The new commis walks in at eleven for a lunch shift. The chef is shouting about a missing consignment of paneer. Nobody has told him where his locker is, which chopping board is for vegetarian prep or when his staff meal comes. By two o'clock, with the dal splashed on his apron and three captains calling for him, he is thinking about the vegetable seller who offered him a job last week.
Hospitality loses many joiners in the first two weeks, and they usually leave without a word. The plan below stretches thirty days. It fits a single outlet, and it can be copied for each outlet of a chain. The restaurants and cafes hub covers the sector context, and the onboarding process service describes how it is designed for other trades.
Before the first shift
- Send the joiner a short message with the uniform size form, the reporting time and the nearest bus stop.
- Collect identity proof, photograph and bank details on the first day, not mid-shift.
- Allot a locker, apron and name badge in advance.
- Tell the buddy and the section chef that a new person is coming.
Week one: watch, carry, clean
Day one is a walk-through, not work. Show the cold room, the dry store, the dish wash area, the hand-wash points, the fire exit and the staff meal table. A commis shadows his buddy at the pass. A captain follows a senior across the floor and learns table numbers. A barista watches the espresso station through two rush hours before pulling a single shot.
Teach hygiene first, since it is the part that cannot be fixed later: gloves, caps, hand-wash steps, colour-coded boards, storage of cooked and raw items, labelling and date marking. Pair this with the cafes onboarding process.
Week two: do small things properly
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Day eight: one defined task
A commis cuts onions to size for a single dish. A captain handles two tables with the buddy near. A cashier punches orders on the POS with a supervisor watching.
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Day ten: first check-in
Ask: what confused you, what do you not know how to do, and who is helping. Write down the answers.
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Day twelve: tasting and menu notes
Taste the five best-selling dishes, learn the allergens and the dish names in the order slip format.
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Day fourteen: fix one mistake together
Review a wrong order or a burnt batch with the buddy, without blame.
Week three: speed and the weekend rush
Now bring in the rush. A captain takes a four-table section on Saturday night with a runner. A commis handles the mise en place for a full shift and a service-end clean-down. A cashier closes the till with a supervisor and reconciles the day's cash and card slips. Rush hour is when most errors surface, so keep the buddy close.
Week four: review and plan
On day thirty, hold a short conversation: a kitchen or floor manager and the new joiner. Cover what he can do alone, what is still shaky, which shifts suit him and what the next skill is. Confirm him only if the review is complete; do not extend a probation just by silence.
Roles that need a different plan
- Cloud kitchen cook: order packing, rider handover timing and app order flow; see the cloud kitchens page.
- Fine dining commis: station tasting, plating spoons, mise en place cards.
- Food court counter staff: speed on the till, tray return and hygiene audits in common seating.
- Bakery helper: early morning shift, oven safety and dough timing.
Staff meal, uniform and the small courtesies
Restaurant staff watch how the house treats them. Put the staff meal on the roster so it is not eaten standing in the stores. Give two sets of uniform in week one, so the first dish-wash splash does not end the day. Show the new person the tip pool or service charge rule on day one, in plain words, with the way it is split. Many walkouts after day four trace to a surprise about the tips or a missing locker key.
Name the senior who is allowed to correct the joiner. A new commis who is shouted at by four people learns only to avoid the kitchen. Name one.
What the manager checks each week
- Has the joiner signed for the uniform, locker and hygiene briefing?
- Which three dishes or drinks can he make or serve without help?
- Has he been late or absent, and was the reason asked?
- Did anyone on the line complain, or praise him, to the chef or floor manager?
Keep these answers on one sheet per joiner. If the sheet is blank by day ten, the plan has stalled, and the owner should step in.
