Daily Specials and Menu Update Checklist
Daily routine the chef and GM run to set, price, communicate, and review the day's specials. Covers walk-in pull, BOH plating standard, FOH lineup briefing, POS build, and post-service sales review.
Inventory and Walk-In Review
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Walk the cooler FIFO
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Flag use-by items for the special
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Confirm pars on staple proteins
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Pull a featured ingredient for the special
Build the Special With BOH
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Sous proposes the special concept
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Estimate ticket time at the station
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Document allergens for the specialCollects list
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Decide whether the special needs an allergen-free prep pathCollects list
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Stage dedicated tools for the allergen ticket
Set aside a dedicated cutting board, tongs, sauté pan, and color-coded gloves for the allergen-free build. Cross-contact at the plating step is the most common anaphylaxis vector — same fryer oil, same board, or unchanged gloves are all citation-level failures.
Pricing and Plate Sign-Off
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Cost the plate against the recipe card
Sum the recipe-card unit costs for protein, starch, veg, sauce, and garnish. Use current invoice pricing — produce can swing 20% week-over-week and last month's recipe card will under-cost the plate.
Collects number -
Set the menu price for a 28-32% food cost
Target food cost percentage on specials should match or beat the menu average. If the plate cost is $7.20, a 30% food-cost target sets the menu price at $24. Round to the restaurant's price ladder ($23 / $24 / $26) rather than odd cents.
Collects number -
Plate the test portion for chef sign-off
Build one full plate to spec before service. Executive chef or sous tastes, checks portion weight against the recipe card, and signs off. Photograph the approved plate as the line's reference for the night.
Collects image
POS and Marketing Update
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Build the special in Toast
Add the special as a new menu item with the priced amount, modifier groups, allergen tags, and the prep station route. Verify it prints to the correct expo printer before opening — a special routed to the wrong station is a Friday-night ticket-time disaster.
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Print the chalkboard or insert card
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Post the special to Instagram and Google Business
Use the approved plate photo. Tag any local sourcing (farm, brewery, fishery). Update Google Business Profile post so the special shows in search and Maps for tonight's diners.
Pre-Shift Lineup
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Brief FOH on the special at lineup
Cover the components, the price, the allergens, the wine or cocktail pairing, and the count available. Servers should taste a portion at lineup — they sell what they've eaten.
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Walk the allergen-free prep path with the line
Only run when the special carries a top-9 allergen and a clean-build path is required. Sous walks the line through the dedicated board, tools, and glove change at the call of an allergy ticket.
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Confirm starting count for the specialCollects number
Post-Service Review
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Pull the special's sales mix from the POS
Run the Toast or Square sales-mix report for the special: covers sold, revenue, comp/void rate, and attach rate to entrée mix. A special that sold under 10% of entrée mix didn't land — log the reason (price, description, server push).
Collects number -
Capture line and server feedback
One sentence each from sauté, grill, expo, and the floor lead: was the ticket time sustainable, did the plating hold up, did guests push back on price or description? Log to the running specials journal.
Collects paragraph -
Decide whether to repeat the specialCollects list
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