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🔥 Holiday Gear-Up Series, Part 4: Build a Smart December–January Roster (Or Watch Your Team Burn Out Fast)


Let’s be real:December–January staffing can make or break a venue.

You’re dealing with:

  • Public holidays

  • Penalty rates

  • School holidays

  • Annual leave requests

  • Staff who want time off

  • Staff who SHOULD take time off

  • Summer exhaustion

  • Tourists

  • Bigger bookings

  • Big catering orders

  • New casuals with little experience


And somehow you're expected to make a roster that is:

✔ Fair

✔ Affordable

✔ Efficient

✔ Legally compliant

✔ Staff-friendly

✔ Customer-proof

✔ Holiday-ready


That’s a tall order in any venue — especially in QLD’s busiest period.

Here’s how to get your December–January roster right.


chef holding the holiday roster

🎯 Why Holiday Rostering Needs Its Own Strategy


The biggest mistakes venues make this time of year:

❌ Roster first, check the award second

❌ Build the roster before reviewing the menu

❌ Ignore staff fatigue

❌ Say yes to everything

❌ Understaff because of penalty-rate fear

❌ Overstaff because of panic

❌ Don’t communicate expectations early

❌ Forget that everyone wants time off

Instead, build a holiday roster strategy — NOT just a weekly spreadsheet.


🧩 The 7 Keys to a Smart Holiday Roster


These steps will save you thousands in wages and prevent your staff from melting down by week 2 of December.


1. Start With the Menu & Setup


You can’t roster properly if your menu is bloated.

Your staffing requirements depend on:

  • Number of menu items

  • Complexity of dishes

  • Prep workload

  • Service flow

  • FOH/breakfast rush

  • Coffee volume

💡 Tip: A simplified holiday menu = fewer staff needed = lower wage bill = smoother service.

(Part 3 handled this beautifully.)


2. Map Out ALL Public Holidays + Penalty Days


QLD venues MUST account for:

  • 25 Dec (Christmas)

  • 26 Dec (Boxing Day)

  • 1 Jan (New Year’s Day)

  • Additional PHs depending on state rules

Penalty rates can blow out your wage cost before service even starts.

So:

✔ Plan who can work them

✔ Rotate fairly

✔ Offer incentives early

✔ Lock these in now before staff go on holidays


3. Build a “Core Crew” + “Support Crew” Model


Holiday rosters work best when you split your team:

CORE CREW

Your reliable, skilled team who can handle volume.

SUPPORT CREW

Casuals, juniors, runners, drink runners, polishers, food runners, etc.

Core = stability.Support = flexibility.

This prevents burnout AND keeps wage costs controlled.


4. Schedule Breaks Before It Gets Busy (Not During Peak)


In December:

❌ Never schedule breaks at peak

✔ Always break early or stagger

There’s nothing worse than sending someone on break at 10:30am when the doors are already getting slammed.

Plan breaks like chess moves.


5. Over-Communicate Expectations NOW


Your team should know:

  • Blackout dates

  • Peak hours

  • Required availability

  • Dress code for the season

  • Heat safety rules

  • When they need to arrive

  • Who’s in charge for each shift

  • What “good service” looks like during peak

December fails when things are assumed, not said.


6. Plan for Fatigue Before It Happens


Staff fatigue is the #1 hidden cost of December.

Beat it by:

✔ Rotating staff strategically✔ Avoiding back-to-back doubles✔ Never rostering big closes after early opens✔ Adding short float shifts during peak✔ Designing “breather shifts”

Fatigue causes:

  • Mistakes

  • Food safety issues

  • Inconsistent service

  • Walk-outs

  • Blowouts

  • Staff quitting mid-December

Protect your people = protect your season.


7. Use Data, Not Vibes


Before finalising the roster:

✔ Check last year’s POS reports

✔ Review peak times

✔ Note slow days

✔ Track weather patterns

✔ Identify biggest weeks

✔ Review booking trends

Roster for what you KNOW — not what you hope.


💡 Need Help? I Build Holiday Rosters That Actually Work.


With my Operations Consulting, you can get:

✔ A custom December–January roster plan

✔ A role-by-role breakdown

✔ Labour cost targets

✔ Staff flow charts

✔ Daily schedule templates

✔ Responsibilities by position

✔ A holiday survival strategy tailored to your venue

Venue owners say this is one of the most valuable documents they use all year.



🎉 BLACK FRIDAY BONUS — Ends 30/11/25

If you book a free discovery call before 30/11:


🔥 Get 20% OFF your Holiday Roster Strategy Package.


This discount is ONLY available for Black Friday.Perfect for venues who want to avoid December chaos.


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