Determining section sizes can be a tricky line to walk. You want to make sure that you have enough staff on the floor to take excellent care of your customers. But each additional server comes with an hourly wage, and your servers are going to want more tables so that they can make more tips. So what’s the perfect balance?
As always, it isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. Not just from restaurant to restaurant, but even within your restaurant, it might depend by the day, or the server. For most, the sweet spot is in 3-6 tables for best use of resources (at my peak I was in charge of a section of 14 tables – 4 x 4pax, 1 x 3pax and 5 x 2pax.) Your more proficient servers can and should have larger sections than your new hires. During the shoulders, the section size will increase as staff take breaks, assuming that all tables won’t be sat. During the peaks, the section size will decrease. Holidays or special events will impact this as well. Maybe you took on a large party with a set menu, so despite the size of the party, you don’t need to increase the number of servers assigned to it. Or maybe it’s a holiday (Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, etc.) and you want to decrease the section size to let servers focus on their tables.
Is there a secret to allowing servers to have more tables? Yes! Schedule a food runner or server’s assistant to help with the tasks outside of their section. Taking tasks away from the servers such as food delivery or drink ordering, allows them to spend more time in their section, meaning you may be able to staff less, saving on wages and increasing their tips.
Story
I was working as a waiter in a fine dining restaurant. It had already been an adjustment to go from having 7-8 table sections in my previous job to having 3-5, depending on the night. I was super excited for New Year’s Eve knowing that we were fully booked, meaning I could make a lot of money. When I arrived for my shift and checked out my section, I couldn’t have been more disappointed. 2 tables. TWO TABLES? You mean I’m going to come in on a holiday to work and I’m only going to make tips from TWO TABLES?
The good news is, I was wrong. That night we were fully staffed, everyone with 2 table sections (a few servers even had a one table section because of the party size). We had on a few food runners who helped get food out and with the miscellaneous tasks. We were beyond busy – fully booked, but also taking walk-ins. On a night that could have been a disaster because of how many guests we were taking care of, everything went so smoothly because we were all focused on our, very small, areas. Because of this, we did a record high guest count, with a record high check average and, even in my two table section, I made the most in tips I ever had or would at that restaurant.
By identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your staff you are able to provide the appropriate amount of tables for each staff member. By doing this you are getting the best of them and providing the best for your customer.
