ShiftForce Blog

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Matt Thompson

Matt has let his lifelong passion of food and people lead him to 15 amazing years as a restaurant manager and another 9 years working as a Director with a major food service distributor. He has channeled this passion to help create and run ShiftNote. When he's not dominating the food service industry, he's spending time with his 4 children and cheering on the Tigers as a Mizzou Alumni.

Vine Street Pub Reopening

Vine Street Pub & Brewery: A Colorado Classic Reborn

If you’ve ever wandered through Denver’s City Park neighborhood on a sunny day, chances are you’ve passed by the vibrant energy of Vine Street Pub & Brewery. Known for its friendly vibes, fresh house-brewed beer, and some of the best veggie burgers and nachos this side of the Rockies, Vine Street is more than just a pub—it’s a community cornerstone.

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Restaurant manager standing outside a restaurant holding a large clock to remind teams about daylight saving time changes.

Preparing Shift Teams for Daylight Savings

Twice a year, the clocks shift—and so do your operations. While most people just lose (or gain) an hour of sleep, for shift-based businesses, daylight saving time (DST) brings extra challenges: schedule confusion, fatigue, and even dips in productivity.

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Smiling hotel and restaurant managers standing with staff, including a chef and service team, representing effective shift planning and teamwork.

Mastering Shift Planning: A Guide for Restaurant and Hotel Managers

For restaurant and hotel managers, every shift tells a story. It’s the story of how your team communicates, how your guests are served, and ultimately how your brand is remembered. Shift planning isn’t just about plugging names into a schedule — it’s about creating flow, reducing stress, and building a culture where people can thrive.

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Manufacturing manager in a suit and blue hard hat using a tablet while overseeing production on a factory floor.

Shift Planning Hacks for Manufacturers That Want Less Chaos

Manufacturing is the backbone of so many industries, but let’s be honest—running a production floor can feel like herding cats with clipboards. Between changing order volumes, unexpected absences, and a million moving parts, shift planning often ends up being more chaos than strategy.

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Restaurant managers and staff collaborating with laptops and tablets during a shift planning and management meeting.

Shift Planning vs. Shift Management: What's the Difference?

If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, hotel, or any shift-based business, you know the schedule can make or break your day. But while shift planning and shift management are often used interchangeably, they’re not the same thing. Understanding the difference can help you run smoother operations, improve employee satisfaction, and cut down on those stressful “Who’s covering tonight?” moments.

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Restaurant team standing together in uniform, smiling and ready for a shift, symbolizing teamwork and accountability without micromanagement.

How to Build Daily Accountability Without Micromanaging

If you’ve ever felt torn between being a supportive leader and accidentally becoming the “hovering boss,” you’re not alone. Building accountability without falling into the trap of micromanagement is one of the biggest challenges managers face—especially in shift-based businesses like restaurants, hotels, and manufacturing.

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Three restaurant managers reviewing labor data together on a laptop in a modern restaurant office setting.

One Data Trick to Nail Labor Forecasting

Labor forecasting can feel like trying to predict the weather—you look at the patterns, make your best guess, and hope you don’t get caught in a storm of overstaffing or understaffing.

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**Alt Text:** New manager using a tablet to guide restaurant staff during a team onboarding session.

New Manager? Here's the Onboarding Guide You Need

Stepping into a management role for the first time is both exciting and overwhelming. Whether you’re leading a restaurant team, hotel staff, or shift-based crew, those first few weeks set the tone for your success. 

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