What is a Restaurant SOP Template?
A restaurant SOP template is a document that restaurant owners, managers, and employees use to ensure compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Often, a restaurant SOP template comes in the form of a checklist.
Importance of Having Restaurant SOPs
The purpose of having SOPs in any establishment is to explain how to do certain tasks in line with specific rules and regulations. In a restaurant, SOPs are in place to ensure the safety of food, the cleanliness of the kitchen and dining area, and the quality of customer service provided. When everyone in a restaurant knows the SOPs in place, it becomes easier to comply with laws and regulations as all employees would need to do is follow them.
Having restaurant SOPs not only simplifies compliance but also improves communication between employees. A restaurant SOP template specifically allows employees to know what their duties are directly by presenting them in a clear and concise manner. This way, each employee knows what to do and how to report any anomalies on the job based on it.
What Should a Restaurant SOP Template Include?
While each restaurant may work differently depending on its target market and its style, a restaurant SOP template’s format is similar all throughout. What is important is that each restaurant’s SOP template follows the regulations set by the management and the laws of the land.
Usually, a restaurant SOP template will include sections, provisions, or questions on the following:
- Customer service
- Restroom operations
- Music and ambiance
- Restaurant temperature
- Kitchen and dining area cleanliness
- Bar orderliness, if applicable
In other cases, a restaurant SOP template can prompt managers and employees to examine their surroundings and practices better. This can include sections on analyzing the quality of food and drinks, the kind of music played and its volume, and the uniforms worn by staff.
A restaurant SOP checklist can be used at any time during a restaurant’s operations. Some may choose to use it before cooking and cleaning, while others prefer to use it as they go along instead. For others, a restaurant SOP checklist is instead used at the end of tasks to verify the quality and order of their tasks.
Restaurant SOP Example
To give a visual representation of what a completed restaurant SOP report looks like, here’s a sample report in PDF format:
FAQs about Restaurant SOP Templates
Technically, all restaurants have SOPs, but they are not all called as such. Often, they are instead referred to as “guidelines,” “standards,” or “requirements.” However, they function the same way as SOPs and serve as rules to follow. Restaurant SOP templates can also be used as they serve the same purpose.
Restaurant SOPs cover not only food-related tasks but also:
- Cleaning tasks
- Hygiene practices
- Customer service standards
- Timeliness of service
- Comfort room maintenance
- Facility maintenance
Ideally, restaurant SOPs are in employee manuals and in visible places in work areas such as the kitchen. However, it would also be helpful to include them in handheld devices and your restaurant SOP template so they are easily accessible anytime and anywhere.
