Your first shifts in charge: a survival guide for new shift leaders

Last week you were on section three, nicking chips off the pass. This week you've got the keys, the float and a rota with your name at the top. Nobody hands you a manual. You just walk in a bit earlier and everyone looks at you slightly differently.

Good news: you already know more than you think. You know where the bottlenecks are, which fridge seal is on its way out and who needs a nudge at 7.45pm. Running the shift is mostly about turning what you notice into what you do, out loud and a bit earlier than before.

The job has changed, even if the uniform hasn't

As crew, a good shift meant you were fast. As a shift leader, a good shift means everyone was fast and nobody went under. That's a real change and it takes a few weeks to stop feeling weird.

The biggest trap is diving in. When the board fills up, your instinct will be to grab a tray or jump on the grill, because that's where you feel useful. Sometimes you should. But if you're head-down on a section, nobody is watching the room, the door or the tickets. Help in short bursts, then step back out to where you can see.

Managing your mates

The awkward bit. People you've had a drink with are now people you might have to pull up on their timekeeping. A few things that help:

• Say it early. On your first shift, keep it short: "Bit weird for all of us. I'm going to need your help, and sometimes I'll have to make calls you won't love."
• Be consistent, not cold. You don't have to stop being friendly. You do have to apply the same rules to your mate as to the new starter.
• Praise in public, correct in private. A quiet word by the dry store beats a telling-off in front of a full section.
• Don't vent downwards. If you're fed up with the GM or the owner, take it up the line, not to the team.

The five-minute pre-shift brief

The single best habit you can start this week. Five minutes, everyone standing, before doors. Same order every time, so it becomes routine rather than a speech.

Write it on a whiteboard or a printed sheet so latecomers can catch up. And plan breaks properly: adult workers are generally entitled to an uninterrupted 20-minute rest break if they work more than six hours a day, and under-18s get more. Check the details on GOV.UK and your contracts, then put breaks on the board so they actually happen.

During service: stand where you can see

Pick a spot with sightlines to the door, the pass and most of the room, and keep coming back to it. From there, run a simple loop every ten minutes or so:

• Door: Is anyone waiting who hasn't been greeted?
• Pass: Are plates sitting? Are tickets backing up?
• Room: Any table looking around for someone? Any section drowning?

When you spot a problem, make a clear call to a named person. "Sam, take table 12's drinks, Ellie's buried" works. "Can someone help Ellie?" doesn't, because everyone assumes someone else heard it.

When things go sideways

They will. A no-show chef, a broken glasswasher, a table that wants the manager. A few rules of thumb:

• Safety first, then guests, then everything else. A spill on the stairs gets dealt with before the complaint at table four.
• Make a decision, then tell people. A decent call made now usually beats a perfect one made in twenty minutes.
• Know who to ring. Have the GM's number, the out-of-hours maintenance contact and the alarm company in your phone before you need them.
• Sick staff go home. Anyone with diarrhoea or vomiting must not handle food, and shouldn't come back until they've been symptom-free for 48 hours. Don't let a short-handed shift talk you out of it.

Close properly and hand over

Your shift isn't done when the last table leaves. It's done when the next person can walk in and pick up where you left off. A short handover note in the same place every night does the job:

• Sales and covers versus what was booked
• Anything broken, low or 86'd
• Any complaints or incidents, and what you did about them
• Who was great tonight (yes, write it down)

Your first fortnight checklist

• Know where the fuse board, stopcock, gas isolator and first aid kit are
• Know the fire procedure and the assembly point
• Know where the allergen information and food safety diary live, and fill them in
• Have the key contacts saved in your phone
• Have done at least one open and one close with someone experienced
• Have run the brief at least five times
• Have had one honest catch-up with your own manager about how it's going

You won't get it all right. Nobody does. The shift leaders people remember are the ones who stayed calm, made fair calls and noticed who was struggling before they had to say so.

Watch

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Why watch: Tom Kerridge on pressure, standards and leading a team. Worth an hour of your commute.