Posts by:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In shift-based businesses, scheduling is more than just plugging names into time slots—it’s a major factor in employee satisfaction, retention, and productivity.
In any shift-based business, the schedule isn’t just a calendar—it’s the heartbeat of the operation.
In the fast-paced world of shift work—whether you're managing a bustling kitchen, a busy hotel lobby, or a production floor—success doesn’t just come from showing up and ticking boxes. It comes from leadership. And great shift managers? They lead differently.
If your team’s energy is low and your turnover is high, it might be time to break out the board games—or better yet, something a little more active and engaging. Games at work aren’t just about fun (though that’s a big win too). They're a surprisingly effective strategy for improving employee engagement, boosting morale, and building stronger shift-based teams.