How to Build a Weekly Roster for a Cafe or Coffee Shop
A step-by-step guide for cafe owners and managers — from mapping your coverage needs to getting the roster into your team's hands.
The short version
Build your roster in this order: coverage needs first, then staff availability, then position assignments, then gap check, then publish — at least 7 days before the week starts. Most cafe roster problems come from doing these steps in the wrong order or skipping the gap check entirely.
Before you start: what you need to know
Your trading hours
Including any variations for the week — public holidays, private bookings, early closes
Your positions
Barista, floor, kitchen, supervisor — whatever roles are required for service
Staff availability
Who is available, who has requested time off, and who has fixed constraints
Last week's gaps
Where you were understaffed or overstaffed — and why
The 5-step process
Map your coverage needs by hour and day
Before you add a single name to the roster, map out how many people you need in each position for each hour of operation. Don't guess — pull your sales data or foot traffic numbers from the last 4 weeks and look for the peaks.
- Saturday 8–11am typically needs 40–60% more coverage than a standard Tuesday
- Account for the coffee rush (usually 30 minutes before and after common commute times)
- Public holidays: either close early or add cover — don't run normal staffing and hope for the best
- Include the overlap time when one shift ends and the next begins — this is often where gaps appear
Start with the number of people you need, then match names to slots. Most cafe owners do this in reverse and end up either overstaffed on quiet days or scrambling on peak ones.
List your available staff and their constraints
Before filling slots, know who is available. A roster built without checking availability is a roster that generates callbacks on Tuesday.
- Note which staff have fixed availability (e.g. students with class days)
- Note who has Fair Work minimum engagement requirements (casuals: minimum 2 hours per shift)
- Flag any staff who cannot work back-to-back shifts with less than 8 hours between them
- If someone requested time off or a swap, confirm it's approved before building around them
Keep an availability record — even a simple note for each staff member. Update it when it changes. This alone removes at least half of the mid-week 'I can't make it in' messages.
Assign staff to positions — not just to days
A roster that says 'Sarah — Saturday' is incomplete. A roster that says 'Sarah — Saturday 8am–2pm — Bar Section' is operational.
- Barista on espresso bar: one per machine, with a second on standby during peak
- Floor (front of house): one per 15–20 seated covers, minimum one on at all times
- Kitchen: based on your food offer — at minimum one person responsible for prep and plating during service
- Manager on duty: designate someone explicitly — don't let it be 'whoever's most experienced that day'
Assigning positions protects your quality. A great barista is not automatically a great floor person. Putting them on the wrong role costs you more than the short-staffing would.
Identify and fill gaps before you publish
Look at your draft roster before publishing and find the holes. A gap found before you publish is a problem you can solve calmly. A gap found on the morning it's needed is a crisis.
- Check every peak period — not just Tuesday but Saturday morning, Friday lunch, and any bookings
- Look for shifts where only one person is rostered on a position — you have no cover if they call out
- Check whether any single staff member is scheduled for back-to-back shifts with too little rest
- Use open shifts for gaps you cannot fill immediately — post them and let staff claim
Publish and communicate — at least 7 days before
Once the roster is finalised, publish it to your team at least 7 days in advance. Under the Hospitality Industry (General) Award, this is the minimum legal notice period for a roster change — and it's also the minimum time your staff need to plan their week.
- Publish digitally via a scheduling app — staff get a notification immediately and can view their shifts any time
- Don't rely on a group chat post or a pinned note in the break room as your primary notification
- If a shift changes after publishing, notify affected staff immediately and keep a record of when you did
- Remind staff to check the roster when you make changes — don't assume a notification is enough
Publishing through a dedicated app creates a timestamped record of when the roster was issued and when staff were notified — which matters if a Fair Work dispute arises.
Staffing rule of thumb for cafes
5 common roster mistakes — and how to fix them
✗ Building the roster around who's available instead of what coverage you need
Fix: Start with your coverage map. Fit people into slots. If you can't fill a slot, post an open shift or look at adjusting trading hours — don't just hope it works out.
✗ Not publishing a roster until 2–3 days before the week starts
Fix: Publish 7 days ahead. Short notice rosters generate call-outs, no-shows, and, if you're covered by a modern award, potential compliance breaches.
✗ Assigning the same reliable staff to every difficult shift
Fix: Burning your most reliable people causes turnover. Rotate difficult shifts fairly and reward flexibility with preferred shifts over time.
✗ Having no plan for a last-minute call-out
Fix: Post open shifts in your scheduling app as soon as a gap appears. If you have no system for this, a call-out on Saturday morning becomes an all-hands-on-deck emergency.
✗ No record of who was rostered and when they were notified
Fix: A scheduling app creates this automatically. A group chat message or paper roster does not.
Common questions
How far in advance should a cafe publish its roster?
At least 7 days in advance. Under the Hospitality Industry (General) Award, employers must give at least 7 days notice before changing an existing roster. Publishing weekly rosters 7 to 14 days ahead meets this requirement and gives staff enough time to plan their personal lives.
How do you handle last-minute call-outs in a cafe?
Post the gap as an open shift in your scheduling app. Available staff can claim it with one tap. This is faster and less chaotic than calling around or posting in a group chat. Apps like Rosterix notify all eligible staff instantly, and the first to claim gets the shift.
What positions should appear on a cafe roster?
Common cafe positions to roster include barista, floor (front of house), kitchen, and supervisor or manager on duty. Listing the position on each shift — not just the name — ensures the right skill set is on the floor at all times and makes it immediately clear if a critical position is uncovered.
How many staff does a cafe need per shift?
A rule of thumb for a busy inner-city cafe is one barista per 40 to 60 covers per hour, plus one floor staff per 15 to 20 seated covers. A quieter neighbourhood cafe might run on one barista and one floor person for a standard weekday. Peak periods — Saturday morning, public holiday trading — typically need 30 to 50% more coverage than a standard weekday.
What is the best app for building a cafe roster?
Rosterix is purpose-built for small cafe and hospitality teams. It is free for teams under 10, takes under 2 minutes to set up, and lets managers assign positions to every shift, publish to the whole team in one tap, and fill last-minute gaps via open shift claiming. No credit card required.
Related reading
Build and publish your next roster in 2 minutes
Free forever for cafe teams under 10. Staff see their shifts the moment you publish.