🔥 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.

🎯 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.

🟦 See all services here: https://www.bambamculinaryconsultants.com/services-9

🎉 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.

👉 Book your call: https://www.bambamculinaryconsultants.com/book-online