The pre-shift briefing, in five minutes

Ten minutes before the doors open, the manager calls everyone together. The briefing starts with a reminder about polishing glasses, moves on to a long story about last week's complaint, covers the rota for next month, and ends with the specials, read quickly as the first guests arrive. The kitchen was not there. Half the floor team was still setting tables. Nobody remembers the specials' prices.

A pre-shift briefing is one of the cheapest tools a restaurant has. Five minutes with the whole team, before service, can prevent a dozen problems during it: an allergy missed, a special priced wrongly, a large table nobody prepared for, a dish sold after it ran out. But only if the briefing is short, focused and includes everyone.

This guide covers what belongs in a five-minute briefing, what does not, who should be there, how to run it so people remember it, and how to keep it worth stopping for. Every venue and figure in it is an example.

During service, there is no time to share information calmly. Anything the team needs to know has to be known before the doors open: how busy the night will be, what is on special, what has run out, which guests need particular care and what the kitchen needs from the floor.

A briefing puts that information in everyone's head at once, much as a toolbox talk does on a building site before the day's work starts. Without one, it travels by word of mouth during service, unevenly and late, and the server who missed the message is the one who sells the dish that has run out.

Five minutes is enough if the briefing is planned. It is too long if it is not.

A good pre-shift briefing covers five things, in the same order every time. The covers: how many guests are booked, when they arrive and any large tables. The specials: what they are, what is in them, what they cost and any allergens. The shortages: what has run out or is low. The guests: anyone who needs particular care, such as allergies, celebrations, regulars or guests who had a problem last time. And one thing to do better tonight.

That is all. Anything else belongs in another meeting.

Start with the numbers: how many covers are booked, how they are spread across the evening and where the peaks are. "Ninety covers tonight, with a rush between half seven and eight. Two tables of eight at quarter past eight."

That tells the floor when to expect pressure and the kitchen when the tickets will bunch. It also tells the host where to be careful with walk-ins and the timing of seating. Our guide to handling a rush when everyone arrives at eight covers what to do with the information.

Describe each special as the servers will describe it to guests: what it is, how it is cooked, what comes with it, what it costs and which allergens it contains. Let the chef do this part, so the floor hears it from the kitchen.

If there is time, let the floor taste the special. A server who has tasted a dish sells it with far more confidence than one who has only heard it described.

Make sure the specials are on the till and on any guest menu, with the right prices and allergens, before the briefing ends.

Tell the team what has run out or is running low: "We have six portions of the lamb, then it is gone. No sea bream tonight." Name the alternatives to offer, so servers are not left improvising.

Agree who will 86 the dish when it runs out, and how the floor will hear about it. Our guide to running out of a dish at half past eight covers the routine.

Mention the guests who need particular attention: a table with a severe allergy, a birthday or an anniversary, a regular who always sits by the window, a guest who had a problem last time and is coming back, a large party celebrating something.

That information usually lives in the bookings and guest records. Read it out at the briefing, so every member of the team knows, not only the server whose section the table is in. Our guide to booking notes the whole team will actually read covers how to record it.

End with one thing to do better tonight, based on what happened recently. "Last night, three tables waited too long for the bill. Tonight, bring the bill within two minutes of being asked." One specific action, not a list.

Choosing one thing makes it memorable and achievable. Choosing five makes them all forgettable. The next night, check whether it worked and choose the next one.

Some things do not belong in a pre-shift briefing: long stories about past complaints, the rota for next month, training on new procedures, discussion of staff problems, reminders that should be standards. Each of those deserves its own time.

A briefing that runs to twenty minutes because it carries everything loses the team's attention, and the important information is buried. Keep it to the five things, and keep it to five minutes.

The most valuable briefings include both sides: the floor and the kitchen. The kitchen hears how busy the night will be and which tables need care; the floor hears the specials from the chef and what the kitchen needs from them.

A briefing with front of house and back of house together builds one team for the evening. Our guide to front of house and back of house, same side covers why that matters so much.

If the kitchen cannot stop entirely, bring the briefing to the pass, so the cooks can listen while they finish their prep.

The briefing is the best moment of the day for kitchen communication, because it is the only time the chef can speak to the whole floor calmly. Use it to share what the kitchen needs: warning of large tables, mains held until fired, allergies passed on in person as well as on the ticket, remakes requested with a reason.

Let the floor speak back too. A server who knows a regular is coming in with a guest who has a severe allergy can tell the kitchen now, rather than at the pass at eight o'clock.

Allergies deserve a moment of their own in the briefing. Mention every booking with a known allergy, especially severe ones, so the floor knows which tables need extra care and the kitchen knows what is coming.

Remind the team of the routine: ask every table about allergies, record them as allergies rather than notes, tell the kitchen in person for severe ones, and check every plate at the pass. A thirty-second reminder each day keeps the routine sharp. Our guide to allergy notes: the record that must not fail covers how to record them.

Hold the briefing at the same time every day, early enough that everyone can attend and late enough that the information is current. Ten or fifteen minutes before the doors open usually works: prep is nearly done, the tables are set and the bookings for the night are settled.

Start on time, even if one or two people are late. A briefing that waits for everyone teaches everyone to be late.

The manager on duty usually runs the briefing, with the chef covering the specials and the kitchen's needs. Rotating who leads it, so senior servers and sous chefs take a turn, builds confidence and gives the team a sense of ownership.

Whoever runs it should prepare: the covers, the specials, the shortages and the guests, written on a card or a sheet so nothing is forgotten.

Write the briefing on a card or a sheet before it starts: the covers and peaks, the specials with prices and allergens, the shortages and alternatives, the guests to look after and the one thing to do better. Read from it, then pin it by the pass.

A briefing card keeps the briefing short, because the person running it follows the card rather than thinking aloud. It also means anyone who arrives late, or starts mid-shift, can catch up in thirty seconds.

In a small venue, the whole team may be three or four people, and a formal briefing can feel unnecessary. It still helps. Two minutes together before service, covering the same five points, makes sure everyone knows the same things.

In a small team, the briefing can be informal: over the staff meal, at the bar while setting up, or in the kitchen. What matters is that it happens every day, covers the five points and includes everyone.

Servers sell specials better when they can describe them without notes. After the chef has described each special, ask one or two servers to describe it back in their own words, as they would to a guest. It takes a minute and shows whether the description has stuck.

Correct gently and quickly. A server who has said the description once out loud is far more confident saying it at the table.

Not everyone starts at the same time. Servers who arrive for the second half of the evening, or kitchen staff who start later, miss the briefing. Make sure they catch up: a senior server or the manager gives them the key points in a minute when they arrive, using the briefing card.

A late starter who has not heard about the shortages or the allergy table is the one most likely to make the mistake the briefing was meant to prevent.

People remember what they hear, see and repeat. Say the key points clearly, write them where the team will see them during service, such as a board by the pass, and ask a question or two to check: "What's the special tonight, and what's in it?"

Keep the format the same every day. A familiar order helps people listen, because they know what is coming.

In venues with more than one service a day, a shift handover between the day and evening teams matters as much as the briefing. The outgoing team passes on what happened: what ran out, what broke, any guests who complained, anything the evening team needs to know.

A short handover note, read at the evening briefing, carries the day's lessons into the evening. Without it, the evening team learns the same problems again.

On the busiest days, such as holidays, large events or the first night of a new menu, the briefing matters most and is most tempting to skip. Hold it anyway, perhaps a little earlier, and make it clear and calm.

Plan the busy day's briefing in advance: the timing of the rush, the plan for walk-ins, who covers which section, which dishes are likely to run out and how they will be 86'd. A team that has heard the plan copes far better when the pressure arrives.

Sometimes the plan changes after the briefing: a large table cancels, a dish runs out early, the kitchen falls behind. Have a quick way to pass changes to the whole team during service, such as a word at the pass, a note on the board by the pass or a message to the team.

A briefing sets the plan; quick updates keep it current. Both matter.

The briefing is also the place to keep service standards alive. Each day's one thing to do better is usually a standard that slipped: the greeting, water service, checking back, the bill. Reminding the team of one standard each day keeps them all in mind over a few weeks.

Our guide to service standards written as actions, not values covers how to write the standards the briefing can draw on.

Some days, add a minute of teaching: a new wine to describe, a dish's allergens to learn, a way to handle a common guest question. A minute a day adds up to a great deal of knowledge over a month, without a separate training session.

Keep it short and practical, and connect it to the night ahead. "Tonight we have the new Rioja by the glass; here is how to describe it in one sentence."

The best briefings are brief, useful and positive. Share a compliment from a guest, thank someone who handled a difficult table well, celebrate a good night. A team that leaves the briefing feeling ready and appreciated starts service in a better mood than one that leaves feeling lectured.

Avoid using the briefing to criticise individuals in front of the team. Feedback for one person belongs in a private conversation.

Check whether the briefing makes a difference. After a few weeks of a new format, ask the team whether they feel better prepared. Look at the problems the briefing is meant to prevent: dishes sold after they ran out, specials described wrongly, allergies missed, large tables that took everyone by surprise.

If those problems are falling, the briefing is working. If they are not, look at what the briefing covers and how it is run, and adjust. Our guide to staff training that fits around service covers using short sessions like this one for training.

Keep a short record of each briefing: the covers, the specials, the shortages, the guests to look after and the one thing to do better. A line or two in a notebook or a shared message is enough.

Over time, the record shows patterns: the standards that keep slipping, the dishes that keep running out and the nights that are always busier than booked. It also helps a new manager see how the venue runs.

Guests never see the briefing, but they feel its effects: a server who knows the specials and their prices, a dish that is not offered after it has run out, an allergy handled with care, a birthday noticed. Each of those moments starts with five minutes before the doors open.

That is the best argument for keeping the briefing short and holding it every day. It is one of the few things a venue can do before service that changes how every table's evening goes.

An invented brasserie's briefings run to twenty minutes, without the kitchen, and cover everything from glass polishing to holiday requests. Servers drift in late, the specials are read out last, and on busy nights the floor sells dishes that have already run out.

The manager cuts the briefing to five minutes and five points: covers and peaks, specials from the chef with tasting, shortages and alternatives, guests to look after and one thing to do better. It moves to the pass, so the kitchen can join, and starts at the same time every day. Key points go on a board by the pass.

Within a few weeks, servers arrive on time, the specials sell better and dishes stop being sold after they have run out. The chef says the briefing is the most useful five minutes of the day.

Most of the briefing's facts are already in servearound. The dashboard's "Right now" shows today's covers and bookings, who is seated and waiting, the tables in service and the open orders, and the reservations list shows each booking's party size and time, with the guest's notes and allergies entered by the team. Guest profiles hold visit history, spend, allergies, dietary needs, tags, birthdays and preferences, and tables can be marked VIP and given a responsible server.

On the till, the Sold Out list shows what has been 86'd, and the menu report shows how each dish sold over any range of dates. Each venue's team chat in Messages can carry the briefing's notes for anyone who missed it. See the reservations module and Order Fulfillment.

A short meeting with the whole team before service, covering what everyone needs to know for the night ahead.

Five minutes. Longer briefings lose the team's attention.

Covers and peaks, the specials, shortages and alternatives, the guests to look after and one thing to do better.

Yes. A briefing with both sides makes them one team for the evening.

At the same time every day, ten or fifteen minutes before the doors open.

Usually the manager on duty, with the chef covering the specials. Rotating the role builds confidence.

Long stories, rotas, training on new procedures and criticism of individuals.

The same order every day, key points on a board during service, and a quick question to check understanding.

A pre-shift briefing is five minutes that prevents a dozen problems. Cover five things in the same order every day: the covers and the shape of the night, the specials from the chef with prices and allergens, the shortages and their alternatives, the guests who need particular care, and one thing to do better tonight.

Include the kitchen, start on time, keep it to five minutes, put the key points where the team will see them during service, use a shift handover between services, and keep the tone positive.