How to manage a restaurant team: a weekly checklist and the UK rules

How to manage a restaurant team comes down to a short list of things you do every week, on the same days, whether service went well or not. Publish the rota, check it against the break rules, brief each shift, hand over properly, talk to each person on their own, and deal with problems early and in writing. This page sets out that routine as a weekly checklist for UK restaurants, with the employment rules quoted from the law itself and the dates of the rules that change in the next few months.

Each topic has its own deeper guide on Pilla, so this page links to them rather than repeating them. It covers the routine and the legal minimums that sit underneath it.

The weekly team-management checklist

Print it, pin it in the office, and tick it off. The days are a suggestion. What matters is that each job has a fixed slot, so it doesn't wait for a quiet week that never comes.

The rest of this page explains each line.

Write your management principles down

Before the routines, decide how you make decisions. A short set of principles lets your managers make the same call you would when you're not there. Write them as plain statements, for example "all menu decisions are made by the head chef and the exec chef together" or "nobody is told off in front of guests or the team".

Five to ten statements is plenty. Read them out at the weekly meeting when a new manager joins, and change them when they stop matching what you actually do.

Rotas: publish early, check the breaks before you do

The rota is the thing your team checks most, and it's where most legal mistakes start.

The break rules, word for word

Regulation 12(1) of the Working Time Regulations 1998 says that where "a worker's daily working time is more than six hours, he is entitled to a rest break". Regulation 12(3) sets the length: "an uninterrupted period of not less than 20 minutes", and "the worker is entitled to spend it away from his workstation if he has one". A collective agreement or workforce agreement can change the details.

For young workers regulation 12(4) is stricter: where their "daily working time is more than four and a half hours, he is entitled to a rest break of at least 30 minutes, which shall be consecutive if possible".

Rest between shifts

The late-then-early shift is the one to check. Regulation 10 on daily rest gives a worker "a rest period of not less than eleven consecutive hours in each 24-hour period", and a young worker "not less than twelve consecutive hours". A close at midnight followed by a 9am prep shift breaks the adult rule.

Regulation 11 on weekly rest gives "an uninterrupted rest period of not less than 24 hours in each seven-day period". The employer can instead give two 24-hour periods or one 48-hour period in each 14 days. Young workers get "not less than 48 hours in each seven-day period".

The average 48-hour week sits in regulation 4 on maximum weekly working time; check it for anyone who's picked up extra shifts across two sites. GOV.UK's rest breaks at work guide sums all of this up in plainer words. The 1998 Regulations extend to England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland has its own Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016, in operation since 28 February 2016. Regulation 14 there gives the same rest break, "an uninterrupted period of not less than 20 minutes" where daily working time "is more than six hours", and regulation 12 gives the same 11 hours' daily rest.

Zero-hours and guaranteed hours: due in 2027, no month yet

The law doesn't set a notice period for rotas yet. That's due to change, but the government hasn't given a date. Its Employment Rights Act timeline (updated 25 September 2026) lists, under "Measures that will take effect in 2027", the "introduction of the right to guaranteed hours and the right to reasonable notice and short notice payments", and adds "(timings will be updated after consultation)". The roadmap gives 2027 and no month. The Employment Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 1 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2026 switched sections 1 to 3 on only "in so far as conferring a duty to consult or a power to make regulations". So the government can now consult and write the detail, but the rights themselves aren't in force, and we found no date for them.

The new rights will apply in England, Wales and Scotland, because section 158(1)(a) of the Employment Rights Act 2025 says "Parts 1, 2 and 4 of this Act extend to England and Wales and Scotland". For Northern Ireland we found no equivalent right to guaranteed hours or shift notice.

If you rely on zero-hours or low-hours contracts, the practical step now is to keep a record of the hours each person actually works week by week. Whatever the final rules say, a guaranteed-hours offer will need that history. A fixed rota publishing day helps too, because it's the habit reasonable-notice rules will expect.

Briefings, handovers and end-of-shift reports

Three short routines keep information moving between shifts. The pre-shift huddle is a short gather before doors open: who's on, the focus for the shift, anything the team needs to know. The shift handover is a written pass-down from the outgoing person to the incoming one, covering what happened and what's still outstanding. The end-of-shift report is the closer's summary to the manager: how it went, what went wrong, what's left for the next team.

Write all three down, because a night manager who wasn't there can't act on something that was only said out loud. Tomorrow's briefing should start with yesterday's report.

New starters: day one paperwork, training and probation

Before the first shift: right-to-work checks

GOV.UK's guide to checking a job applicant's right to work says: "You must check that a job applicant is allowed to work for you in the UK before you employ them." You can check online with a share code, check original documents, or use an identity service provider. GOV.UK's page on penalties for employing illegal workers says you "might have to pay a civil penalty (fine) of up to £60,000 for each illegal worker". That's three times the old £20,000 maximum.

The £60,000 maximum comes from the Immigration (Employment of Adults Subject to Immigration Control) (Maximum Penalty) (Amendment) Order 2024. It was made on 23 January 2024 and came into force on the twenty-first day after, 13 February 2024. Article 1(3) says it "extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland", so the same check and the same penalty apply in all four nations.

Day one

GOV.UK's guide to the written statement of employment particulars says "the employer must provide the principal statement on the first day of employment and the wider written statement within 2 months of the start of employment". Any change has to be notified "within one month of making the change". That's the rule in England, Wales and Scotland. In Northern Ireland, article 33 of the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 still allows the statement "not later than two months after the beginning of the employment".

The rest of the first weeks is covered in the staff onboarding guide, the restaurant training guide and training sign-off. Sign-offs matter for more than food safety: they're your record that someone was shown how to do the job before you judge whether they can.

Allergen training

Allergen training is a legal must. Do it before a new starter takes an order or plates a dish. The Food Standards Agency's allergen guidance for food businesses, which applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales, says: "Food businesses must make sure that staff receive training on allergens." It also says only "the 14 allergens are required to be declared as allergens by food law". In Scotland, Food Standards Scotland's guide to managing allergens says the same: "Food businesses must make sure that their staff are trained on allergens." Both regulators offer free online training.

If you make sandwiches, salads or cakes and pack them before the customer orders, Natasha's Law applies. Food that's prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) needs its name and a full ingredients list on the label, "with allergenic ingredients emphasised". Each nation brought this in on 1 October 2021, through its own regulations:

For the full list and the law in each nation, see the 14 allergens. Pilla's allergen management training guide covers how to run the training in-house and record who's done it.

Probation, and the change on 1 January 2027

Book the probation review on the day the person starts, not when the date comes round.

The timing matters more from next year. Today, under section 108 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, most employees in England, Wales and Scotland need two years' service to claim ordinary unfair dismissal. Section 25 of the Employment Rights Act 2025 cuts this to six months, and regulation 3 of SI 2026/559 brings that in from 1 January 2027. The timeline confirms it applies "for dismissals from 1 January 2027", together with "uncapping compensatory awards". In Northern Ireland the period is one year under article 140 of the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996.

For dismissals from 1 January 2027, a six-month probation ends at the same point the protection starts, so a review that slips by a few weeks can push your decision past that point. Run the review on time, and write down the outcome.

One-to-ones and reviews

Short, regular one-to-ones catch problems before they turn into resignations. The one-to-ones guide covers how to run them, and the staff performance reviews guide covers the longer, less frequent version. For things people won't say to a manager's face, set up anonymous feedback.

When someone does leave, an exit interview tells you whether the reason was pay, hours, a manager, or something you couldn't have changed. The staff flight risk guide covers the warning signs that come before the notice letter.

Absence: return-to-work talks and fit notes

Short-notice sickness leaves gaps in the rota. Handle every absence the same way, so nobody feels singled out.

Hold a return-to-work talk with everyone who comes back. Acas's guide to return to work meetings says "It's not a legal requirement to have a return to work meeting", but that "a chat as soon as possible after an employee has returned" is a chance to "make sure the employee is ready to return to work", "see if they need any support" and agree a plan such as a phased return. Keep it short, private and the same for everyone, and write down what you agreed.

Ask for a fit note after seven days. GOV.UK's guide to taking sick leave says employees "must give their employer a 'fit note' (sometimes called a 'sick note') if they have been ill for more than 7 days in a row and have taken sick leave. This includes non-working days, such as weekends and bank holidays." So if someone's off from one Monday to the following Tuesday, you need a fit note, weekend included. For seven days or less, GOV.UK says you "can ask them to confirm they have been off sick", which is called "self-certification".

Statutory sick pay changed on 6 April 2026 (see the FAQ below). Sections 10 and 11 of the Employment Rights Act 2025 make those changes for "Great Britain". Sections 12 and 13 make matching changes for Northern Ireland, and section 158(2) says they "extend to Northern Ireland only". We found no Northern Ireland start date for them on the roadmap.

Staff conflict: informal first, then the grievance route

Most rows between staff should end with a quiet conversation. Acas's foreword to the Code says "Many potential disciplinary or grievance issues can be resolved informally. A quiet word is often all that is required to resolve an issue." It also suggests "an independent third party", who "need not come from outside the organisation but could be an internal mediator, so long as they are not involved". If you run two sites, the other site's manager is the obvious choice.

If a quiet word doesn't work, or the complaint is serious, move to the formal route in the Code:

• Paragraph 32: if it can't be resolved informally, the employee "should raise the matter formally and without unreasonable delay with a manager who is not the subject of the grievance", in writing.
• Paragraph 33: hold a formal meeting "without unreasonable delay after a grievance is received".
• Paragraph 40: afterwards, decisions "should be communicated to the employee, in writing, without unreasonable delay", and the employee "should be informed that they can appeal".
• Paragraphs 41 and 43: if the employee appeals, the appeal "should be dealt with impartially and wherever possible by a manager who has not previously been involved in the case".

Write down what each person said and what you did, even at the informal stage.

When something goes wrong: discipline and grievance

The Acas Code

The Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures (Code of Practice 1) is what a tribunal will measure your process against. The Code of Practice (Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures) Order 2015 says the revised Code "comes into effect on 11th March 2015". Its foreword says: "A failure to follow the Code does not, in itself, make a person or organisation liable to proceedings. However, employment tribunals will take the Code into account when considering relevant cases."

The parts a restaurant manager uses most:

• Investigate first. Paragraph 5: "carry out necessary investigations of potential disciplinary matters without unreasonable delay to establish the facts of the case." Paragraph 6: "In misconduct cases, where practicable, different people should carry out the investigation and disciplinary hearing."
• Tell them in writing. Paragraph 9: if there's a case to answer "the employee should be notified of this in writing", with "sufficient information about the alleged misconduct or poor performance and its possible consequences to enable the employee to prepare to answer the case".
• Hold the meeting. Paragraph 11: "without unreasonable delay whilst allowing the employee reasonable time to prepare their case."
• Warnings. Paragraph 19: "it is usual to give the employee a written warning. A further act of misconduct or failure to improve performance within a set period would normally result in a final written warning." Paragraph 21 says a warning "should set out the nature of the misconduct or poor performance and the change in behaviour or improvement in performance required (with timescale)".
• Appeals. Paragraph 27: the appeal "should be dealt with impartially and, wherever possible, by a manager who has not previously been involved in the case."

In a small restaurant, "a different person" may mean the owner hears what the general manager investigated, or an outside HR adviser hears the appeal. Plan who that would be before you need them.

The right to be accompanied

Section 10 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 gives a worker invited to a disciplinary or grievance hearing the right to "one companion who is chosen by the worker", a fellow worker or a union representative or official. The companion may "put the worker's case", "sum up that case" and "confer with the worker during the hearing", but the employer doesn't have to let them "answer questions on behalf of the worker". If the companion can't make the time you set, you "must postpone the hearing" to a reasonable time the worker proposes, within five working days. Section 10 extends to England, Wales and Scotland. In Northern Ireland the same right is in article 12 of the Employment Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1999.

What it costs to skip the Code

Section 207A of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 lets a tribunal, where an employer's failure to follow the Code "was unreasonable", "increase any award it makes to the employee by no more than 25%". It can cut an award by the same amount if the employee unreasonably failed to follow it. Section 207A extends to England, Wales and Scotland, so the 25% adjustment applies there. Northern Ireland has its own code, the Labour Relations Agency's Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures. Under article 90AA of the Industrial Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1992, a tribunal there can increase an award "by no more than 50%".

Since 1 October 2026, the timeline says, "the time limit for bringing a claim to the Employment Tribunal has increased from 3 to 6 months" (for breach of contract claims in Scotland, from 9 November 2026). Keep your notes from any disciplinary matter for at least that long after it ends. We found no Northern Ireland date for a matching change on the roadmap.

Two duties changing before the end of 2026

Sexual harassment, from 30 October 2026

The timeline lists "requiring employers to take 'all reasonable steps' to prevent sexual harassment of their employees" and "introducing an obligation on employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties". Since 26 October 2024, section 40A of the Equality Act 2010 has required employers to "take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment" of employees. Regulation 3 of the Employment Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 6 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2026 brings sections 20 and 21 of the 2025 Act into force "on 30th October 2026". Those sections tighten the duty to "all reasonable steps" and add a duty not to permit harassment of employees by third parties. Section 40A extends to England, Wales and Scotland. The roadmap doesn't cover Northern Ireland, and we found no equivalent Northern Ireland duty. In a restaurant, third parties means guests. Put it on the agenda for the weekly meeting before then: who staff tell, what a manager does on the night, and how it's recorded.

Tips, by the end of 2026

The statutory code on distributing tips fairly already requires employers to "maintain a written policy on how tips are dealt with at their place of business" and make it "available to all their workers", and to keep "a record of all tips paid at their place of business and their allocation and distribution between each worker". The duty itself is in section 27D of the Employment Rights Act 1996, inserted by the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023, in force since 1 October 2024 and extending to England, Wales and Scotland. We found no Northern Ireland equivalent. The roadmap lists "strengthening tipping law" under "Measures that will take effect by the end of 2026"; we found no published detail of what will change, so check the code again before your policy's next review.

The numbers that tell you how the team is doing

Managing the team well shows up in a handful of figures. Each has its own page, so here's only what to watch and where to read more:

• Labour turnover, the share of staff who leave in a period. See labour turnover for the formula and UK hospitality figures.
• Sales per labour hour, how much you take for each hour worked. See sales per labour hour.
• Prime cost, food plus labour as a share of sales. See restaurant prime costs and food cost percentage.
• The wider set is on restaurant KPIs.

Look at them on Monday, pick one to change, and say which one in the weekly meeting.

Systems that make the routine stick

A routine survives a bad week only if it's written down. Turn each line of the checklist into a standard procedure; the guide on getting staff to use SOPs covers why they get ignored and how to stop that. For hiring, the interviews guide covers questions and scoring.

Pilla is built for hospitality businesses with one to five venues and runs these checklists, sign-offs and reports in one app.

FAQs

Do rest breaks have to be paid?

No, not by law. GOV.UK says "the break does not have to be paid - it depends on their employment contract." Check what your contracts say.

How long do I have to keep tip records?

Paragraph 43 of the tips code says the record "must be maintained for a period of three years beginning with the date on which the tip was paid". A worker can ask to see it, "limited to one request per worker in a three month period".

Has statutory sick pay changed?

Yes, in Great Britain. The timeline lists, from 6 April 2026, "removing the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) and waiting period" for statutory sick pay. Lower-paid staff now qualify, and pay is no longer held back for the first days off.