A ten minute agenda, a worked Friday example, the numbers to share and a template you can use tonight.
By Rob Bruni, founder of OpsEdge Hospitality, twenty years running restaurants, bars, clubs and resorts. Updated November 2026.
A pre-shift meeting is ten minutes that decide how the next six hours go. Done well, every server, bartender and cook walks onto the floor knowing the covers, the specials, what is 86'd, who is coming in and what the team is working on tonight. Done badly, it is a manager reading a list while the team checks their phones. This guide covers a ten minute agenda, a worked Friday example, which numbers to share, the two minute training topic, the common mistakes and a template to copy.
Most of what goes wrong in service is information that existed before the doors opened: an item that ran out at lunch, a twelve-top at 7:30, a regular with a shellfish allergy, a new wine by the glass nobody tasted. Pre-shift is where that information moves from the manager's head and the log book to the people who need it. It is also the only time the whole team is in one place, which makes it the best ten minutes of the day for setting a standard.
| Minutes | Topic | Who leads |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The book: covers expected, busiest window, large parties, VIPs and occasions | Manager or host |
| 2 | Specials and features: description, price, allergens and a taste where possible | Chef or sous chef |
| 1 | 86 list and low items, and what to suggest instead | Chef |
| 1 | The bar: new pours, a cocktail feature, anything out | Bar lead |
| 1 | Yesterday: one thing that went well, one thing to fix, from the log | Manager |
| 2 | Training topic for the night | Rotates |
| 1 | Sections, side work and breaks | Manager |
| 1 | The focus for tonight, in one sentence | Manager |
Start on time every day, standing up, in the same place. If it starts late or runs long, it stops being taken seriously.
Share the numbers the team can move tonight, not the P&L. Covers expected and the busiest window, last night's average check per cover against the target, ticket times, and one sales focus (wine by the glass, desserts, a feature). Keep cost numbers like prime cost for the management meeting; the team affects them through portions, pours and waste, which you can name directly.
The Restaurant Manager Operating System includes the daily log, a pre-shift sheet, the weekly prime cost close and the meeting agendas, so the information flows from one shift to the next. Excel and Google Sheets, one-time purchase.
See the Manager Operating System Read the manager log guidePick one small thing every day and rotate who teaches it. Over a month, that is twenty topics: a wine, a cocktail spec, a menu item's story, an allergen, a step of service, a POS shortcut, a responsible service reminder. The steps of service guide and the allergen guide are good sources. Keep a running list so the topics do not repeat.
The book (covers, busy window, large parties, VIPs), specials and allergens, the 86 list, bar notes, one win and one fix from yesterday, a short training topic, sections and side work, and one focus for the night.
About ten minutes, standing up, starting at the same time every day. Over fifteen minutes and the team stops listening.
The manager runs it, the chef presents the specials and the 86 list, the bar lead covers the bar, and the training topic rotates through the team so everyone teaches something.
Yes, especially on busy nights. If time is tight, do a three minute version covering the book, the 86 list and the focus for the night.
Numbers they can affect tonight: covers expected, last night's average check against the target, ticket times and one sales focus. Keep the P&L and prime cost for the management meeting.
