Free Guides for Restaurant and Bar Operators

The formulas, the benchmarks and the weekly routines that decide whether an operation makes money, written from twenty years on the floor.

New guides

LeadershipRestaurant manager job description and dutiesDuties for general, assistant, kitchen and bar managers, a job description you can copy, and the numbers each manager owns.EventsBEO template and exampleWhat goes on a banquet event order, an example you can copy, when to lock it, and how it fits with the contract and invoice.FinanceRestaurant profit margin and calculatorTypical margins by concept, the formula, a free calculator and the five levers that move the number.LeadershipRestaurant interview questions by roleQuestions for servers, bartenders, line cooks, hosts and managers, what a good answer sounds like, and what not to ask.HiringRestaurant job application templateA one page application to copy, what to leave off, and a five minute screen.Food safetyFood temperature log templatesPrintable temperature, cooling and waste logs, plus rotation labels and day dots.ManagementHow to run a successful restaurantTen systems, the numbers to watch, and a weekly rhythm to manage by.Food safetyRestaurant cleaning checklistsPrintable daily, weekly and monthly deep cleaning lists for kitchen, dining room and bar.FinanceRestaurant business plan templateAn outline to copy, the numbers lenders check, and a worked sales forecast.KitchenPrep list templateA printable prep sheet, a filled in example, and how to set pars by day.BarBartending testForty questions with an answer key and a practical pour test.KitchenRestaurant maintenance checklistPrintable maintenance lists by frequency, an equipment list by area, and a repair budget.PeopleEmployee evaluation formA form to copy or print, a four point scale, and what to score for each role.KitchenOrder guide templateA printable order guide, a filled in example, and how to set pars by delivery.EventsCatering invoice templateAn invoice to copy, a worked example, and the terms that get you paid on time.CalculatorCatering pricing calculatorPrice per person, event total with service charge and tax, and your margin.EventsCatering contract templateFourteen clauses, sample wording to copy, and a cancellation schedule.CalculatorRestaurant valuation calculatorA low, typical and high estimate from owner earnings, sales and assets.OpeningOpening a restaurant checklistTen printable lists from concept and permits to soft opening and the first 30 days.PeopleRestaurant schedule templateA printable weekly schedule, a filled in example, and the labor cost check.CalculatorRestaurant KPI dashboardSeven key numbers for the week against the benchmark for your concept.

From the shop: Operator Gear and custom builds

Operator GearRun on Systems T-ShirtA garment dyed tee with RUN ON SYSTEMS, NOT HEROICS. in cream and gold.Operator GearRun on Systems SweatshirtA soft garment dyed crewneck for cold mornings and inventory nights.Operator GearRun on Systems Dad HatThe operator's motto embroidered in white and old gold on a classic dad hat.Operator GearRun on Systems Coffee MugMorning coffee with the three numbers that decide whether the month works.Operator GearRun on Systems 20 oz TumblerThe motto on one side and The Big Three cost targets on the other.Custom workCustom Template Edits (Tier 1)Any OpsEdge template adapted to your logo, currency, tax and labor rules, and cost structure.Custom workCustom Spreadsheet Build (Tier 3)A spreadsheet tool built from scratch around how your operation runs. Fixed price, two revision rounds.

Over forty long-form guides on the numbers and the systems that decide whether a restaurant, bar or club makes money, written from twenty years of running them. Each one has the formula or the template, benchmarks by concept, a worked example and a routine you can start on Monday.

New report2027 Restaurant Operator Benchmarks. Menu price, food cost and wage forecasts for 2027, the January minimum wage changes and a prime cost calculator to test your own numbers. Read the 2027 report.
Free calendarThe 2027 Restaurant and Bar Calendar. Every holiday, game day, food and drink day and back office deadline, month by month, with what to do and when to start. Print it or add it to your own calendar. Open the 2027 calendar.

Browse by topic

Each topic hub puts the guides, free calculators, benchmarks and templates for one part of the operation on a single page.

Topic hubBar and beveragePour cost, bar inventory, cocktail and wine pricing, the beverage program and event bars. Topic hubKitchen and food costFood cost, actual vs theoretical, recipe costing and yields, inventory, menu engineering and food safety. Topic hubFront of house and eventsChecklists, private events and catering, seasonal plans, tip pools and service training. Topic hubRestaurant financePrime cost, labor, the P&L, budgets, KPI targets, break-even and startup costs. Topic hubLeadership and peopleHiring and training, scheduling, the manager's routine, the handbook and the rules on tips.

New here? Read them in this order.

  1. Prime cost, the one number that tells you if the operation is working.
  2. Food cost and pour cost, the two halves of cost of goods.
  3. Labor cost and scheduling to a forecast, the other half of prime cost.
  4. Inventory and recipe costing, where the food cost number actually comes from.
  5. The P&L FinanceRestaurant bookkeepingThe chart of accounts, the daily sales report, weekly invoices and the month end close, with a free reconciliation calculator. and break-even, reading the whole business.
  6. Then the margin builders: the beverage program and private events, and the people side in hiring and training.

Need a number to compare against? The benchmarks page puts forty target ranges side by side by concept, and the glossary defines every term used in these guides.

Cost control

The numbers that make up prime cost and how to find the leaks in each one.

Start hereRestaurant prime costFood, beverage and labor as one number. The formula, benchmarks by concept, a worked example and the weekly routine. TargetsSetting 2027 KPI targetsWhere prime cost, food, pour and labor should land by concept, setting targets from your actuals, what each point is worth and who owns each number. LaborLabor cost percentageWhat belongs in labor (most reports miss a fifth of it), benchmarks, and how to schedule to a forecast. FoodFood cost percentageThe formula with inventory, plate costing, menu engineering and the fixes in payback order. FoodActual vs theoretical food costWhat your food should have cost against what it did, key item variance with a worked example, the eight usual causes and an acceptable gap. FoodRecipe costing and plate costYield, edible portion cost and the Q factor, a worked plate from raw cost to menu price, and keeping cost cards current. FoodRecipe yield and cook lossHow to run a yield test, cost trim, peel and cook loss, credit usable trim, order to yield and decide whether to buy pre-cut or break down. BeveragePour costPer drink and for the whole bar, benchmarks by category, and the variance report that finds the leaks. BeverageBar inventorySet up the count sheet, count by tenths or by weight in under an hour, and turn the count into usage, variance and orders. InventoryRestaurant inventory and COGSHow to count the whole operation, calculate cost of goods sold from the count, run variance by product and order from pars. MenuMenu engineeringStars, plowhorses, puzzles and dogs. A worked example, what to change in each quadrant, and menu design that moves the mix. MenuMenu engineering before a menu changeA worked eight-entree example: recost, classify, decide what changes, project the margin and lay out the page six weeks before the new menu prints.

Finance and operations

Reading the business, planning an opening, and the daily systems that run a shift.

FinanceRestaurant P&L explainedHow the statement is laid out, what every line should be as a percent of sales, and how to read one in ten minutes. FinanceBuilding a restaurant budget for 2027Sales from days, covers and check, cost targets, labor built from the schedule, a monthly spread and the budget versus actual routine, with a worked example. FinanceYear-end inventory countWhen to count, the week-before setup, counting and valuing, the invoice cutoff and what one missed shelf does to two months of food cost. FinanceRestaurant break-even pointThe formula, a worked example in dollars, covers and days, and the four levers that lower the number. FinanceRestaurant startup costsRealistic per-seat ranges, every line from build-out to working capital, and a worked $830,000 example for 70 seats. FinanceBar startup costsWhat it costs to open a bar by type, the liquor license, draft system and working capital, with a free calculator. LaborRestaurant schedulingBuild next week's schedule from a sales forecast and a labor target, station by station, and hold it through the week. OperationsOpening and closing checklistsWhat belongs on every list for kitchen, bar and front of house, the manager's walk, and how to keep them alive. OperationsRestaurant SOPsWhich procedures to write, the eight parts of an SOP people follow, three worked examples and a free template builder. OperationsThe manager log and shift handoverWhat goes in the daily log, the five-question handover, a page from a working log, and how the log runs the weekly meeting. OperationsThe manager's weekly routineThe five numbers to check every shift, a day-by-day weekly rhythm, the Monday prime cost snapshot and the monthly and quarterly reviews.

Revenue, beverage and venues

The programs that add margin instead of cutting cost, and the venue types with their own economics.

BeverageBeverage program and wine marginsPricing multipliers by category, wine by the bottle on a sliding scale, costing a cocktail, and what moves the beverage mix. BeverageWine by the glass pricingHow many pours a bottle really gives, a pricing formula with waste built in, worked examples, a price ladder and a free calculator. EventsPrivate events and catering pricingMinimums, packages and service charges, costing a package so the margin is real, contract terms, the BEO and a worked 60-guest dinner. SeasonalThe 2027 restaurant and bar calendarEvery holiday, game day and deadline of the year in one place, with what to do each month. Free to print or add to your calendar. SeasonalNew Year's Eve 2026 planA Thursday before a holiday Friday. Picking and pricing the format, deposits, a bar and toast planner, staffing midnight and New Year's Day. SeasonalThe January slow season playbookHow slow January really gets, the 2027 calendar, a sales, labor and break-even planner, Dry January and a week by week plan. SeasonalSuper Bowl 2027 planThe game falls on Valentine's Day. Watch parties, takeout wings, a wing, fryer and keg planner, and sharing the night with Valentine's dinners. SeasonalValentine's Day 2027 planIt falls on Super Bowl Sunday. Forecasting covers for a two-top night, the prix fixe, prep, staffing the long weekend and the Sunday clash. SeasonalSt. Patrick's Day and March Madness 2027March 17 is a Wednesday with tournament games around it. Forecasting the week, kegs and bartenders, staffing day games and control on the floor. SeasonalMother's Day and Easter brunch planEaster is March 28 and Mother's Day is May 9. Picking the format, a capacity and pacing planner, the menu, the egg line and staffing the biggest brunch days. SeasonalPatio season: setup, staffing and profitThe walk-through, permits, layout and sections, a weather plan, staffing and a calculator for patio covers, sales and how fast the setup pays back. ClubsCountry club food and beverageHow club F&B differs, the dues subsidy, the outlets, club benchmarks, minimums, banquets as the profit center and the committee.

Service and the bar

The floor and bar standards that turn a good night into the same night every night.

ServiceSteps of serviceThe ten steps with target times, table maintenance, selling without pushing, training and sign-off, and the numbers that show service is working. ServiceRunning the host standPacing reservations per 15 minutes, turn times by party size, seating rotation, quoting waits, no-shows and the host's shift. ServiceThe pre-shift meetingA ten minute agenda, a worked Friday example, which numbers to share, the daily training topic and a template to copy. BarBuilding a cocktail menuSize and structure, pricing every spec to a pour cost target, designing for speed at the well, engineering the list and refreshing it. BarBartender training planA 30 day plan from hire to solo shifts, the skills to sign off, a ten minute pour test, responsible service and choosing trainers. BarBar opening and closingStocking to par, prep, draft lines, cleaning, nightly spot counts, cash and tabs, weekly tasks and making the checklist stick. BarRaising bar prices in 2027Drink prices have lagged food by 26 points since 2020. Recost the bar, decide how much to raise and roll it out without losing regulars.

People and compliance

Hiring, training and keeping a team, and the rules that keep the operation out of trouble.

PeopleHiring and training restaurant staffWhat turnover costs, staffing to the forecast, interviews that predict performance, a day-by-day training plan and the 7, 30 and 90 day check-ins. ComplianceTip pooling and labor law basicsTip credits, who can be in a tip pool, overtime for tipped staff, service charges, where states go further and a compliance checklist. PeopleEmployee handbook checklistWhat every restaurant and bar handbook needs, the tip, alcohol, cash and walkout rules generic templates miss, and a ten-question yearly audit. ComplianceHealth inspection readinessThe five risk factors, the temperatures and times that must be right, the most common violations and fixes, and a weekly self-inspection. Food safetyAllergen managementThe nine major allergens, what the Food Code asks, building an allergen matrix, the server-to-pass routine, cross-contact and reactions.

Rather see your own numbers?

The free tools turn these guides into results in a few minutes: five calculators (prime cost, food cost, labor cost, break-even and pour cost), a weekly Excel check sheet and printable reference cards. The Playbooks hold the full workbooks and templates every guide is cut from.

See the free tools Browse the Playbooks Get help with your prime cost