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Total: 0h
Free restaurant scheduling tool · No signup
Free Restaurant Schedule Maker for Small Teams
Plan front-of-house and back-of-house shifts in one weekly grid. Add split shifts, review employee and day totals, and download a PDF before creating an account.
- Split shifts
- Live weekly totals
- 6 guest employees
- Guest PDF download
Build this week’s restaurant schedule
Add front-of-house and back-of-house employees, then place opening, prep, service, and closing shifts on the grid.
Guest mode includes PDF. Sign in free to save schedules and use account tools.
| Employee | Mon Jul 27 | Tue Jul 28 | Wed Jul 29 | Thu Jul 30 | Fri Jul 31 | Sat Aug 1 | Sun Aug 2 | Total | OT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
E | — | ||||||||
| Daily Totals | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0h | |
Est. Pay — account required | Employee 1: •••• | ||||||||
A restaurant schedule is useful when a manager can answer three questions from one screen: which work is covered, how many hours each employee has, and which version the team should follow. The tool above gives a small team that weekly record without requiring an account first.
Write coverage before assigning names
Begin with the work that cannot be empty. A headcount does not show whether someone can unlock the building, run the pass, cover bar, release a refund, or complete close. Name those responsibilities first, then place employees against them.
| Coverage window | Ownership to name | Schedule check |
|---|---|---|
| Before open | Access, prep, equipment, cash | A qualified opener arrives before the door time |
| Lunch or dinner rise | Pass, kitchen stations, floor, bar, pickup | The role mix changes with the demand window |
| Handoff | Breaks, count, prep status, manager authority | One shift does not leave before the next can take over |
| Close | Cashout, tip source, food, dish, lock-up | The scheduled finish includes the work after service |
Keep split shifts and weekly totals together
If Jamie works 11:00-14:00 and returns for 17:00-22:00, add both shifts to Saturday. The cell shows the interruption, while the employee total counts eight planned hours. Do not stretch the first shift across the unpaid gap or keep the dinner block in a separate note that never reaches the weekly total.
Use one published version and one worked record
The published schedule is the plan employees received. After a call-out, extension, early cut, or swap, update the current schedule and keep the approved change visible. Payroll still needs actual time. Compare the final record with the plan instead of silently turning the planned week into a timecard.
Guest mode is suited to a temporary draft: up to six employees, the current week plus four future weeks, live totals, and PDF download. A free saved account supports up to 12 active employees, eight weeks of history, roles, day-level availability context, tips, pay estimates, PDF/print, and CSV/XLSX exports. Availability provides a day cue; it does not store exact time windows or block an assignment.
Move event detail into the catering roster
A catering event needs venue, arrival, guest window, finish, role, travel, and handoff fields that do not belong in a compact weekly cell. Use the catering staff schedule template for that event record, then place each approved paid assignment into the weekly grid so restaurant and catering work share one employee total.
Carry the week into opening, tips, and payroll
The Restaurant Weekly Operations Pack workbook connects the schedule to an opening and closing checklist, catering roster, tip handoff, and payroll handoff. Use the restaurant tip calculator for exact-cent payout math and the Canadian restaurant operations guide for the review path into current rule resources.
Who this schedule maker fits
It fits independent cafes, small dining rooms, bakeries, food trucks, and restaurant teams whose weekly schedule is still understandable on one grid. A chain with deep POS integration, automatic scheduling, complex permissions, or multi-location labour controls may need a broader platform.
Frequently asked questions
Why do restaurants need a different schedule maker?
Restaurant coverage changes by time and role. Prep starts before service, front-of-house demand rises sharply, and closing work continues after the last order. Maxuod Shift supports multiple shifts per employee per day, so a lunch and dinner split can stay in one weekly grid and both blocks count toward the total.
Can I track tipped vs non-tipped roles?
Use the public restaurant tip calculator without an account to test an hours-based or role-percentage split. A free saved account connects employee roles, worked hours, tip groups, and weekly tip records in the same workspace.
Does it handle a 4 PM to 11 PM closing shift across midnight?
A 4 PM to 11 PM shift is a same-day shift and works normally. One continuous assignment that crosses midnight is not represented exactly in the current scheduler. Do not use 11:55 PM as a substitute for midnight. Keep the full actual interval in the time record your payroll process uses, and use the published schedule as planning context.
How does it help with no-show coverage?
In guest mode, remove the unavailable shift, add the replacement, review the updated totals, and download a new PDF. A free saved account adds persistent published weeks, employee access, and CSV/XLSX exports for the revised schedule.
Can I use it to build a catering staff schedule?
Use the catering staff schedule template to record the event, venue, setup, kitchen, bar, service, cleanup, arrival, event, finish, labour-hour, and conflict fields. Add each approved arrival-to-finish assignment to the weekly restaurant schedule when event staff also work normal shifts.
Will it grow with my restaurant?
The free saved tier covers up to twelve active employees, eight weeks of history, PDF/print, tips, CSV/XLSX, and roles, which fits most cafes, food trucks, and small dining rooms. The Supporter tier extends to fifty employees with fifty-two weeks of history, no ads, and priority support. The product is not designed for chains or 100-employee operations — there are heavier tools for that.
One connected weekly workflow
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Start scheduling in minutes
No signup required. Open the free scheduler and build your first weekly schedule right now.