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Restaurant Pub Guide
Writing Down How Your Business Runs
Master the core concepts of writing down how your business runs tailored specifically for the Restaurant Pub industry.
đź’ˇ Core Concepts & Executive Briefing
Understanding Brain-Dumping and SOPs
Standard Operating Procedures, or SOPs, are the backbone of a good restaurant or pub. They are the playbook that keeps the food, drinks, service, and cleaning standards steady no matter who is on shift. In this business, a great night can turn bad fast if one person is guessing how to run the pass, greet a table, close a till, or clean a beer line. SOPs stop that.
If you want a new server, bartender, or line cook to be 80% effective on day one, you need clear steps they can follow without asking three people for the same answer. That is how you build a place that works when you are not standing in the kitchen or behind the bar.
The Importance of Brain-Dumping
Brain-dumping means getting everything in your head out into a format your team can use. In a restaurant or pub, a lot of know-how lives in the owner’s head: how to handle a late walk-in on a busy Friday, how to rotate stock so the salmon and chicken stay safe, how to prep the bar for the dinner rush, or how to handle a guest who sends back a steak.
If that knowledge stays in your head, the business stays trapped at your level. The kitchen depends on you. The floor depends on you. The bar depends on you. And if you are off sick, on holiday, or dealing with a supplier issue, the whole place feels it.
A proper brain-dump turns daily know-how into written or recorded steps. That could be your opening checklist, your Sunday stock count, your happy hour setup, or your “what to do when a keg blows” process.
Creating Effective SOPs
Good SOPs are simple, direct, and built for the people doing the work.
1. Why: Start with why the task matters. If it is a prep list, explain how it protects service speed and food quality. If it is a closing checklist, explain how it protects cash, stock, and cleanliness.
2. What: List the exact steps in order. Do not say “set up the bar properly.” Say where the glassware goes, how the ice bins are filled, how garnishes are labeled, and what gets checked before doors open.
3. Outcome: Say what good looks like. For example, a successful table turn might mean the table is reset in under 4 minutes, menus are in place, cutlery is polished, and the next guest is seated without delay.
This is especially important in hospitality because speed matters, but consistency matters more. A good SOP makes sure every bartender pours the same pint, every server knows the allergy process, and every cook plates the burger the same way.
Organizing Your SOPs
All SOPs should live in one place where the team can find them fast. That might be Google Drive, Notion, or a shared tablet in the office or staff room. The point is simple: no hunting through old WhatsApp messages, paper scraps, or asking the head chef who is already in the weeds.
Think of your SOP vault like the back-of-house library. If a new supervisor needs the cash-up process, they should find it in seconds. If a bartender needs the glass-wash and opening routine, it should be right there.
Your SOPs should be grouped by area: kitchen, bar, floor, opening, closing, cash handling, hygiene, guest recovery, and deliveries.
The Loom-First Approach
Do not wait until you have time to write the perfect manual. Record the real task first. Use Loom, your phone, or any screen and camera recording tool to capture yourself doing the work.
In a restaurant or pub, this could be you showing how to run the POS closeout, how to input a comp correctly, how to change a keg, how to set the pass for dinner service, or how to complete a deep-clean checklist. A short video is often better than a long page of text because your team can see the exact order and standard.
Later, someone can turn that recording into a written SOP, but the recording gets the knowledge out of your head fast.
Building a Culture of Self-Reliance
Train your team to check the SOPs before they ask the owner or manager every small question. This does not mean you stop helping people. It means you stop being the only source of truth.
In a strong restaurant or pub, staff learn to solve common problems by checking the playbook first. That might mean looking up the allergy procedure, the refund policy, the wine service steps, or the opening checklist. The result is fewer interruptions, faster training, and fewer mistakes during service.
When your team knows where the answers live, the business runs better. Service gets smoother. Standards stay high. And you finally stop carrying every detail in your head.
⚠️ The Industry Trap
### The 'I'll Just Tell Them' Delusion
A lot of restaurant and pub owners think they can train people just by talking them through it. That works once or twice, then the shift changes, the notes get forgotten, and everyone does it a different way. One bartender tops the line cleanly, another leaves it messy. One server knows how to handle a food allergy, another guesses. One chef plates from memory, another asks the owner every time.
That is how a busy Friday turns into a mess. When the owner is not there, the standards slip because the business was built on verbal instructions, not written ones. If your whole operation depends on you repeating yourself, you do not have a system. You have a bottleneck with a till.
A lot of restaurant and pub owners think they can train people just by talking them through it. That works once or twice, then the shift changes, the notes get forgotten, and everyone does it a different way. One bartender tops the line cleanly, another leaves it messy. One server knows how to handle a food allergy, another guesses. One chef plates from memory, another asks the owner every time.
That is how a busy Friday turns into a mess. When the owner is not there, the standards slip because the business was built on verbal instructions, not written ones. If your whole operation depends on you repeating yourself, you do not have a system. You have a bottleneck with a till.
đź“Š The Core KPI
Core SOP Coverage: The percentage of your critical restaurant or pub processes that are documented, easy to find, and current. Benchmark: 100% of opening, closing, cash-up, bar setup, kitchen prep, food safety, allergy handling, complaint recovery, and stock count SOPs should be written and stored in one place. Formula: documented core SOPs Ă· total core SOPs needed x 100.
🛑 The Bottleneck
### Execution Level: Shift Lead or Ops Manager
Most restaurant and pub owners get stuck because the know-how sits only with them or one senior person. That means every problem rolls uphill. The bartender asks about a damaged bottle. The line cook asks how to handle a missing prep item. The server asks what to do with a guest complaint. Before long, the owner is dragged into every shift problem, even the small ones.
The bottleneck is not the task itself. It is the missing system. Once you document the repeat work, a shift lead or ops manager can handle the day-to-day without waiting for you. Until then, the business keeps pulling you back to the floor.
Most restaurant and pub owners get stuck because the know-how sits only with them or one senior person. That means every problem rolls uphill. The bartender asks about a damaged bottle. The line cook asks how to handle a missing prep item. The server asks what to do with a guest complaint. Before long, the owner is dragged into every shift problem, even the small ones.
The bottleneck is not the task itself. It is the missing system. Once you document the repeat work, a shift lead or ops manager can handle the day-to-day without waiting for you. Until then, the business keeps pulling you back to the floor.
âś… Action Items
### Steps to Implement SOPs
1. **Record the repeat jobs:** Use your phone or Loom to film the real process for opening the bar, cashing up, rotating stock, making a signature drink, closing the kitchen, and cleaning the espresso machine.
2. **Turn recordings into checklists:** Have a supervisor or admin person write each video into a short SOP with steps, photos, and the expected standard.
3. **Store by department:** Put everything in one shared folder with clear labels like Front of House, Bar, Kitchen, Hygiene, Delivery, and Closing.
4. **Build shift checklists:** Give each station a laminated checklist or tablet checklist for opening, service, and closing.
5. **Train people to self-check:** When a team member asks a routine question, point them to the SOP first. Make checking the playbook part of the culture.
6. **Review monthly:** Update SOPs after menu changes, new POS steps, supplier swaps, or new licensing rules.
1. **Record the repeat jobs:** Use your phone or Loom to film the real process for opening the bar, cashing up, rotating stock, making a signature drink, closing the kitchen, and cleaning the espresso machine.
2. **Turn recordings into checklists:** Have a supervisor or admin person write each video into a short SOP with steps, photos, and the expected standard.
3. **Store by department:** Put everything in one shared folder with clear labels like Front of House, Bar, Kitchen, Hygiene, Delivery, and Closing.
4. **Build shift checklists:** Give each station a laminated checklist or tablet checklist for opening, service, and closing.
5. **Train people to self-check:** When a team member asks a routine question, point them to the SOP first. Make checking the playbook part of the culture.
6. **Review monthly:** Update SOPs after menu changes, new POS steps, supplier swaps, or new licensing rules.
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