Article

How to Help Your Staff Manage Side Work

Any full-service restaurant veteran can tell you that the snarls and growls of a hungry wolf pale in comparison with the horrifying howls and gnashing teeth of impatient, hungry diners. Not to fear, a little preparation can go a long way toward making sure that service is able to run efficiently even in the long, dark night of a crushing service rush.

The Boy Scouts of America undoubtedly were thinking about safety and self-preservation, not smooth service when they adopted the motto "Be Prepared." But it is prudent advice that is just as valid and just as necessary for "survival" in a crowded dining room as in the woods.

In restaurant parlance, "side work" includes all preparations that must be completed before the restaurant opens, before service begins, and/or before one shift of workers is replaced with another. It also includes maintenance work during and clean up after the shift. Its purpose is always the same: to keep the restaurant workplace stocked and prepared to take care of as many customers as walk through the doors. Your servers and server assistants have a more basic definition for side work — it is everything they do that is not directly connected to getting a tip.

As any veteran server can tell you, tangible and immediate remuneration is what your dining room staff is after, and side work is grudgingly accepted as part of the deal. Though a crucial component to the smooth functioning of any successful restaurant operation, side work is viewed as something to be done with haste and accomplished in as little time as possible. So as an operator or manager, you want to make sure that all those tasks get done and that there is accountability for getting them done properly.

The important Versus the Immediate

Once guests arrive and service begins, all time, attention and effort must be concentrated on taking care of their immediate needs. This means that getting the restaurant into proper condition for serving guests must be done in advance. If all the little details of serving food and drink were attended to only at the time the food and drink were requested, eating out would be a time-consuming grind for the server and a marathon of patience for the served.

For example, consider the simple request for a cup of coffee. If at the time the coffee is ordered, all the components necessary to serve it were not already in place, the server would do something like this: find a clean coffeepot; grind the beans and brew the coffee; get cream from the refrigerator and find a clean creamer to put it in; gather the three or four kinds of sugar and sugar substitute commonly expected; get a clean coffee cup, saucer and spoon; then take it all to the table and serve it.

Simply recounting the steps, let alone actually performing them, is a drawn-out process, and takes longer than should be necessary to fulfill such a simple request. And when you consider that a cup of coffee is just one very simple request typically made by only one out of maybe 20 guests seated in a server's station, you quickly get the idea that advance legwork and preparation are the only way to get everything (and in some cases, anything) done.

Equitable Distribution

Side work can be divided into three categories: opening side work, running side work, and closing side work. The first category includes all those things that must be done to get the restaurant ready for the arrival of guests. It includes polishing glassware and silverware; folding napkins; making coffee and tea; setting up and stocking service stations with all the necessaries like napkins, small wares, silver, glasses, sugar and cream for coffee; setting up and stocking the bread station; stocking condiments the guests may ask for; and depending on the type of operation, various other items. For example, in an establishment that does tableside service, someone must set up the service carts. An ethnic restaurant might have condiments that need to be readied.

Let us not place the entire onus of the problem on staff. Management too often does not devote sufficient time and thought to develop an efficient and equitable side work system. Especially to the uninitiated startup owner, side work can be seen as something that will work itself out organically. This is rarely the case. As we will discuss, there are a variety of ways to assign side work. But, as in football, you must start with the fundamentals. To ensure that everything gets done, you will first have to make a list of everything that needs doing. When compiling a side work list, write down every single task necessary to get the restaurant ready to serve guests and attend to their needs during the shift.

Even the most insignificant tasks must be included because if they are not assigned to one person, they will not get done. Side work tasks come in varying levels of difficulty. Some are quickly and simply accomplished, and others require more time and effort. And though side work could rarely be considered strenuous physically, it is nearly always tedious.

When the entire list of tasks has been drawn up, rate each task from easy to difficult and assign numbers accordingly. Use a scale, let us say, from 1 to 5, with 1 being assigned to the very easiest tasks and 5 to the most difficult and time-consuming. When the side work chart is then compiled and the tasks are grouped for assignment, each person should have tasks that add up to about equal numbers.

Not only will every task be assigned, but it will be done so in an equitable fashion. Moreover, if any of your staff complains that they have been unfairly overworked, you can at least show him that you attempted to apply a fair system. In fairness to you, you might overrate or underrate the chore. But one of the great things about this business, is that every day is an opportunity to fine-tune and improve your processes.

Management too often does not devote sufficient time and thought to developing an efficient and equitable side work system. Especially to the uninitiated startup owner, side work can be seen as something that will itself out organically. This is rarely the case.

There is, of course, one other variable in this equation. While the total amount of side work to be done rarely changes, the number of servers and bussers working on any given shift does. So, you must create a side work chart that accommodates shifting levels of staffing. For traditionally busier shifts you will schedule more help on the floor. Accordingly, each team member will have less side work to do. Say your side work chart has 30 tasks to be performed with a total point value of 90. When 10 servers are scheduled, each one should have side work duties amounting to about nine points. This does not mean, however, that each staffer will have three tasks.

Remember that some tasks are more difficult than others. Server A might have only two difficult tasks while Server B might have six or seven easier tasks. If we are having fun with simple math, when five servers are scheduled, each should have side work responsibilities amounting to about 18 points. Half as much staff means double the amount of side work for each. Once you have assigned point values to all the tasks, it is just a matter of doing the math.

The key point is to divide the duties as equally as possible and then make a chart for dividing them among every staffing level you might encounter. If you run your operation with anywhere from four to eight servers, make a side work chart for a four-station floor plan, a five-station floor plan, etc., all the way up to eight. In the spirit of side work, you can do this in advance, to make this aspect of daily planning more seamless.

Fine-Tune Your System

As you develop a system that makes sense for your place, you will find additional ways to logically group and assign tasks. For example, you might group tasks by their proximity to each other in the house — perhaps the clean silverware bins are next to the coffee service. You might group them by type — i.e., cleaning duties versus tabletop duties. The important point is that they are organized in ways that make sense and those performing them find them fair and equitable. Again, you will probably find that you must tweak the process and will end up moving certain duties off one assignment and onto another.

You can be sure that your staff will let you know if the responsibilities are unevenly divided. Daily side work assignments can be linked to stations on the floor chart, to staggered staffing schedules, on a first-come-first-serve basis, or even as a carrot-on-a-stick proposition. In the latter case, a simple atta-boy or atta-girl reward can be reducing side work point responsibilities for a shift or two.

Some operators let the staff member choose side work duties in the order they arrive for their shifts. This is a good tactic to deter tardiness.

It is probably most common to link specific side work assignments to stations. This system is probably also the easiest, especially if you have a workable station rotation system and individual staff members have an idea of which stations they'll be working on any given day.

Some operators let the staff members choose side work duties in the order they arrive for their shifts. This is a good tactic to deter tardiness. Others assign side work according to their whims and moods, possibly rewarding those staff members currently in good graces, but more likely punishing those they deem blameworthy. The latter arrangement, though, is known for its deleterious effects on staff morale. You can see the problems that might arise the further you stray from a methodical system.

Allow staff input and invite suggestions about changes and refinements to the side work system. They are, after all, the ones performing these tasks every day and so they know what is most efficient and fair. Plus, you need to jump on every opportunity to involve your team in the management of the restaurant. It breeds a sense of ownership, which will reflect positively on all aspects of the business.

It Is Not a Thankless Job

Side work is necessary to get the workplace or workstation fully stocked and in running order before the business of putting meals on tables begins. It means doing ahead of time all the time-consuming small tasks and prep work for which there will be no time later. It also means stocking the workplace with all necessary items and having them in place, close at hand, for when they will be needed.

Often it feels as if the effort expended to complete these tasks goes unnoticed. And it can seem that rarely is there any praise for a job well done. After all, most of these tasks are accomplished before and after the guests have come and gone. And it seems like a lot of work for very little money because tips are not directly involved. But like all preparation, completed side work allows the staff to focus on serving the guests with ease and grace. And that is what brings in the tips.

CREATING AN EQUITABLE SIDE WORK CHART

• Make a list of every side work task that needs to be completed before, during and after the shift.
• Divide the side work into opening, running (during the shift), and closing.
• Rate each side work task from easy to difficult.
• Distribute the side work evenly according to the difficulty rather than the number of side work duties.
• Assign side work duties to stations on the floor chart, staggered shifts or arrival times.
• Allow for flexible re-distribution to accommodate a fluctuating number of staff.
• Inspect side work or have each server inspect another.
• Praise a job well done; consider periodic rewards.

SIDE WORK AND TIP CREDITS

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) allows employers to pay their employees less than the standard minimum wage if the employee earns enough tips to make up the difference. The federal minimum wage for tipped employees is $2.13 per hour compared to $7.25 per hour for other employees. In that case, the tip credit is the difference or, specifically, $5.12. States are also allowed to set their own minimum wage and tipped minimum wage, and in fact, many have minimums that are higher than those of the federal government.

The changes to the 2021 Department of Labor (DOL) "dual-jobs" and "80/20" tip credit rules did not affect operators in states that have eliminated the tip credit. These include Alaska, California, Guam, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. In addition, operators that have eliminated tipping for front-of-the-house staff in favor of imposing a "service charge" do not have to be concerned.

For many years, federal regulations permitted the taking of the tip credit for time spent in duties related to the tipped occupation, even though such duties are not by themselves directed at producing tips (i.e., maintenance and preparatory or closing activities), "if those duties are 'incidental' and 'generally assigned' to tipped employees. Such duties include cleaning and setting tables, making coffee, and occasionally washing dishes or glasses."

The current rule divides a tipped employee's work into three categories declaring it part of a "functional test to determine when a tipped employee is engaged in their tipped occupation because they are performing work of the tipped occupation, and therefore the employer may take a tip credit against its minimum wage obligations."

1. Tip-producing work. This is work that "provides service to customers for which tipped employees receive tips."
2. Directly supporting work. This is work performed in preparation of or to otherwise assist tip-producing customer service work, it may be paid at a tip credit rate, but only if the work is not performed for a "substantial amount of time." A "substantial amount of time" is defined as either (1) more than 30 continuous minutes; or (2) more than 20% of the hours in the workweek for which the employer has taken a tip credit.
3. Work that is not part of a tipped occupation. Any time spent in the third category (tasks not part of the tipped occupation) must be compensated at full minimum wage.

The good news is that industry legal experts have identified side work as directly supporting. That said, if you take the tip credit for your service staff, you should be aware of the duties assigned and the amount of time spent on them to remain in compliance with the rules.