What to Include in a Restaurant Staff Schedule Availability Form and How to Automate It

Creating a restaurant staff schedule can often feel like solving a puzzle with missing pieces, especially when employee availability is unclear. Without a streamlined way to track when your team is free to work, you’re likely to deal with shift conflicts, missed coverage, and unnecessary stress.

A well-structured availability form—and better yet, an automated process, can save you hours every week. Here’s how to build an effective system using restaurant employee scheduling software and what exactly to include in your availability form.

Why a Staff Availability Form Is Essential

A restaurant runs on timing, coordination, and consistency. If your restaurant staff schedule is based on text messages, sticky notes, or last-minute updates, things are bound to fall apart.

Without a formal system, you’re risking:

Double bookings
No-shows and late arrivals
Miscommunication and low morale
Increased scheduling time

Having a centralized, digital form gives you a clear view of everyone’s availability before you assign shifts, especially when integrated with employee scheduling software for restaurants.

What to Include in a Restaurant Staff Schedule Availability Form

Here’s what a smart availability form should capture to improve your restaurant staff scheduling workflow:

Employee Information

Full name
Preferred contact info
Job role(s): Server, Cook, Host, etc.

Weekly Availability Grid

Break each day into shift blocks. Let staff select the times they can work:

Day	Morning	Afternoon	Evening	Not Available
Monday	✔		✔

Alternatively, use specific time blocks (e.g., 9am–1pm, 1pm–5pm).

Recurring or One-Time?

Ask your staff to indicate whether this availability is:

Their usual weekly schedule
Just for the upcoming week

Notes Section

Let staff provide clarifications like:

“I can work Monday but only after 3pm”
“Prefer closing shifts on weekends”

These details make the restaurant staff schedule more accurate and fair.

Make It Easy for Staff to Submit

For best results, make the form fast and mobile-friendly. If it’s inconvenient, it won’t get filled out properly.

✔ Use Digital Tools

Whether it’s a Google Form, Typeform, or your restaurant employee scheduling software, ensure staff can submit availability from their phone in under 2 minutes.

✔ Set Clear Deadlines

For example: “Submit weekly availability by Thursday 6 PM.” This keeps your restaurant staffing automation system on track.

✔ Send Automated Reminders

Reminders via email or text can double participation. Even better, let your employee scheduling software for restaurants handle reminders automatically.

Want to Automate the Restaurant Staff Schedule?

You don’t need an enterprise HR system to automate availability tracking. Here are your best beginner-friendly options:

✔ Enginehire

Enginehire offers smart restaurant staffing automation features. It lets you:

Collect staff availability effortlessly
Build and edit your restaurant staff schedule in minutes
Track compliance and coverage gaps
Manage scheduling and communication from a single dashboard

✔ Online Scheduling Platforms

Use Google Forms or other apps to collect availability and link it to Google Sheets for easy viewing and filtering.

✔ Email-Based Forms

Use email templates with clickable checkboxes to keep it simple and digital.

The Payoff: Fewer Surprises, Better Schedules

When availability is clear and consistent, your restaurant staff schedule becomes much easier to manage. You’ll be able to:

Avoid scheduling conflicts and gaps
Match labor to peak hours
Improve staff satisfaction and reduce turnover

How Enginehire Can Help

If you’re ready to take the stress out of scheduling, Enginehire is built to simplify every step. From collecting staff availability to managing shifts and performance, Enginehire’s restaurant employee scheduling software makes staff coordination seamless.

Book a free demo today and see how Enginehire can bring clarity, automation, and peace of mind to your restaurant’s scheduling process.