Kitchen Shift Runbook

Purpose

This runbook helps every shift start, run, and close predictably so food quality, speed, and team morale stay high. Use it as the team checklist and the single place to record quick notes about problems and small improvements.

How to use

The shift lead fills or checks items during opening, spot-checks the critical time-of-day items during service, and completes the closing checklist. Keep notes short and factual. Use the Daily Improvement Log to capture one small experiment or correction to try next shift.

Shift Header (fill each shift)

• Date / Shift (e.g., 2026-09-14 / Dinner)
• Location / Station
• Shift Lead / Contact
• Expected covers / forecast (if available)

Opening checklist (before service)

• Walk the line: each station clean and free of clutter.
• Temperatures: walk-in, reach-in, hot-hold, blast chiller recorded and in range.
• Mise en place: key prep items at each station (saucers, garnishes, proteins) are present and labeled.
• Portioning tools, scoops, thermo probes present and calibrated.
• Allergen list and ticket-notes visible at expo.
• Station assignments confirmed and posted (see template below).
• POS/printer/ticket roll loaded and tested; tickets flowing to the right station.
• Prep sheet quick skim: any special events, large reservations, or VIPs noted.

Station assignments & pre-shift brief (quick script)

Post a simple table for the shift (who is on each station):

Station | Primary | Backup | Notes
Expeditor | Sam | Priya | Watch mod dish
Grill     | Maria | -      | Protein temps
Sauté     | Tom   | Alex   | Allergy X tonight
Cold prep | Jin   | -      | Pre-plate salads
Dish      | Rex   | -      | Boarding schedule

Brief script: names, critical menu points, expected rush windows, allergies, and any equipment reliability notes. Keep brief (2–3 minutes).

Critical time-of-day checks (during service)

• Line temperature spot-checks every 60–90 minutes (record any out-of-range reading and corrective action).
• Mise en place refill cadence: note who will top up each station and when.
• Ticket staging and flow: ensure expo is clearing within target (set a local target, e.g., tickets cleared within 6 minutes).
• Runner/expo communication: confirm visibility of next 3 tickets to the line.
• Quality quick-check: sample one plated item every 30–60 minutes for portion and appearance consistency.

Standard escalation path (short, practical)

1. Shortage or missing ingredient that will affect orders: station alerts shift lead immediately.
2. Shift lead checks alternate items and confirms substitution or calls FOH to remove item from POS if unavailable.
3. Equipment failure (e.g., broiler down): shift lead notifies maintenance / manager on duty; if >15 minutes expected downtime, invoke contingency (move to backup station or temp menu change).
4. If the shortage or equipment issue risks guest service or safety, notify manager on duty and record event in the log (who, time, action taken).

Keep a short contact list posted (maintenance, manager on duty, supplier backup) and update it weekly.

Closing checklist (end of service)

• Walk-in and reach-ins: top-to-bottom temperature log and secure seals.
• Storage labeling: label all prepared foods with item, date, time, and initials.
• Cooled items: date/time placed into cold holding and expected discard-by time noted.
• Line reset: wipe and sanitize all station surfaces, restock portioning tools and single-use items.
• Equipment: turn off or set to overnight mode per SOP; note any maintenance requests in the equipment log.
• Waste sorting: separate food waste for measurement where applicable and record major waste events.
• Dish: confirm all racks cleared and dishwasher recorded as OK.
• Final handoff: leave a brief note for morning prep team listing what must be made before service.

Ready-for-next-day prep (minimum expected)

List three priority prep items that must be completed before the next opening (proteins thawed, sauces made, greens prepped). Post these at the end of the log so morning staff can pick up quickly.

Quick daily improvement log (one-line entries encouraged)

Use these prompts to capture short, useful observations:

• What went well (one sentence)?
• Biggest bottleneck or repeat mistake (one sentence)?
• One corrective action or experiment to try next shift (who will try it)?

Example entry: "Expo cleared ticket stack for 20 mins—idea: station runner assigned to clear dishes at 6pm. Try tonight: Rex to runner."

Suggested quick metrics to watch weekly

• Average ticket time (target vs actual)
• Number of remakes per shift
• Top 3 waste causes observed
• Number of equipment-related service interruptions

Adoption tips

1. Keep the runbook visible at the pass or as a short printed card on the clipboard.
2. Make the shift lead accountable for completing it and reading the previous day's improvement log at start of shift.
3. Once a week, review improvement log entries with the team and pick one experiment to run for a week.

Next steps (capability suggestions)

This runbook is structured to be converted into an interactive checklist so shifts can save entries and build an operational history (ticket times, waste events, equipment faults) that feeds dashboards and alerts. Consider adding a simple InteractiveForm to capture each shift entry and aggregate trends.