How to Run a Pre-Shift Meeting With Restaurant Staff

Pre-shift meetings are a simple but effective way to keep your restaurant running smoothly. These focused gatherings help make sure everyone is on the same page and ready to tackle the shift ahead. Whether going over daily specials or sharing important updates, these meetings allow you to set clear expectations for a service.

Pre-shift meetings make your operations run smoother, boost staff performance, and work towards top-notch customer experiences. They also help create a stronger, more connected team ready to deliver great service.

In our complete guide, we’ll explore how to run a highly effective pre-shift meeting, and the role data from your tech systems can play.

What is a pre-shift meeting?

A pre-shift meeting is an opportunity to gather your staff before a shift to ensure your team is ready for the service ahead. It's a chance to review the reservation diary, chat about any updates or challenges, and get everyone on the same page with goals and expectations. 

These meetings can be especially important for higher-end venues since managers can share key information like VIP guests, special requests, and booking notes.

Technology takes these meetings up a notch by providing useful data that helps improve service.  Tools like ResDiary’s table booking system give you full visibility into your upcoming bookings and give a deeper look into guest preferences, dietary restrictions, and past visits so your team can offer more personalised and consistent service. 

This level of preparation means nothing falls through the cracks. Service can run smoothly and you can ensure every guest has an exceptional dining experience.

Why is a pre-shift meeting important?

Pre-shift meetings offer several important benefits for restaurants. Key advantages include:

• Ensuring team alignment: Pre-shift meetings ensure that every staff member is on the same page and fully understands their roles and responsibilities for the shift ahead.
• Updating on VIPs and special requests: These meetings provide a chance to highlight important details, such as VIP guests, special requests, or booking notes. This ensures that your team is prepared to offer personalised service.
• Promoting daily specials: Managers can inform staff about any specials or menu items to be promoted, ensuring consistent messaging across the team.
• Opportunity for quick training: A pre-shift meeting is the perfect opportunity to provide refresher or additional training, such as handling the online restaurant booking system or POS system, addressing customer concerns, or reinforcing service standards.
• Boosting team morale: Pre-shift meetings foster communication and teamwork, giving everyone a moment to connect and prepare mentally for the service. This can improve overall team cohesion and performance.

By regularly holding pre-shift meetings, restaurants can enhance their service quality, address potential issues early, and create a more cohesive and efficient team.

How to run a pre-shift meeting in a hospitality business

A well-structured meeting helps your staff feel confident, informed and ready to deliver excellent service. Read on for an example of a pre-shift meeting structure you may want to follow. 

1. Plan your meeting

Before you start daily pre-shift meetings, it's essential to take a few minutes to plan it out properly. 

A well-planned meeting sets the tone for a successful shift and ensures you cover all the important details. 

Start by creating a simple agenda. Think about what your team needs to know. Are there any VIPs coming in, special requests, or menu changes? 

Take a look at any pending customer feedback as well. If there were complaints or compliments from the previous shift or day, now is the time to address them.

Planning the meeting doesn’t have to be complicated, but having a clear focus helps ensure your team feels prepared and knows exactly what’s expected. Plus, it lets you tackle potential issues before they become problems during service.

2. Review booking data

Before heading into the pre-shift meeting, take a moment to review your booking data. With table management software like ResDiary, this is easy and especially. 

You can quickly check booking numbers, key time slots, and special customer notes. This gives you valuable insights into how the shift might unfold. This step is especially important for high-end venues with multiple services in one night. 

ResDiary enables you to view your service in the form of a running order. This valuable feature showcases all of your bookings for the evening in one simple view. Be sure to show your running order to your team during a pre-shift meeting, highlighting key periods or any other notable points.

VIPs might arrive, and there might be special requests to handle or even specific seating preferences. Knowing these details beforehand helps your team prepare and ensures service runs smoothly. 

When juggling multiple sittings, things need to flow seamlessly from one service to the next. Using booking data to anticipate needs and plan is key to keeping everything on track.

3. Address roles and responsibilities

Pre-shift meetings are the perfect time to ensure everyone knows their roles and responsibilities for the upcoming shift. During busy shifts, things can change, and it’s helpful to assign specific tasks for the service to particular staff members.

Maybe one server is covering a bigger section, or the bartender needs help preparing for a large party. It’s all about making sure everyone knows what they’re doing.

Managers can also use this time to adjust based on the shift's needs. If someone’s off sick or a special event requires extra hands in a certain area, this is the moment to tweak responsibilities and ensure everything is covered.

Set the team up for smoother, more organised service by laying out who's doing what.

4. Inform team of menu changes

Pre-shift meetings are a great opportunity to update your team on any menu changes. 

Whether you’ve added a new dish, are running low on certain ingredients or have daily specials to promote, now is the time to ensure everyone’s on the same page. 

When your team knows the details, they can confidently communicate with customers, recommend dishes, and handle any questions without hesitation.

Keeping your staff informed can improve the dining experience and even upsell certain items while avoiding awkward “Let me check with the kitchen” moments. 

Plus, your team will be ready to accommodate any allergies or dietary requests that need special attention. Use pre-shift meetings to ensure your team is prepared to give your customers the best possible experience.

5. Upsells and marketing strategies

Pre-shift meetings are perfect for preparing your team for upselling techniques and marketing opportunities.

Whether recommending a higher-end wine, suggesting an appetiser, or offering dessert, upselling can make a big difference to your bottom line. Pre-shift meetings are the perfect time to highlight these opportunities. 

You can also use this time to remind your team about promotions, loyalty programs or any specials you’re using to encourage diners to return.

Technology plays a huge role in this. Data analytics and POS reports can give you insight into customer preferences and bestselling items, helping you focus your upselling efforts where they will most likely work. 

For example, if the data shows that a particular wine is popular with your regulars, your team can be prepared to suggest it to new diners. It’s all about using the available tools to give your team the best chance to boost sales while offering customers something they’ll enjoy.

6. Additional training

Pre-shift meetings are a great opportunity for quick, extra training. 

Whether you’ve added new wines to the menu, introduced a new piece of technology or need to refresh the team on handling customer requests, these meetings provide the perfect moment for a quick run-through.

Let’s say you’ve introduced a few new wines. You can use a pre-shift meeting to give your team some key tasting notes and pairing suggestions. As a result, your team can offer confident recommendations.

Providing additional training can also go a long way when it comes to technology. Use the opportunity of a pre-shift meeting to provide updates on changes to your booking systems such as table joins or new booking rules. If you’re using a new inventory management or POS system, this is the perfect time to educate your staff.

These little touch points can make a big difference in how your staff feel about their knowledge and how smoothly they operate during service. Plus, it allows everyone to ask questions and learn together, ensuring the team is always on the same page.

7. Get feedback from your team

A great way to wrap up a pre-shift meeting is to ask your team for feedback from the past week, day or shift.

Getting caught up in the hustle of service is easy, but it can be valuable to give your staff a chance to share what’s working and what could be improved during a pre-service briefing.

Your team is on the front lines—they see and experience things you might not notice, so their insights can help you spot small issues before they become bigger problems.

Additionally, asking for their input shows that you value their opinions and are open to making changes. It’s a great way to foster a positive work environment where everyone feels heard and appreciated. 

Sometimes, the small adjustments suggested during these meetings can make the biggest difference in how smoothly your business runs.

6 tips for a successful pre-shift meeting

To wrap things up, here are some quick tips for ensuring that your pre-shift meetings are efficient and effective for all team members.

• Keep it short and sweet: Aim for about 10-15 minutes. You want to cover all the key points without taking too much time away from getting prepped for the shift and keep your employees engaged.
• Encourage participation: Ask questions and get feedback from your team. The more engaged they are, the more likely they are to remember what was discussed.
• Set clear goals: Tie your meeting goals to KPIs, like upsell targets or reducing wait times. This gives your team a clear focus and something to aim for during the shift.
• Be positive: Start with something upbeat, like a quick acknowledgment of someone’s hard work. This sets a positive tone for the rest of the shift and promotes team building.
• Use visuals or data: If possible, use data or visuals to highlight key points, such as daily specials, booking numbers, or upsell opportunities. When you use a table management system like ResDiary, you’ll have a wealth of information collected by your system and its integrations. Be sure to put this data to good use.
• Tailor it to the day: Every shift is different, so adjust your meeting to reflect the challenges or opportunities of that specific day, whether it’s a busy weekend night or a slower lunch.

With these tips, you’ll run focused, efficient pre-shift meetings that will always set up each team member for success.

Get prepared for service with ResDiary

Pre-shift meetings are all about getting your team ready and on the same page. ResDiary can help make that process much smoother.

With ResDiary’s booking data at your fingertips, you can easily review key information like VIP guests, special requests, and high-traffic times, giving your team a clear picture of what to expect. Integrating POS systems and other tools also allows you to provide real-time insights, helping your staff prepare for upselling opportunities, daily specials, and more.

By using ResDiary to guide your pre-shift meetings for restaurant managers, you’re not just keeping your team informed but actively optimising your operations. The more prepared your staff is, the smoother the service will run, allowing you to deliver an exceptional experience to each and every diner.

Take ResDiary for a test drive by booking a free demo today.