Sample result
Pre-Shift Meeting Builder for Restaurants
The owner asked this:«We do a pre-shift when I remember, and when I do it runs twenty minutes talking about attitude. We are 9 on the floor and 6 in the kitchen, and the Tuesday-to-Friday lunch is what pays the payroll. I want the script so my captain can read it without me.»
① The clock: 600 seconds and there is no seventh block
11:35, standing, by the pass. Not 11:00 —set-up is half done— and not 11:55, by which time nothing can be fixed.
| # | Block | Seconds | Who speaks | Which figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yesterday's number | 90 | Captain | Sales, covers, check and % against last Tuesday |
| 2 | Today's target | 60 | Captain | Target lunch covers |
| 3 | State of the menu | 180 | Head chef | 86'd, those under 10 portions, new items |
| 4 | The push of the day | 90 | Captain | The literal line and its reason |
| 5 | The split | 120 | Captain | Sections, expected covers per channel, who is missing |
| 6 | The one reminder | 60 | Whoever runs it | What cost money yesterday |
Total: 600 seconds. Block 3 is the longest on purpose: it is the only one that prevents the ticket the kitchen cannot fill, and that is the one that pays for the meeting.
② The literal script, with the blanks marked
① Yesterday's number — «Yesterday we did ____ on ____ covers, check of ____. Against last Tuesday we are ____ %.»
② Today's target — «Today we go for ____ covers. That is ____ more tables than yesterday between the three of us.»
③ State of the menu (kitchen speaks) — «____ is 86'd. There are fewer than ten portions of ____ left, tell me before you sell it. ____ is new: ____ grams, out in ____ minutes. If they ask for the 86'd one, the authorised swap is ____, no price difference.»
④ Today's push — «Today we push ____. It is said like this: «____». It is on because ____.»
⑤ The split — «____ takes the main room, ____ the terrace, ____ the bar. When the peak lands, ____ backs up ____. ____ is missing today, ____ covers.»
⑥ One single thing — «Yesterday ____. Not today.»
Close — «What is not clear?» — and wait. Really wait, three seconds of awkward silence, because whoever does not ask walks into the shift with the doubt.
It is written to be read aloud and not read on screen. Scripts read off a screen sound like memos.
③ The two-minute sheet and the push of the day
The five boxes the captain fills at 11:33, before calling the team:
| Box | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Yesterday's sales and covers | Yesterday's till close, first line |
| % against the same weekday | Same sheet, previous week's column |
| 86'd and running low | Called out by the head chef at 11:30 |
| Push of the day | The rule below — it is not improvised |
| Who is missing | The shift's WhatsApp group |
The push of the day: one, and with its literal line. Three examples from your menu:
| Dish | Selling line (< 15 words) | Business reason |
|---|---|---|
| House platter | «The platter comes with the blood sausage we make here. Nobody else has it.» | Contribution margin 9 points above average |
| Sancocho | «There is sancocho today and it is Tuesday: it is not back until Saturday.» | Real scarcity, rotates the day's pot |
| House dessert | «The dessert is made by Doña Rosa every morning. Twelve left.» | Lifts the check ~12 % with no kitchen work |
Two pushes are zero pushes. If the captain names two, the team pushes neither.
④ THE DECK: the push is not chosen, it is dealt
Six cut-out cards, one per star dish. Whoever runs the meeting takes the first unmarked card, reads the line exactly as written and returns it with the date on it. The push rotates instead of being whatever the boss likes best.
| # | Dish | The line, literal | Business reason | Margin | Used on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Osso buco cappelletti | «The cappelletti are filled this morning.» | Fresh pasta: what does not sell in two days is thrown out | 68 % | ____ |
| 02 | Burrata with focaccia | «The burrata came in yesterday, eight left.» | Shared starter: it does not compete with the main | 74 % | ____ |
| 03 | House malbec | «We pour the house malbec by the glass.» | Highest margin, and it takes no kitchen time at peak | 81 % | ____ |
No line runs past 15 words, and all six pass the house's human-writing contract before they are printed: it is the only part of this document a guest will hear.
The full example has 2 more part(s): you see them inside the library, with your account.