Daily operations
Shift handoffs that don’t lose information
A short, structured handoff and a shared log keep the next manager from finding out the hard way.
By 86operations · Published · 4 min read
The most expensive information in a restaurant is the thing one manager knew and the next one didn’t: the cooler running warm, the guest who was promised a call back, the item that ran out at 8 p.m.
What a good handoff contains
- Staffing: call-outs, cuts, who’s on tomorrow.
- Kitchen and bar: 86’d items, prep needed, equipment issues.
- Guests: complaints, follow-ups, VIPs expected.
- Facilities: anything broken and who was called.
How to do it in 86’d
- Write tonight’s Manager Log entry (service, kitchen, bar, staffing, wins, tomorrow).
- Open Shift Handoff and send the next manager the items that need attention.
- Turn anything that needs action into a task or maintenance item with an owner.
- The next manager starts on Today, where open items are listed.
Hypothetical example
The closing manager notes that a guest’s anniversary dessert was missed and promises a call. She creates a task for the GM. The GM sees it on Today, calls the guest and closes the task with a note.
Illustrative only—not a customer result.