How to Run a Pre-Shift Meeting With Restaurant Staff

If there’s one universal trait of a successful eatery, whether casual dining or hotel restaurant, it’s the ability to run great shifts day after day, week after week. Daily pre-shift meetings are a core part of that steady success.

When the steps of service flow smoothly, the food arrives in a timely manner, the tables are set and cleared in record time, and your patrons leave stuffed and satisfied, it feels freakin’ good. This perfect harmony is what we all strive for.

Nurturing a focused, informed, and energized team ensures everyone stays on the same page and everything functions as it should. In this article, you’ll learn the importance of an effective pre-shift huddle and top tips for meeting success, all leading to a happy team and excellent customer satisfaction.

Table of Contents

• What is a Pre-Shift Meeting?

• Why Your Restaurant Needs Pre-Shift Meetings

• What A Pre-Shift Meeting Should Include

• Top Tips for a Successful Pre-Shift Meeting

• Final Thoughts & Considerations

What is a Pre-Shift Meeting?

A pre-shift meeting occurs before meal service in a restaurant, where the manager on duty huddles up their team to relay important updates, offer advice, and get the team excited for the upcoming events of the day. Sometimes, these meetings happen over a shared staff meal; other times, they're just a quick five-minute update.

The pre-shift meeting happens before the lunch or evening rush takes over. It’s a period where managers can share updates to the menu, answer accompanying questions, assign side work and pre-shift work, and address other housekeeping tasks.

For example, managers could praise front-of-house staff for their efforts during the previous shift. Alternatively, they could say things like, “Today, we’ve got X amount of bookings”, or “Today, the specials are steak tartare”, or discuss similar details that the staff need to know.

Why Your Restaurant Needs Pre-Shift Meetings

You might feel that things are running just fine without the need for a daily pre-shift meeting. However, there are many benefits you have yet to be aware of, from setting aside a bit of time to include these briefings before service starts. Let’s discuss a few of the advantages of including a pre-shift meeting in your restaurant management toolkit.

1. Motivation: The pre-shift meeting can be an effective tool to motivate restaurant staff. As a manager, you can focus the collective energies of your team toward a singular mission: delighting guests and creating memorable dining experiences.

2. Clarification: It’s also a great way to ensure everyone is on the same page. By outlining the meeting agenda, discussing the previous shift, and explaining the day’s expectations, you can streamline your restaurant’s operations, clear up any confusion, and guarantee a successful shift.

3. Updates: You may also want to keep your employees in the loop about company updates. For example, once a month at Mei Mei Street Kitchen in Boston, MA, pre-shift meetings include 10 minutes of financial updates, 10 minutes of announcements, and 30 minutes of peer training. This constant training helps Mei Mei cultivate a positive and productive restaurant culture. You can find more about the restaurant’s smooth operations in this Toast interview with Mei Mei founder Irene Li.

What to Include in a Pre-Shift Meeting

Now you know why a pre-shift meeting is an important element in your day-to-day restaurant management tasks. But what should a pre-shift meeting include? Here, we outline what your daily pre-shift meeting needs to touch on to ensure that the shift ahead flows smoothly.

Inform of the Shift Ahead

After a brief welcome and introduction, the first section of your pre-shift meeting should cover general information about the day ahead. This could include details like:

• Team roles

• Scheduling changes

• Service notes from a previous shift 

• Updates to employee payroll

• Chef specials or new menu items

• Special events or reservations

• Projected level of busyness

• Weather implications on service

• Team birthdays

It’s important to keep your staff informed about general company changes or updates from a previous shift, particularly when things can change so quickly from day to day. If you’ve created a new restaurant staffing schedule, for instance, employees need to know about this as soon as possible.

Instruct Your Employees

The second section of the pre-shift meeting is your opportunity to teach your team new skills, offer guidance, and give your humble advice.

For example, your chef could announce menu changes, new dishes, or a limited availability featured dish. Alternatively, your bar manager could discuss new wines available or invite a rep from your alcohol distributor to come in and speak about proper pairing techniques.

Teaching your staff new soft skills will help them serve guests more attentively and boost the overall atmosphere for the customers. Pair this with the Toast Guest Feedback software, and you can apply feedback to create the ultimate guest experience.

Sharing advice will also help your employees develop professionally and advance their careers. Equipping your front-of-house staff with the right hospitality skills will ensure they give your business a stellar reputation as the face of your brand to guests and prospective customers.

Inspire Your Staff to Success

A rousing pre-service briefing to your staff is the perfect way to motivate them for the shift ahead. Focus on getting your employees excited for the upcoming service. Share an inspirational quote (avoid the cheesy ones), give a pep talk, or start a small contest. Employee gamification tactics are popular ways for restaurant managers to use the power of healthy competition to boost sales and team cohesion.

Typically, these contests revolve around who can sell the most of a certain type of beer, cocktail, or appetizer in a given period of time. You can reward either individuals or the whole team for their efforts. For example, the three top sellers might get to hand off their side work for a week, but if the entire staff surpasses a certain number of units sold, they get a pizza party. Whatever the prize, make sure it’s a great incentive.

This final section of your pre-shift meeting is also a chance for you to acknowledge or recognize team members who did an outstanding job in the past week. In fact, researchers from the London School of Economics found that appreciation motivates employees far more than financial incentives. 

Thank your staff trainers for onboarding assistance, your line cooks who busted out a big rush like champions, or an individual for surpassing sales goals. Make it mandatory for your managers to find at least three team members or groups to thank for their efforts.

Top Tips for a Successful Pre-Shift Meeting

We’ve gathered together a few helpful hints to ensure that your pre-shift meeting isn’t met with eye-rolls and groans. Here are seven ways to inspire and motivate your restaurant staff before each shift begins.

1. Prepare for Success

A pre-shift meeting isn’t an opportunity for improvisation. Winging it will not offer the best results. Instead, plan ahead and map out the structure of each pre-shift meeting so that you cover everything that you need to say and keep your team engaged. 

For a short 10-15 minute meeting, aim to spend a couple of minutes each on business updates, restaurant practices, teaching or demonstrations, and praising and motivating your staff.

2. Short and Sweet

We all know that there are times when restaurants run at speed, where every second counts. Therefore, using time before shifts begin effectively is key. Aim for a thorough yet concise pre-shift meeting that doesn’t eat into your preparation time.

No one likes a start-of-shift meeting that drags on. Keeping pre-shift meetings short and sweet not only helps with efficiency when managing a restaurant, but it also keeps your team alert and captures their attention. 

3. Stay Positive

Pre-shift meetings should include areas for improvement and general reminders for your team. However, remember to stay positive, as this will set the tone for the rest of the shift. Don’t forget to focus on the positives, such as praising employees and rewarding good practices. This will ensure that your team morale is high and each staff member stays motivated and goes into their shifts feeling energized and inspired.

4. Consistency is Key

It’s ever so easy to forgo a pre-shift meeting as the week gets busier or other commitments take over. Consistency in time, place, and frequency of pre-shift meetings is important, as it instills discipline in your staff and also in the way the restaurant is run. By setting a regular pre-shift meeting, each team member knows what to expect from the shift ahead. 

5. Encourage Staff Involvement

A pre-shift meeting isn’t a monologue, it should encourage open communication and participation from your team. Whilst you need to get certain points across during this meeting, it also offers an opportunity for your staff to ask pertinent questions and clarify your instructions. 

Staff participation during pre-shift meetings should be encouraged as it also demonstrates that your team is actively listening and taking on board what you have to say. Always reserve time for questions during or after your team meeting, as this is a great way of cementing points covered and clearing away any concerns.

6. Teachable Moments

To improve the way the restaurant runs, the team needs to be updated on new techniques and practices. Perhaps staff are getting to grips with handheld POS devices, or the head chef has a top tip they want to share. The pre-shift meeting is a place for learning and perfecting service. 

7. Don’t Just Preach

We all learn in different ways, so in order to get the most out of your staff, a pre-shift meeting should take this into account. Try using visuals or including short demonstrations or tasting sessions to involve and engage your staff. This is especially useful when implementing new technologies, such as a kitchen display system or adding a new special to the menu.

Perfect Your Pre-Shift Meetings

Planning and executing a pre-shift meeting in the right way is crucial to the success of your restaurant. Fortunately, by following the guidance outlined in this article, you can give yourself the best chance of experiencing a positive and productive shift.

Start with a pre-shift meeting template, followed by three short phases of information, instruction, and inspiration. Remain friendly and engaging, and always sign off with an optimistic outlook to keep everyone enthusiastic for the shift ahead. If you do this for 15 minutes before each shift, you’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll see positive results.

Additionally, there are tools available to help you schedule successful pre-shift meetings and maximize your restaurant’s operations in general. Look to restaurant management software and smart tech solutions especially designed for the hospitality industry as these can streamline processes. 

If you’re not sure whether restaurant management systems would work for you, try a demo to test out the software before committing to a purchase. This ensures that the system you sign up for is a worthwhile addition to your restaurant team.

FAQs

What is the Purpose of a Daily Pre-Shift Meeting?

The purpose of a daily pre-shift meeting is to inform your employees of the shift ahead, offer praise and recognition to deserving staff members, and help your front and back-of-house team prepare for the day (or night) ahead.

How Long Should a Pre-Shift Meeting Be?

Pre-shift meetings shouldn’t take up too much time, but you also need to cover a lot of points. You need to keep your employees engaged without withholding any important information. You should aim to keep your pre-service briefings between 5 and 15 minutes long.

What Should be Avoided in Pre-Shift Meetings?

Focusing too much on one topic or employee is not the place for a pre-shift meeting. If there is a need for specific 1-2-1 chats, concerning potential issues, this is best done in private.

You might not be geared up for a pre-shift meeting, however, it is your job to bring enthusiasm and positivity to the team. This means you should avoid speaking in a monotone voice, instead think about your tone and presentation style and how you would feel hearing what you have to say.

What Benefits Can Pre-Shift Team Meetings Provide?

Taking even just five minutes before each shift can create a range of benefits. Pre-shift meetings can boost staff productivity, increase employee engagement, and foster a positive work environment. Pre-shift meetings offer an opportunity for team building and can provide a safe space for staff seeking advice and training updates.