a modern LMS. General managers can send rewards, badges, or feedback directly to the staff member’s mobile phone. Managers can also send motivational messages in real-time, such as “You know what? We really value your hard work. Let’s make today great!”

Tip: Keep Meetings Concise

Keep pre-shift meetings brief and to the point. A pre-shift meeting can take between five and thirty minutes, depending on the objectives and the team size. Managers should aim to keep meetings as short as possible to keep employees engaged.

Consider using short videos or visuals to review important topics for the upcoming shift. Encourage employees to ask questions but answer them concisely. If time is running out, invite employees to write their questions down or submit their feedback through a digital platform to be followed up as soon as possible.

Prepare for a Successful Pre-Shift Meeting

Preparing for a successful pre-shift meeting requires pinpointing important topics, such as reviewing updates to the menu, daily specials, changes to food prices, and identifying items that are worth upselling. Vital pre-shift topics also include the importance of creating a positive guest experience.

When teams are organized, informed, and motivated, they are more likely to sell more, interact with guests in a positive and proactive way, and generate more positive reviews. Pre-shift meetings should be short and to the point, and help the entire restaurant staff deliver top-tier service.