Frontline Onboarding Kit

Bring new hosts, servers, bussers and food runners from their first shift to working alone in 30 days, with plans, role checklists, customer service basics and a cheat sheet built for the dining room.

Who it is for

• Restaurant and café managers who hire front-of-house staff several times a year.

• Business owners who run their own restaurant and train new staff themselves.

• Lead hosts, senior servers and shift leads who were hired first and now train others.

• Hospitality HR and training staff who want a ready-made, editable front-of-house program.

The problem it solves

Most new front-of-house staff learn by following a busy server for a few shifts. The server skips the reasons, teaches their own habits and has no time to check what the new person can do. New staff are put on the busiest nights too soon, mistakes happen in front of customers, and nobody is sure what has been taught. This kit gives you a planned first day, first week and first 30 days, a checklist for each role, one consistent way to teach every task, and the customer service basics for the door, the table and the phone. Every task is taught with Teach a Task™, a proprietary method of KA Company, and customer service follows READ™, a proprietary method of KA Company.

Rules on hiring paperwork, breaks and payment handling depend on your location. The kit reminds you to check them; it is not legal advice.

What is inside

• How to use this kit (page 1; 1 page)

• Copyright and License (page 2; 1 page)

• Part 1. Manager’s guide (pages 3 to 5; 3 pages)

• Part 2. Before day one and the first-day plan (pages 6 to 10; 5 pages)

• Part 3. First-week plan (pages 11 to 13; 3 pages)

• Part 4. 30-day plan and day-30 review (pages 14 to 18; 5 pages)

• Part 5. Role task checklists and sign-off (pages 19 to 26; 8 pages)

• Part 6. Customer service basics (pages 27 to 29; 3 pages)

• Part 7. Cheat sheet for common situations (page 30; 1 page)

• Part 8. Mistakes, settings, FAQ and rollout (pages 31 to 32; 2 pages)

• Editable Word version of everything above (32 pages)

Examples follow a new host at a casual full-service restaurant through his first 30 days, with variations for counter service, fine dining, takeout, private dining and small teams.

How to use it

1. Read the manager's guide (Part 1).

2. Prepare before day one with the checklist and first-day plan.

3. Plan the first week and the first 30 days, and book the day-30 review.

4. Choose the role checklist, name a trainer for each task, and teach each task with the four Teach a Task steps.

5. Coach customer service with Part 6 and give every new employee the cheat sheet.

6. Edit everything in the Word file to match your menu, floor plan, systems and policies.

Formats and file types

• Printable PDF (32 pages), US Letter.

• Editable Word file (.docx, 32 pages) with every template, checklist and example.

• An e-learning version is planned as a separate product. It is not included in this kit.

Frequently asked questions