Templates you can actually fill in

Pay research log

Record the legal floor you verified, comparable local postings and your decision so the pay range has evidence behind it.

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Columns: Date observed · Job title · Source (posting, official page) · Location · Base pay low · Base pay high · Tips or bonus stated · Benefits stated · Hours or schedule · Comparable to our job? (yes/partly/no) · Notes

• Verify the legal floor from the official source for the job, location and date first, and record it as its own row.
• Log several recent comparable postings; separate base pay from tips, bonuses and benefits.
• Write the range you decided and why, then test it in the hourly pay budget tool.

How much should you pay restaurant employees per hour?

Hiring timeline tied to readiness

Plan each hire against the date the person can actually work and train, not against a hoped-for opening date.

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Columns: Role · Head count · Readiness trigger (what must be true before start) · Target start · Post job by · Interviews by · Offer by · Paid training days · Owner · Status

• Name the readiness trigger for each role; if the build slips, the start date slips with it instead of paying idle days.
• Work backward from the start date to posting, interviews and offer dates.
• Update the status weekly alongside the approvals list.

Hire your opening team without paying for weeks of idle time

Interview scorecard

Score every candidate for the same role on the same job-relevant criteria, so decisions are consistent and defensible.

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Columns: Candidate · Role · Date · Criterion · Question or task used · Score 1-4 · Evidence noted · Interviewer

• Decide the criteria and the questions before the first interview, and use them for every candidate.
• Score with evidence, not impressions; a practical task tells you more than a conversation.
• Keep criteria job-related and consistent with applicable hiring rules.

Hire your opening team without paying for weeks of idle time

Onboarding checklist

Everything a new hire needs before the first paid shift, with who did it and when.

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Columns: Employee · Item · Required before first shift? (yes/no) · Owner · Completed date · Evidence (form, record, sign-off) · Notes

• List the legal, payroll and safety items your payroll provider and local rules require; the example rows are illustrations, not a complete legal list.
• Nothing starts a paid shift until the 'required' rows are done.
• Keep the evidence column honest: a form, a record or a signature, not 'done'.

Station training sign-off

Prove each person can run each station to your standard before the soft opening depends on them.

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Columns: Employee · Station · Skill or task · Standard (time, portion, temperature, check) · Demonstrated on · Signed off by · Retrain needed?

• Write the standard as something observable; 'knows the grill' cannot be signed off.
• Use the same sheet during the soft opening to record what still fails.
• Temperature standards must come from the verified local requirement, not from the example.

Weekly schedule (filled example)

A sample week of shifts in the same shape the shift planner uses, showing continuous paid segments split around unpaid meal periods.

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Columns: Employee · Role · Day · Start (24h decimal) · End (24h decimal) · Hourly rate · Note

• One row per continuous paid segment; split around unpaid meal periods and at midnight.
• Use the same employee label across rows so the planner totals hours and overtime per person.
• Enter these rows in the shift planner to see wages, overtime, employer cost and coverage gaps.

Labor cost and shift planner

Supplier quote comparison

Compare quotes on the delivered cost per usable unit, with minimums, delivery days and terms beside the price.

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Columns: Item · Spec (grade, size, pack) · Supplier · Quote date · Case size · Price per case · Delivery charge · Delivered cost per unit · Minimum order · Delivery days · Payment terms · Price valid until · Notes

• Quote the same spec from each supplier; a cheaper price on a different grade is not comparable.
• Delivered cost per unit = (price per case + delivery share) ÷ units per case.
• Record minimums and delivery days: they decide how much you must hold and whether the order fits storage.

Purchasing, pars and the order that does not spoil

Par and order sheet

Count first, then order: expected usage, counted stock, inbound, case size and the resulting order for every item on one sheet.

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Columns: Item · Unit · Usage per day · Days to cover · Safety stock · Counted on hand · Confirmed inbound · Need (usage × days + safety − on hand − inbound) · Case size · Cases to order · Shelf-life days · Storage limit · Flag

• Fill counted stock from a physical count on the day you order, never from memory.
• Cases to order = need ÷ case size rounded up; check the shelf-life and storage columns before accepting a supplier minimum.
• Bring a doubtful line into the order quantity calculator to see the flags in detail.

Inventory and order quantity calculator

Receiving log

Check every delivery against the order and the invoice while the driver is still there.

Planning form. Temperatures, times, frequencies and escalation steps must be taken from the rules that apply to your address (the FDA Food Code is a model that jurisdictions adopt and modify) and reviewed by the person in charge before use. Completing this form is not a certification or approval.

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Columns: Date · Supplier · Invoice number · Item · Ordered quantity · Delivered quantity · Invoice quantity · Invoice price · Quoted price · Condition and temperature check (per verified standard) · Accepted / rejected / short · Credit requested? · Received by

• Compare three numbers per line: ordered, delivered and invoiced. Any mismatch is a credit request today, not a note for later.
• Temperature and condition standards for receiving must come from your locally verified procedure; the example does not supply them.
• Reject or record at the door; a shortage discovered on Friday is hard to prove.

Invoice and credit reconciliation

Track every invoice from receipt to payment and every credit from request to the statement it appears on.

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Columns: Invoice date · Supplier · Invoice number · Invoice total · Receiving log matches? (yes/no) · Credit requested · Credit reason · Credit reference · Credit received date · Approved to pay by · Paid date · Payment method · Notes

• No invoice is approved to pay until it matches the receiving log.
• Chase credits until they appear on a statement; a promise on the phone is not a credit.
• Give the accountant this sheet with the invoices so purchases in the scorecard are net of credits.

Lease review questions

The questions to answer with the landlord and your counsel before signing, with the answer, the source clause and what remains open.

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Columns: Topic · Question · Answer from landlord or lease · Clause reference · Reviewed by (counsel/engineer/owner) · Resolved? (yes/no) · Impact on cash or timing

• Every row is a prompt for professional review, not a legal document. The clause reference makes the review checkable.
• A 'no' in the resolved column blocks signing regardless of the rent number.
• Carry the answers into the location comparison as cash and delay assumptions.

Lease negotiation checklist

Construction scope and bid comparison

Itemize the scope once, then compare each bid line by line so exclusions and allowances are visible.

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Columns: Scope item · Specification or drawing reference · Who supplies materials · Bid 1 price · Bid 1 exclusions or allowances · Bid 2 price · Bid 2 exclusions or allowances · Bid 3 price · Bid 3 exclusions or allowances · Permit or inspection required? · Depends on

• Write the scope before asking for bids; otherwise each bid defines its own scope and nothing compares.
• Read exclusions and allowances as costs still to come.
• Record the dependency so the schedule shows which approvals gate which work.

Construction: scope, bids and change orders

Change-order log

Every change to scope, with who asked, why, the cost, the delay and who approved it, before the work happens.

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Columns: Change order number · Date raised · Requested by · Description · Reason (unforeseen condition, owner change, inspector requirement) · Cost change · Schedule change (days) · Approved by · Approval date · Status

• No change is built without a number in the cost and schedule columns and a name in the approval column.
• Total the cost column weekly against the contingency in the cash plan.
• Owner changes are the ones you control; look at that column before blaming the site.

Construction: scope, bids and change orders

Insurance quote checklist

Ask every broker for the same coverages on the same facts so quotes compare, and record what is bound rather than quoted.

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Columns: Coverage · Required by (lease, lender, law, choice) · Limit requested · Broker 1 premium · Broker 1 deductible and exclusions · Broker 2 premium · Broker 2 deductible and exclusions · Chosen · Bound date · Policy number · Renewal date

• List what the lease, the lender and the law require before asking for prices; the example coverages are illustrations, not a complete list for your situation.
• Compare deductibles and exclusions, not only premiums.
• Only a bound policy with a number counts on the approvals list.

POS, insurance and the services you actually need

Operating services setup

Utilities, waste, grease, pest, internet, fire systems and maintenance: who provides each, when it starts and what it costs.

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Columns: Service · Provider · Account or contract reference · Start date · Monthly cost · Setup or deposit · Frequency or schedule · Required by (inspection, lease, operations) · Owner · Status

• Anything the POS, the inspection or the first busy week depends on gets a start date before the soft opening.
• Put every monthly cost into the P&L builder so the operating budget is complete.
• Keep the logs (pest, grease, hood cleaning) where an inspector can see them.

POS, insurance and the services you actually need

POS and processor quote comparison

The inputs the processing comparison tool needs, captured from each written quote in one place.

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Columns: Provider · Quote date · Effective percentage fee · Per-transaction fee · Software per month · Other monthly fees · Hardware and setup · Contract term (months) · Early termination cost · Hardware owned or leased · Refund and dispute handling · Notes

• Ask for the effective rate for your card mix in writing, not the advertised 'from' rate.
• Enter each row into the POS comparison tool at your real volume, then at half and double.
• Test a sale, a refund and a void on each system before signing.

POS and processing cost comparison

Temperature log (planning form)

A daily log of cold-holding, hot-holding and cooking temperatures against the limits you verified for your jurisdiction.

Planning form. Temperatures, times, frequencies and escalation steps must be taken from the rules that apply to your address (the FDA Food Code is a model that jurisdictions adopt and modify) and reviewed by the person in charge before use. Completing this form is not a certification or approval.

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Columns: Date · Time · Unit or item · Check type (cold holding, hot holding, cooking, cooling) · Temperature measured · Limit per your verified procedure · Within limit? (yes/no) · Corrective action taken · Checked by · Person in charge initials

• Fill the limit column from the requirement that applies to your address before the first shift; the form deliberately leaves it blank.
• A reading outside the limit needs a corrective action written on the same line.
• The person in charge reviews and initials the sheet daily.

Food safety and allergen controls: a starter guide

Receiving temperature and condition check (planning form)

Check refrigerated and frozen deliveries at the door against your verified receiving standards.

Planning form. Temperatures, times, frequencies and escalation steps must be taken from the rules that apply to your address (the FDA Food Code is a model that jurisdictions adopt and modify) and reviewed by the person in charge before use. Completing this form is not a certification or approval.

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Columns: Date · Supplier · Item · Temperature measured · Receiving limit per your verified procedure · Packaging intact? (yes/no) · Date labels present? (yes/no) · Accepted or rejected · Reason if rejected · Checked by

• Decide the receiving limits with the person in charge from the applicable rules and write them into the limit column.
• Reject at the door and note it on the receiving log so the credit is requested the same day.

Food safety and allergen controls: a starter guide

Cleaning and sanitizing schedule (planning form)

What gets cleaned and sanitized, how often, with what, by whom, and the check that it happened.

Planning form. Temperatures, times, frequencies and escalation steps must be taken from the rules that apply to your address (the FDA Food Code is a model that jurisdictions adopt and modify) and reviewed by the person in charge before use. Completing this form is not a certification or approval.

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Columns: Area or equipment · Task · Frequency · Product and concentration per your verified procedure · Method summary · Assigned role · Completed date · Completed by · Verified by person in charge

• Frequencies and concentrations come from the manufacturer's instructions and the rules that apply to you; the example leaves them for you to fill.
• A completed column with a name is evidence; a tick with no name is not.
• Review the sheet weekly and adjust tasks that never get done.

Allergen order handoff (planning form)

Record how an allergen-flagged order moves from the guest to the plate so every handoff is a deliberate step.

Planning form. Temperatures, times, frequencies and escalation steps must be taken from the rules that apply to your address (the FDA Food Code is a model that jurisdictions adopt and modify) and reviewed by the person in charge before use. Completing this form is not a certification or approval.

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Columns: Date · Order or ticket number · Allergen or restriction stated by guest · Menu item · Ingredients checked against recipe (by whom) · Separate utensils and surface used? (yes/no) · Prepared by · Verified before service by · Delivered to guest by · Issue or near miss noted

• Know which menu items cannot be made safe and say so; an honest 'no' is a control.
• The verification step before service is separate from preparation.
• Log near misses; they show where the next mistake will happen.

Food safety and allergen controls: a starter guide

Employee health reporting and escalation (planning form)

How an employee reports symptoms or a diagnosis, what the person in charge decides, and when the health authority is contacted, per the rules that apply to you.

Planning form. Temperatures, times, frequencies and escalation steps must be taken from the rules that apply to your address (the FDA Food Code is a model that jurisdictions adopt and modify) and reviewed by the person in charge before use. Completing this form is not a certification or approval.

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Columns: Date · Employee · Reported symptom, diagnosis or exposure (categories per your verified procedure) · Reported to · Decision (restrict / exclude / no action) per your verified procedure · Decided by (person in charge) · Health authority notified? (yes/no/not required) · Return-to-work condition · Return date · Notes

• Fill the categories, decisions and notification rules from the requirement that applies to your address before opening; the form leaves them blank on purpose.
• The person in charge makes and records the decision the same day.
• Keep the log where the person in charge can show it on request.

Business listing accuracy check

Every place a customer can find you, checked for the same name, address, hours, phone, menu link and ordering link.

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Columns: Platform or listing · Verified or claimed? (yes/no) · Name matches · Address matches · Hours match (including special hours) · Phone matches · Menu link works · Ordering link works and tested · Category correct · Checked date · Owner · Fix needed

• Google's own guidance says complete and accurate information, verification and current hours matter for local results; the same is true for every listing.
• Place a real test order through each ordering link and refund it.
• Recheck after any change of hours or menu.

How to get your first paying customers

Launch experiments log

One row per marketing test with its cost, what it produced and whether the customers came back, so you keep what works.

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Columns: Experiment · Start date · End date · Cost · Permission or rules checked? (yes/no) · How measured (code, link, question at checkout) · New paying customers · Orders · Sales · Repeat customers within 30 days · Contribution after food and fees · Keep, change or stop

• Measure paying customers and repeats, not impressions.
• Contribution after food and fees is the number to compare with the cost.
• Two weeks per test is enough to decide; write the decision in the last column.

How to get your first paying customers

Weekly scorecard

The inputs and results of the first-month scorecard tool, one row per week, so you can see the trend.

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Columns: Week ending · Planned sales · Actual sales · Orders · Average order · Labor cost · Labor % · Opening inventory · Purchases · Closing inventory · Food used · Food % · Prime cost % · Refunds and comps · Recorded waste · Bank cash · Committed payments · Cash after commitments · Corrective decision

• Fill the inputs from the same period every week; the tool calculates the percentages.
• Write one corrective decision per week and check the next week's row for its effect.
• Cash after commitments is the line that decides whether the week was fine.

First-month operating scorecard

First-month review

What the plan assumed, what happened, why, and what changes, across sales, labor, food, service and cash.

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Columns: Area · Plan assumption · Actual after four weeks · Difference · Likely cause · Decision · Owner · Review date · Result seen by

• Compare with your own plan, not with an industry figure.
• Every difference gets a cause before it gets a decision.
• Rebuild the P&L with the actual numbers when the month closes.

What to watch in the first 30 days

Lender quote comparison

Compare financing offers on identical terms: rate, fees, term, amortization, interest-only period, collateral, guarantee and prepayment.

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Columns: Lender · Quote date · Product · Principal · Rate and type (fixed/variable) · Term months · Amortization months · Interest-only months · Fees withheld · Other fees · Monthly payment · Balloon at maturity · Collateral · Personal guarantee · Prepayment terms · Funding date · First payment date · Status (proposed/committed/funded)

• Put each quote through the loan calculator to get the payment, total cost and balloon on the same basis.
• A lower payment with a balloon is a different product, not a cheaper one.
• Only 'funded' counts in the opening cash plan; 'committed' has signed documents; 'proposed' is a conversation.

Can you afford the loan and still pay yourself?

Lender document checklist

The documents lenders commonly ask for, with status and location, so an application is not delayed by a missing file.

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Columns: Document · Requested by (lender name) · Prepared by · Status (not started/in progress/ready/submitted) · Date submitted · Location or file name · Notes

• Ask each lender for its list in writing; the example rows are common items, not a complete list.
• The SBA notes that application contents vary with loan size and the lender's processing method, and that you work directly with the lender.
• Keep one folder and this index; resend nothing twice.

Can you afford the loan and still pay yourself?

Business setup checklist

Entity, registrations, bank, bookkeeping, payroll, insurance and professionals, with the decision, the owner and the evidence.

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Columns: Item · Decision or requirement · Professional consulted · Owner · Due date · Completed date · Evidence (document, account, confirmation) · Renewal or filing cadence · Notes

• Use the same legal name and address on the entity, the bank, the lease, the permits and the insurance.
• Name the professional who made or confirmed each decision; the checklist does not replace them.
• Record the cadence so renewals and filings land on the calendar.

Business setup checklist

Buying an existing restaurant: due-diligence checks

What to verify before buying a business or taking over a space, who verifies it and what the evidence is.

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Columns: Area · Check · Evidence requested · Received? (yes/no) · Verified by · Finding · Effect on price, terms or decision

• Every claim about the business becomes a check with evidence; the seller's statement is the claim, not the evidence.
• A 'no' in the received column blocks closing; missing evidence is a finding.
• Carry the findings into the price, the terms or the decision, and write which.

Buying an existing restaurant: what to check