Start with expected trade before shifts are placed.
Free hospitality planning tool
Café staffing template
Use this cafe staffing template to plan cover around breakfast rush, lunch peak, prep, afternoon dips and close-down.
ForecastPlan labourCheck wage %Review before publish
Web preview: use this before publishing
Edit the preview in the browser if useful, then print or export CSV. The public page does not store entered data server-side.
Cafe day settings
Use these fields to frame the day before filling the daypart grid.
| Field | Example value | Operator note |
|---|---|---|
| Opening time | 07:00 | Opening and prep may need different cover. |
| Closing time | 17:00 | Include clean-down after customer close. |
| Breakfast rush window | 07:30-09:30 | Barista pressure can peak early. |
| Lunch peak window | 12:00-14:00 | Food prep and FOH cover often rise together. |
| Afternoon dip | 14:30-16:00 | Review lighter cover before cutting close-down. |
| Prep hours | 2.0 | Check food prep and delivery setup. |
| Close-down hours | 1.0 | Plan clean-down and cash-up cover. |
| Lone working note | Avoid lone close where possible | Use manager judgement and venue policy. |
| Delivery/takeaway note | Lunch delivery pressure | Check whether trade moves away from counter service. |
| Weather/garden note | Sunny patio demand | Review outdoor tables or queue pressure. |
Suggested daypart grid
Illustrative only. Replace trade and cover assumptions with your own cafe pattern.
| Daypart | Forecast trade | Barista cover | Food prep cover | FOH cover | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening/prep | Low trade / setup | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | Set up counter and food prep. |
| Breakfast rush | High drinks demand | 2 | 1 | 1 | Protect barista throughput. |
| Mid-morning | Steady | 1-2 | 1 | 1 | Review break timing. |
| Lunch peak | High food demand | 2 | 2 | 1-2 | Protect queue and kitchen handover. |
| Afternoon dip | Lower trade | 1 | 0-1 | 1 | Review waste before cutting too far. |
| Close-down | Low trade / clean-down | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | Plan clean-down safely. |
Use this before publishing
- 1Set opening, closing, breakfast rush, lunch peak and afternoon dip windows.
- 2Add prep, close-down, delivery, takeaway, weather and garden notes.
- 3Plan barista, food prep, FOH and manager cover by daypart.
- 4Review lighter periods without weakening breakfast, lunch or close-down cover.
- 5Print or export CSV for a manual review, then check labour cost before publishing.
What to check
Check breakfast rush, lunch peak, prep, delivery pressure, quiet afternoon cover and close-down before publishing.
What to check
- Use this as a planning guide and adapt it to your own cafe trade pattern.
- Breakfast, lunch, prep, close-down and lighter periods can require different cover.
- Lone working notes are prompts for manager review, not legal advice.
What RotaSmart replaces
See labour cost while the rota can still change.
Spot risk before the week goes live.
RotaSmart helps cafes shape cover around daypart demand. Breakfast, lunch, prep, close-down and lighter trading periods can require different cover, and RotaSmart keeps labour cost and wage percentage visible while managers adjust the plan.
Explore hospitality rota software or see labour cost control.
Planning note
Use this as a planning guide and check it against your own venue. This template does not replace payroll, HR or legal advice.
Review this result against a real rota week
Use the result as a prompt, then compare it with the forecast, rota draft, open shifts and venue context.
Related resources
Keep the same planning context connected across product pages, guides and tools.
Questions operators ask
Short answers for using the tool without treating the result as a fixed operational rule.
Why split a cafe day into dayparts?
Breakfast, lunch, afternoon dips, prep and close-down can create different staffing pressure.
Does this replace cafe rota software?
No. It is useful for manual planning, but live rota software keeps demand, labour cost and staff changes connected.
Can I print the template?
Yes. Use browser print or export CSV. No entered data is stored by the public page.
Bring this week to a RotaSmart walkthrough
Use the public result as a starting point, then review forecast sales, planned labour, wage percentage, open shifts and rota risk with real context.