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The holidays bring private parties, full dining rooms, catering orders and gift-card rushes, all at the same time your own staff want time off. The restaurants that come through it well do not wait for December. They forecast early, decide which roles to supplement, and make it easy for extra hands to be useful from the first hour.
Forecast demand first
Start with your own numbers. Pull last year's covers, private events and catering orders by day for the same period. Then add what you already know about this year: booked parties, new menu items, extended hours.
Turn that into labor by station. How many covers can one server handle well in your room? How many plates per hour can the line push? Where did you feel the pinch last year: the bar, the dish pit or the host stand?
Choose which roles to supplement
Temporary staff do best in roles that are well defined and can be learned in one pre-shift walk-through. Keep your most complex, menu-heavy positions with your core team where you can, and supplement around them.
| Easy to supplement | Supplement with a strong brief | Keep with core staff where possible |
|---|---|---|
| Dishwashers, bussers, barbacks | Servers for private parties and banquets | Expo and kitchen lead |
| Prep cooks with a clear prep list | Bartenders with a set event menu | Your regular section servers on busy nights |
| Hosts and coat check | Line cooks on a single station | Anyone handling a complex POS or cash-out |
Browse our restaurant and hospitality roles to see typical pay and indicative rates for each.
A week-by-week plan
Eight weeks out
- Forecast covers and parties, block holiday time-off requests
- Decide which roles you will supplement and on which days
- Talk to your staffing partner about recurring bookings
Four to six weeks out
- Place recurring orders for your peak days and ask for the same workers each time
- Confirm certification needs: food handler cards and, where your state requires it, alcohol server training
- Write one-page station guides
Two weeks out
- Book a trial shift so temps learn the room before the rush
- Share dress code, staff entrance, parking and your shift lead's phone number
During the season
- Rate every worker after every shift and favorite the good ones
- Adjust headcount weekly based on bookings
- Approve hours promptly so everyone is paid on time
Make temps useful in the first hour
The difference between a temp who helps and a temp who stands around is almost always the first 15 minutes. Give every extra worker:
- A named buddy on your team for the first shift
- A one-page guide: station map, where things live, allergen rules and who to ask
- The menu with the few dishes they will actually touch
- Clear tip rules: pooled, shared or direct
Ask your staffing partner for a crew lead on large private events. One lead who checks everyone in and runs the briefing frees your manager to run the floor.
Protect your core team
Your regular staff carry the season. Use extra workers to take the grind off them: dish, bussing, polishing, prep and resets. Nobody wants to be stuck running dishes during a 300-cover night when they would normally be serving their section.
Holiday temp work is also one of the best ways to recruit. If someone stands out, ask about temp-to-hire. You have already seen them work your busiest nights.
Budget for the season, not the shift
Holiday labor costs add up quietly. Build a simple weekly budget: for each role, multiply the extra headcount by the hours and by the all-in hourly rate. Then compare it to the revenue those shifts protect. A booked 80-person party that runs smoothly is worth far more than the cost of two extra servers and a dishwasher.
Watch overtime on your core team. When the same five people work every double in December, you pay time and a half and risk burning them out right before January. Moving some of those hours to supplemental staff is often cheaper than it looks, and your regulars will thank you for it.
Finally, ask your staffing partner how late cancellations work. Holiday parties get moved and headcounts shrink. Knowing the cutoff helps you adjust without paying for workers you do not need.
Get your holiday crew booked
Holiday dates fill early for everyone. Tell us your peak days and roles now, and lock in a recurring crew. Request workers or see pricing.
Put this into practice
Get a crew that shows up.
W-2 workers with workers' comp, published indicative rates and a written no-show guarantee. A live dispatcher confirms every order.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules vary by state and change over time. Rates and pay shown are estimates; a dispatcher confirms your actual rate.