| Schedule Properly |
- Forecast sales correctly
- Area manager gives approval of scheduling practices including budgeting and completing deployment sheets
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| Learn your store |
- Use resources such as area manager and other managers to learn the trends and patterns of the store
- Keep hourly, daily, and weekly records for analyzing past trends
- Keep a record of community events
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| Ensure that a shift plan is completed prior to each shift |
- Certify all managers on properly completing a shift plan
- Always keep your best people in their best position during peak periods
- Never train new employees during peak periods. Never schedule more than 4 hours for new team member training
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| Have a great crew training program |
- Keep your crew training at or above 95%
- Teach proper deployment “Shift to assist” as part of crew training
- Have a good recognition program for team members who are certified in multiple areas
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| Set specific and measurable goals |
- Have written goals for each shift, day, and week
- Have managers recap their labor for each shift at the weekly meeting
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| Monitor goals hourly, daily, and weekly |
- Use schedule to track labor each hour. Track results for each shift
- Train each manager how to take corrective action when labor is out
- Use longer breaks, extra breaks, sending someone home, etc. to react and adjust labor hour by hour
- Use only allowed hours to open restaurant
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| Have good communication between managers |
- Use weekly manager’s meeting to praise and redirect assistant managers in labor control
- Have each manager talk about their ideas for controlling labor
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| Increased sales = more labor allowed |
- Develop strategies to increase sales i.e. suggestive selling, preventing complaints, and local store marketing
- A strong focus on customer service will allow you to serve more customers during peak times
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