Writing Down How Your Business Runs

Understanding Brain-Dumping and SOPs

Standard Operating Procedures, or SOPs, are the written playbook for your restaurant or pub. They show staff exactly how to complete a task, from opening the bar to closing the kitchen. A strong SOP helps a new team member become useful quickly and keeps service consistent when the owner or general manager is away.

The goal is not to create a large manual that nobody reads. The goal is to make the most important work clear enough that a properly trained new hire can complete it safely and correctly on the first shift. For example, a new bartender should know how to check identification, set up the well, ring a drink into Toast POS, handle a void, and close the till without calling the owner for every decision.

The Importance of Brain-Dumping

Brain-dumping means taking the knowledge in your head and putting it somewhere the team can use. Restaurant owners often carry years of practical knowledge: how much prep is needed before a Friday rush, which supplier delivers reliable produce, how to handle a guest complaint, and when a food item should be 86'd. If that knowledge stays in one person's head, the business depends on that person being present.

For example, an owner may know that the fryer oil must be filtered before the dinner shift, that the walk-in temperature must be logged twice daily, and that a popular burger needs a specific portion of fries to protect food cost percentage. If these details are only shared verbally, standards will drift as staff change.

Start with the tasks that affect guest safety, cash, speed, quality, and labor. Include opening and closing duties, allergen procedures, temperature checks, receiving deliveries, portioning, cash handling, refunds, cleaning, shift handoffs, and incident reporting.

Creating Effective SOPs

Use the same three-part structure for every procedure:

1. Why: Explain why the task matters. This gives staff context. A temperature-check SOP protects guests and supports health-code compliance. A portioning SOP helps control food cost percentage.
2. What: List the exact steps in the order they happen. Include tools, quantities, time limits, photos, and who is responsible. For a bar close, state how to count cash, record waste, lock alcohol storage, and report shortages.
3. Outcome: Define what good work looks like. A successful opening means all stations are stocked, refrigeration temperatures are logged, the POS is ready, and the dining room passes the manager's check.

Keep each SOP focused on one job. A short checklist for receiving a delivery is easier to use than a twenty-page operations document. Test the procedure with a line cook, server, or bartender who did not write it. If they cannot follow it without asking several questions, rewrite it.

Organizing Your SOPs

Store all procedures in one searchable SOP vault. Google Drive, Notion, or a shared operations folder can work for a small restaurant. Organize it by department: Kitchen, Bar, Front of House, Cash, Safety, Cleaning, and Management. Use clear names such as "Opening Kitchen Checklist" and "Guest Refund Procedure."

Keep printed copies at the station where the task occurs, but treat the digital version as the source of truth. Add an owner and review date to every SOP. Review procedures after a menu change, equipment purchase, health inspection finding, or service problem.

The Loom-First Approach

Use a phone or Loom recording to capture yourself performing the task. Record a manager opening the pub, a chef receiving produce, or a bartender closing the register. Explain what you are checking and why. A five-minute video often captures details that are easy to miss in writing.

Then turn the recording into a short written checklist with photos. Keep the video as a training aid, not as the only version of the procedure. Staff need a fast reference during a busy shift.

Building a Culture of Self-Reliance

Teach employees to check the SOP vault before asking a routine question. Managers should still make safety and service decisions, but they should not be the only source of basic knowledge. Ask, "Which procedure did you check?" and invite the employee to suggest an update when the SOP is unclear.

Track whether the team actually uses the procedures. Review completed opening and closing checklists, spot-check food safety logs, and discuss missed steps at pre-shift meetings. When SOPs are current and easy to find, service becomes more consistent, training gets faster, and the owner can spend less time solving repeat problems.