3 ways to automate your weekly management meeting

#1 - Simple meeting

Who it's for: Single-site operators who run a weekly meeting themselves and want it in one place instead of scattered notes.

What it is: A weekly management meeting is where you step back from service, review how the week went, and agree what happens next. This version captures the meeting as one record grouped into three sections: Numbers (last week's sales, food cost, labour cost, labour hours, covers and leavers), Agenda (a standing checklist: bookings, staffing, maintenance, customer feedback, stock, compliance, this week's priorities), and Actions (what was agreed). The numbers are the raw figures behind your food cost percentage, prime cost, sales per labour hour and turnover, reviewed in one sitting.

In practice: Every Monday the manager enters last week's figures, runs down the agenda with the team, and writes the actions: "reorder glassware (Sam, Friday), fix the dripping tap (maintenance, this week)". The whole meeting, numbers and all, sits in one record you can look back on.

Why it works: Numbers, discussion and actions live in one place, so the meeting produces a record rather than a vague conversation. Capturing the figures here also builds the weekly trend, without needing a separate report.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped meeting record in three sections: Numbers (sales, food cost, labour cost, labour hours, covers, leavers), Agenda (checklist), and Actions (actions and decisions)

#2 - With guidance

Who it's for: Operators who want the meeting run to the same standard whoever chairs it.

What it is: The simple meeting with a guidance note leading the Numbers section: pull last week's figures from your POS and rota before you start, review the numbers, work the agenda, and finish by agreeing actions with an owner and a date for each. Keep it tight, a focused 30 minutes beats a rambling hour.

What it adds to the simple meeting:

1. Whoever chairs it knows the flow and where the figures come from
2. Every meeting follows the same structure
3. Actions get an owner and a date, not just a mention

Why it works: The guidance sits in the record itself, so the chair runs the meeting the same way each week. It turns a meeting that depends on the chair into one the canvas carries.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance note (how to run the meeting and where to pull figures), leading the Numbers section
• 1 grouped meeting record (Numbers, Agenda, Actions)

#3 - With sign-off

Who it's for: Teams that want the meeting to close the loop on last week's actions and end with an accountable sign-off.

What it is: The simple meeting record, with the Actions section now opening on a review of last week's actions and closing with the manager signing off. Before anything new gets agreed, the chair runs through what was decided last week: tick off what got done, carry over what did not. Once this week's actions are agreed, the manager signs to confirm the meeting happened and what was decided.

In practice: The chair opens the Actions section and reads out last week's list: "glassware reordered, tap still not fixed, carry it over." Only then does the team agree this week's actions. At the end of the meeting, the manager signs the record before it is filed.

What it adds to the simple meeting:

1. A review of last week's actions before new ones are agreed, so nothing quietly drops
2. A manager sign-off that confirms the meeting happened and what was agreed
3. A record that stands up if an action is ever disputed later

Why it works: Most meetings agree actions and never check them. Reviewing last week's first makes the meeting accountable to itself, and a sign-off turns the record from notes into something the manager stands behind.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped meeting record (Numbers, Agenda, Actions)
• 1 review of last week's actions, opening the Actions section
• 1 manager sign-off, closing the record

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Just answer two questions about how you meet.

Is it always you running the meeting, or does someone else?

If you run it yourself and know the flow, a plain record is enough. The moment someone else chairs it, the structure needs to be on the screen. If only you run it, #1 is fine. If others do, start at #2.

Do you want the meeting to check itself, not just produce notes?

A typed record captures what was discussed. Reviewing last week's actions before agreeing new ones, and having the manager sign off at the close, turns that record into something accountable. If a plain record is enough, stop at #1 or #2. If you want the meeting to hold itself to what it agreed last time, #3 adds the review and the sign-off.

Related workflows

• Food safety audit - the operational review that sits alongside the numbers
• Daily kitchen cleaning checklist - the routines behind the cost figures

Conclusion

A weekly management meeting is where the numbers, the issues and the decisions come together, if it actually happens and leaves a record. Running it as a workflow makes it consistent and captures the figures for free. The versions above move from a simple meeting record to one that reviews last week's actions and ends with a manager sign-off.