Knowledge base · Onboarding
Onboarding schedule for new hospitality staff.
Front of house, bar and kitchen side by side.
Three new colleagues start on Monday. A student behind the bar, someone without hospitality experience on the floor and a cook. All three get the same tour. After that their weeks go separate ways. Here you read how to make an onboarding schedule per role, from the first day to the end of the probation period.
In short. An onboarding schedule for new hospitality staff sets out per role what someone learns when about the venue, the rules and safety. It also says who explains it and when it is done. Front of house, bar and kitchen share the first day. After that each role gets its own track, until the end of the probation period.
Try it yourself
Do you know what a new colleague may do?
This is how your team trains with CuliQuiz: short questions on the phone, three minutes a day. Play five about the onboarding schedule. At the end you see per topic where you stand.
Play it yourself on the phone on the rightPlay it yourself on the phone below
- 40%of hospitality staff in the Netherlands leave every year. Every new colleague needs a scheduleABN AMRO, 2019
- 16 yearsfrom that age someone may work behind the bar and serve alcohol. Younger is allowed in the kitchenKHN; Ondernemersplein
- 1 monthmaximum probation with a temporary contract between 6 months and 2 years. 6 months or less: no probationRijksoverheid
01 · Day oneWhat does everyone learn on the first day?
The first day starts the same for front of house, bar and kitchen. You explain what the work involves and which risks come with it. Article 8 of the Dutch Working Conditions Act requires that.
Safety
Tour, emergency exits, the first aid kit and who to call if something goes wrong.
Hygiene
Washing hands, temperatures, cleaning. Everyone who works with food gets instruction according to the Hygiene Code. A diploma is not required.
House rules
Clothing, phone, breaks, staff food and drinks.
Working together
Who is who on the floor, behind the bar and in the kitchen. How an order goes from the table to the pass and who to ask for what.
Allergens
One rule for everyone: not sure, then check with the kitchen. Never guess.
After that everyone works in their own role the same day, with the buddy close by. Till, passing on orders, their own station. What that means per role is in the schedule.
How to build the first shifts on the floor, you read in Onboarding new hospitality staff. Below is the schedule for all three roles side by side.
02 · The scheduleWhat does an onboarding schedule per role look like?
Four phases and one row for working together, for three roles. Per phase you see what someone learns. Adapt it to your own venue and your own menu.
| Phase | Front of house | Bar | Kitchen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Working with the buddy. The till with the functions you use every shift: ringing in per course, splitting the bill, settling and card payments. Passing orders to kitchen and bar. Table numbers. | Working with the buddy. Till and settling, picking up orders from the floor, making coffee and pouring beer. Where the glassware is. | Working on one station. Mise en place, reading tickets on the kitchen screen or ticket printer, calling courses done. Walk-in, temperatures and labels. |
| Week 1 | The menu dish by dish, with allergens. Two tables on her own. | House wines, beers and the drinks ordered most. Asking for ID when in doubt. | The preparations of one station, allergens per dish, cooling down and labelling. |
| Week 2 to 4 | Her own section. Upselling opportunities: water, wine with the dish, dessert, coffee and digestif. | A busy service, restocking, closing the bar with a colleague. | A second station. A busy à la minute evening, the cleaning schedule. |
| Until end of probation | A closing shift. Handling and solving a complaint. | Opening and closing the bar on her own. | Receiving and checking deliveries. Planning mise en place. |
| Ongoing: working together | Calling courses on time. Passing an allergy or special request to the kitchen straight away. | Saying when something has run out. Letting the floor know when drinks are ready. | Letting the pass know what is ready. Passing a sold-out dish straight to floor and bar. |
Example. Read more about suggestions at the table in Upselling at the table. An on-call worker who does two shifts a week takes the same steps over more weeks.
03 · The rulesWhat do age and probation mean for your schedule?
Two Dutch rules decide who may do what and how much time you have.
- Under 16May not work in a room where alcohol is or can be served. The kitchen is allowed, for example washing up.Ondernemersplein, KHN
- 16 and 17 yearsMay serve alcohol and do almost any work. Risky work only under expert supervision.KHN, Ondernemersplein
- ProbationContract of 6 months or less: no probation. Up to 2 years: at most 1 month. Permanent contract: at most 2 months.Rijksoverheid
Write in the schedule who supervises risky work. And plan the final conversation before the probation period ends. A collective agreement (cao) can have other probation rules.
04 · The rolesWho does what during onboarding?
The manager
Makes the schedule per role, puts the buddy on the same rota and has the conversation at the end.
The buddy
One regular colleague per role. In the kitchen someone from the same station, at the bar a regular bartender. They explain and sign off.
The new colleague
Ticks off what she can do and says what isn't working yet.
Record who has had what. KHN has a standard onboarding procedure you can use for that.
05 · The checkWhen is someone ready?
When someone can do it, not when the days are up. Put one check per role at the end.
- Front of houseRuns a section on her own on a busy evening.Check question: "Which allergens are in the risotto?"
- BarOpens and closes the bar without help.Check question: "What do you do when you doubt someone's age?"
- KitchenRuns a station on her own during service.Check question: "How fast must the soup be back below 7°C?"
06 · Keeping it goingHow do you keep an onboarding schedule going?
One A4 per role
Put the schedule up at the pass, behind the bar and on the floor. Then the buddy knows where things stand.
Check moments in the rota
Plan the conversation after week one and before the end of probation straight away.
Repeat briefly
What was explained in week one, you ask again in week two. A few questions per shift.
Ask the buddy
What went well, what was missing? Adjust the schedule for the next new colleague.
Frequently asked questions
What is an onboarding schedule in hospitality?
An overview per role of what a new colleague learns when about the venue, the rules and safety. It also says who explains it and when it is done. Front of house, bar and kitchen share the first day. After that each role has its own track.
How long does onboarding take per role?
That differs per venue and per role. Let the schedule run until the end of the probation period. If there is no probation period, plan a conversation after four weeks.
May a 15-year-old work behind the bar?
No. In the Netherlands, young people under 16 may not work in a room where alcohol is or can be served. The kitchen is allowed, for example washing up. From 16, someone may also serve alcohol.
How long can the probation period be in Dutch hospitality?
With a temporary contract of 6 months or less there may be no probation period. Between 6 months and 2 years it is at most 1 month. With a permanent contract at most 2 months. A collective agreement (cao) can have other rules.
Who onboards a new colleague?
One regular colleague per role, on the rota together with the new colleague for the first shifts. The manager makes the schedule and has the conversation at the end.
How CuliQuiz does it
Send us your menu and drinks list. We turn them into questions per role: front of house, bar and kitchen. You check them. A new colleague plays three minutes a day from day one. In the dashboard you see per topic how your team is doing. Try free for 30 days, no payment details.
Sources (7)
- Overheid.nl: Working Conditions Act, article 8 (Dutch)
- KHN: is a food hygiene course or diploma required? (Dutch)
- KHN: standard onboarding procedure hospitality (Dutch)
- KHN: from what age may young people serve alcohol? (Dutch)
- Ondernemersplein: rules for work by young people (Dutch)
- Rijksoverheid: how long is a probation period? (Dutch)
- ABN AMRO: staff turnover costs hospitality 1.4 billion a year (2019, Dutch)
This page is a practical translation of Dutch rules for the floor, not legal advice. Check your collective agreement and the current rules with the Dutch government.