Employee Performance Review Checklist

Export the employee's last-period sales mix, voids, comps, and average check from Toast (or Square, Aloha, etc. — whichever is the POS of record). For servers, include PPA and upsell add-ons; for bartenders, include pour cost variance against the bar par. Save the export to the review folder so the numbers are auditable in the meeting.

Export the punch log, no-show count, late count, and shift-cover history for the review period. Cross-check against the schedule in Homebase or HotSchedules if the operator uses a separate scheduling tool. Note any unapproved overtime — a common wage-and-hour exposure.

Ask the relevant sous chef, AGM, or shift lead for two or three specific examples — not vibes. Concrete observations (a save on a 12-top allergy ticket, a missed cooling log on a Sunday close) hold up in the review conversation; "good attitude" does not.

Check expiration dates on the food handler card (ServSafe or state-equivalent) and, for bartenders and servers who pour, the alcohol-service cert (TIPS, ServSafe Alcohol, or state RBS). Most certs run 3-5 years. In MA, IL, MI, NY, and RI, also confirm the allergen-aware credential for any employee acting as the on-shift allergen-trained manager.

For BOH staff, pull the walk-in and freezer temp logs and the cooling logs for shifts the employee closed. Look for skipped entries, out-of-range readings without corrective action, and the 140°F-to-70°F-in-2-hours / down-to-41°F-in-6-hours cooling discipline. Log gaps are the single most common health-inspection citation.

Review any allergen-ticket incidents, cross-contact reports, or guest complaints from the review period. Cite dates and tickets — not generalities. Reinforce dedicated tools, dedicated fry, hand-changed gloves at plating.

For BOH, rate station execution — sauté, grill, garde manger, pastry, dish — against the chef's expectations for ticket time, cook temp, and plate presentation. For FOH, rate section management — table turn, greet time, course pacing, check accuracy. Cite specific shifts where possible.

Pull the void and comp report by employee from the POS. A high comp rate may indicate over-comping to recover service mistakes; a high void rate may indicate order-entry errors. Compare to the team median, not an absolute threshold.

Divide the employee's total appetizer, dessert, and BTG sales by their cover count for the review period. Compare against the team's PPA. A lagging upsell number is usually a training opportunity (menu knowledge, suggestion script) before it's a performance problem.

Settle on a single overall rating before walking into the review meeting. A "Below expectations" rating triggers the 30-day performance improvement plan path; do not surprise the employee with a PIP without the documented data trail from the prior steps.

Count late punches (more than 5 minutes past scheduled), no-shows, and unapproved shift swaps from the 7shifts export. A rolling pattern of lateness compounds into a culture problem if the GM tolerates it without an accountability cadence.

Write two or three sentences synthesizing the feedback collected earlier — themes, not raw quotes. Note whether the employee helps the team during a weeded service or vanishes to the side-work station.

Check the closing side-work sign-off sheet against shifts the employee worked. Watch the FLSA 80/20 boundary too — if non-tipped side-work consistently exceeds 20% of the shift, the tip credit can't be claimed for that time, which is a wage-and-hour exposure for the operator independent of the employee's performance.

Two or three concrete, measurable goals — "lift dessert attach rate from 18% to 25%," "complete grill-station cross-train by next review," "zero unapproved late punches." Skip vague goals like "be a better teammate."

Flag any upcoming cert renewals (ServSafe, TIPS, allergen-aware) and any cross-training opportunities — a line cook progressing to sauté, a server training on bar, a host training to expedite. Tie each to a target date so the plan isn't aspirational.

Triggered when the overall rating is below expectations. Name the specific behaviors to correct, the standard expected, the check-in cadence (typically weekly), and the consequence if standards aren't met. Have the employee sign the PIP; file a copy in the employee folder and route a copy to ownership or HR.

Hold the conversation off the floor — back office or the bar pre-open, not in the dish pit between turns. Walk the employee through the rating, the data behind it, the goals for next period, and any training or PIP path. Leave time for the employee to respond before signing.

Capture the final action, the manager's notes from the conversation, and the employee's signature acknowledging the review. The signature acknowledges receipt, not agreement — note that on the form if the employee disputes the rating.

Save the signed review, the data exports, and any PIP to the employee's personnel folder (R365, Gusto, or wherever the operator keeps HR records). Retention is typically the longer of state requirement or four years after separation.

Triggered on a promotion-track outcome. File the role change in Gusto, ADP, or Toast Payroll with the new title, new wage, and effective date. If the move crosses from tipped to non-tipped (or vice versa), update the tip-credit notice and have the employee re-acknowledge in writing — federal FLSA requires the notice before any tip credit applies.