LABOUR + OPERATIONS
Labour + Operational Performance Rebuild
Build labour around the business you’re doing, then fix the workflow problems that are wasting paid hours.
I’ll work through labour cost, productivity, scheduling, deployment, prep, service flow and workflow across FOH and BOH, then rebuild the systems behind the result.
Starting at $995 CAD
High Labour Is Not Always a Staffing Problem
A high labour percentage does not automatically mean you have too many people.
The real issue may be poor scheduling, prep happening at the wrong time, weak deployment, duplicated work, bad station flow, inefficient handoffs, or managers constantly stepping in to cover gaps in the operation.
Cutting hours without understanding the cause can make service worse without fixing the underlying problem.
The goal is to understand where paid time is going, what is driving the cost, and what needs to change before deciding that the answer is simply fewer hours.
Know what the labour is doing before deciding what to cut.
The 6-Part Review
Labour, workflow and productivity are connected, so I look at how they affect each other rather than treating the percentage in isolation.
01. Labour Cost + Productivity
Review labour dollars, labour percentage and productivity against actual sales to understand where hours are being used effectively and where performance is falling behind.
04. Prep, Support + Non-Service Labour
Look at prep, dish, opening, closing and support hours to determine whether the work is happening at the right time, in the right quantity and with the right people.
02. Scheduling + Sales Demand
Compare schedules against sales patterns, dayparts and workload to see whether staffing levels match when the business is actually happening.
05. Workflow + Service Flow
Follow how work moves through the restaurant, including station setup, handoffs, communication, ticket flow and unnecessary movement that may be consuming paid hours.
03. Deployment + Coverage
Review how people are positioned across FOH and BOH, including support roles, to identify gaps, overlap and places where the wrong role is carrying the work.
06. Management Coverage + Labour Control
Review management coverage, overtime, forecasting, scheduling routines and follow-up to understand whether labour performance is being actively managed or simply reacted to.
The 6-Part Rebuild
Once the review shows where the labour is going, the next step is to rebuild the parts of the operation that are creating the cost.
01. Labour Targets + Productivity Standards
“Set practical labour targets using sales, workload and operating needs, then establish productivity measures that managers can actually use.”
04. Prep + Support Labour Structure
“Rework prep, dish, opening, closing and support labour so the work happens at the right time and does not spill unnecessarily into service or overtime.”
02. Scheduling + Forecasting
“Rebuild scheduling around sales patterns, dayparts and workload so staffing decisions are based on the business in front of you, not last month’s schedule.”
05. Workflow + Service Flow
“Simplify station setup, movement, communication and handoffs to reduce wasted steps, bottlenecks and extra labour created by poor flow.”
03. Deployment + Coverage
“Clarify where each role is needed, when support is required and how FOH and BOH coverage should shift as volume changes.”
06. Management Routines + Labour Control
“Build forecasting, scheduling, review and follow-up routines so labour becomes something managers actively control, not something they discover after payroll is posted.”
What Will My Restaurant Cost?
Labour + Operational Performance Rebuilds start at $995 CAD.
Most single-location restaurants will fall between $995 and $1,495, depending on operating hours, team size, number of dayparts, the quality of the scheduling and sales data available, and how much rebuilding is required.
You’ll know the full project price before any work begins.
If you’ve already completed the 6-Point Restaurant Profit & Operations Assessment and labour was identified as a priority, we can use those findings as the starting point rather than repeating work we’ve already done.