Restaurant
Line prep and par levels by daypart, adjusted for reservations and game days.
FINISHED WORKFLOW · 04 OF 4
Prep & pars planner.
Prep what will sell.
The problem: Prep amounts came from memory, so some items ran out by noon and others went in the trash at close. What it does: Tomorrow’s prep list is sized to the day, in order, with over-par items flagged to use first.
- Used
- Every close and every open
- Who
- Department managers and the prep crew
- Runs on
- A phone at close, a printed list at open
Built in my previous retail management role and used by the team every day. This page recreates it with invented data; it isn’t a FlarePaths client project.
HOW THE WORKFLOW RUNS
From the first number
to the person who acts on it.
- Close
Count what’s left
Two minutes on a phone: what’s on hand for each prepared item.
- Overnight
Size tomorrow
Each par adjusts for the day of the week and anything on the calendar.
- 5:00 a.m.
Prep list in order
Longest jobs first, with the time each will take.
- Open
Crew checks it off
Everyone works the same list, and the manager sees what’s done.
- Any time
Use-first flags
Items well over par are flagged to sell or use before they become waste.
TRY IT
A working copy,
with invented numbers.
Enter what’s on hand at close. Tomorrow’s targets adjust for the day and events; the list puts the longest jobs first.
| Item | On hand | Target | Prep | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken saladlb | 28 | 19 | Prep | |
| Sliced brisketlb | 35 | 23 | Prep | |
| Fruit cupscups | 46 | 40 | Prep | |
| Salsaqt | 14 | – | Covered | |
| Cookie doughdozen | 12 | 8 | Prep |
Tomorrow’s prep list
4 items to prep, about 1 h 35 min.
In a real project, the numbers come straight from your systems and the screens fit your names, your items and the way your team works. This copy shows the thinking.
WHAT CHANGED
Before and after.
Before
- Prep guessed from memory
- Run-outs at lunch, waste at close
- Weekend and event days treated like any other
- Nobody sure what was already done
After
- Prep sized to the day and the calendar
- Over-par stock flagged before it spoils
- A list in the right order with times
- Check-offs everyone can see
IN YOUR BUSINESS
The same idea,
built around your work.
Bakery or deli
Batches by product, with day-old stock flagged for markdown.
Catering
Prep and pack lists built from the week’s orders.
Want a prep & pars planner of your own? The walk-through is free.
Free · 30 minutes · at your business or by video