Team & events
Shift Staffing Calculator
How do I staff Friday without over-scheduling or getting buried?
Staff to the covers you expect and the section size you can actually serve, then check the labour cost that schedule implies before you post it.
Your numbers
Pre-filled with a worked example so you can see how it behaves. Type over any field with your own figures. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
The answer
How this is calculated
Servers = forecast covers ÷ covers per server, rounded up
Support staff = servers × support ratio, rounded up
Labour cost = (servers × shift hours × server rate) + (support × shift hours × support rate)
Implied labour % = labour cost ÷ (forecast covers × average check) × 100
What this does not tell you
- Front of house only. Kitchen labour, payroll burden, and salaried management are not included, so the real labour percentage is higher.
- Servers in tip-credit states are often paid a lower cash wage. Use the cash wage you actually pay, and remember the tip credit does not reduce your payroll tax base.
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