Pre-Shift Meeting Checklist

Chef or sous covers each special: protein source, prep technique, sauce, garnish, allergens, and price. Servers should be able to describe two flavor adjectives and the cook time without reading off a card. Pour a taste of any new wine BTG so the floor can sell it.

Read the 86 board: items out, low-count items ("three left on the lamb"), substitution path for each. Update POS availability so tickets don't fire on items the line can't make.

Pick one upsell target (a high-margin app, a feature cocktail, dessert add-on) and one service KPI (turn time, PPA, dessert attach rate). One target per shift sticks; five targets land as none.

Pull the book from Resy/OpenTable/SevenRooms. Note peak windows, large parties (6+), and any back-to-back turns under 90 minutes. Compare forecasted covers to the prep par to confirm the kitchen is built for the night.

Print the floor plan with section numbers and assigned servers, busser, food runner, and bar back. Match strong closers to late sections; pair new servers with experienced food runners.

Spot-check menus for stains, tears, and outdated specials inserts. Tables: candles lit, salt and pepper full, condiments wiped, silverware polished, banquettes free of crumbs. Restrooms stocked.

Cold-holding must be 41°F or below. Record walk-in, reach-ins, and low-boys on the temperature log. Anything in the danger zone (41–140°F) is pulled and the unit is flagged for service before the next service begins.

Sous walks each station — sauté, grill, garde manger, pastry — confirming pars on proteins, sauces, garnishes, and starches. Anything below par is fired now, not at first ticket.

Use a test strip on the sanitizer bay: quat ammonia 200–400 ppm or chlorine 50–100 ppm depending on your chemical. Log the reading. Inspectors check the strip box and the log.

States including MA, IL, MI, NY, and RI require an allergen-aware certified manager (PCFP or AllerTrain) on every shift. Log the certified manager's name; an inspector will ask.

Allergy tickets get dedicated cutting board, fresh gloves, clean tongs, and separate fryer where possible. Expo calls "allergy" loud; the line repeats it back. Cross-contact at plating is the failure point — review which dishes share a fry basket or sauce pot today.

Clean chef coats, aprons changed, non-slip shoes on every BOH and FOH staff member, hair tied back or capped, jewelry per code. Send anyone non-compliant home to change before the door opens — OSHA and health both cite on this.

Hand sinks (separate from prep and three-bay) need hot water, soap, and single-use towels. Remind line: 20 seconds, between tasks, after handling raw protein, after breaks. No bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food — gloves or tongs.

Liquor license posted and unexpired, current health permit, food handler / ServSafe certificates on file, OSHA 300A summary if posting season (Feb 1 – Apr 30), allergen poster, choke-saver poster. Photograph anything expiring within 30 days.

Open Toast / Square / Aloha, fire a test ticket to each printer and the KDS, run a $0.01 test charge on the card reader to confirm gateway is live. A POS that fails at 6:30 means tickets on paper and a slammed line.