Handover between shifts: a form with five fixed columns
A practical look at how a restaurant can build its shift handover as a form filled in throughout the shift - with separate columns for upcoming bookings, table status, groups and deviations, and a named owner for each open item before the next shift takes over.
Handover is about structure, not memory
When the handover between shifts relies on a verbal summary, details easily get lost in the rush of the shift change. Whoever has worked a long shift often remembers the main points, but loses the small deviations that came up in the middle of service. The solution isn't to ask staff to remember more, but to give the handover a fixed structure that gets filled in throughout the shift.
A handover that's only written at closing time becomes a summary of what happened - not a tool for what needs to happen next. By setting up the handover as a document with fixed categories, staff can note information continuously, while it's still accurate. The next shift then gets a concrete starting point instead of a general status update.
Upcoming bookings and table status in separate columns
Upcoming bookings should be listed in a separate column with time, number of guests and which table has been assigned. Next to this, status should be clearly marked: confirmed, awaiting response, or uncertain due to a delay. This lets the next shift see at a glance which bookings need follow-up before guests arrive, without reading through the entire day's history.
Table status should reflect the actual floor plan, not a general overview of capacity. In TableBooking, the dashboard shows bookings, guests and the table map together, and tables can have a reference photo that makes it easier to point out the right table in the handover. This lets the next shift quickly link a booking to a specific table without physically walking through the venue.
Groups and deviations need their own rows, not shared notes
Groups should have their own row in the handover, rather than being mixed into the general booking list. Note the contact person, the agreed confirmation deadline, and any special requirements arranged in advance. When these points are gathered together, the next shift can quickly see whether the group is still awaiting a response or whether everything is confirmed and ready for service.
Deviations should be noted briefly and concretely while still fresh: what happened, which table or booking it concerns, and what, if anything, has been promised to the guest. Each deviation should have a clear follow-up task attached to it, not just a description of the situation. Without a clear task, the deviation easily remains as information that nobody actually acts on.
Who follows up on what - named owners, not shared responsibility
Every open line in the handover should have a named owner, not a general reference to the floor staff or the kitchen. When a follow-up is assigned to a specific person, it becomes clear who is accountable if something hasn't been resolved by the time the guest arrives. This applies especially to items that require contact with the guest, such as an unconfirmed group or an uncertain delay.
The handover meeting itself should be short and go straight to the open lines, not a general review of the whole day. Whoever is ending their shift goes through each unresolved item verbally with whoever is taking over, so the ownership of the task is confirmed in both people's minds, not just written down somewhere. This is what actually closes the handover.
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