Previously, I had posted on using box plots to estimate portions for kitchen prep.

In addition to estimating portions, a restaurant needs to anticipate how to staff each shift. As was the case with kitchen prep, box and whisker plots can help for staffing. By looking at the range of orders for shifts, you can estimate ‘how busy’ things might be. And by looking at net revenue, staffing requirements can be balanced with the cost of a higher head count.

Restaurant box plot - estimating workload

Unsurprisingly, Saturday evenings are the busiest and generate the most revenue. However, there is a wide range both above and below the median. You will want to staff more than other days, but how much? Depends on what you consider the greater risk. 1) Not having enough staff, and negatively impacting service and potentially repeat customers. Or 2) Being overstaffed and cutting into margins. (Or worse, cost exceeds net revenue.)

On the other hand, the range is quite narrow on other days, so estimating staff requirements will be easier. And Sunday is between the two extremes. Not as great a range as Saturday night, but still greater than weekdays. Unlike Saturday, the range is bottom heavy. (Data points are closer below and more spread out above. In this situation you can hedge your bets by sticking between the bottom and middle of the range.