Free restaurant templates
Restaurant HR templates and forms, written for Massachusetts
Free to use and edit. These are starting drafts, not legal advice: have an employment attorney review any policy before you rely on it.
5 templates
Forms
Employee write-up form
A one-page disciplinary form for servers, cooks, hosts and dish staff. It records what happened, what was expected and what happens next, in words a manager can fill in between shifts.
View and downloadStaff performance review
A short review form for hourly restaurant staff. It rates the things a shift actually depends on, and leaves room for one goal and one pay or role conversation.
View and downloadManager performance review
A review form for general managers, assistant managers and kitchen managers. It puts the numbers an owner cares about next to the people work that produces them.
View and downloadTermination letter & checklist
A short separation letter plus the checklist to complete before the conversation. In Massachusetts the final paycheck is due on the last day for anyone you let go, so the paperwork has to be ready first.
View and downloadTime edit approval form
A half-page form for missed punches and timecard corrections. Every edit gets a reason, the employee's signature and a manager's, so the hours you pay match a record you can show.
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3 templates
Shift sheets
Tip-out sheet
A nightly sheet that records what came in, how the pool was split and who received what. It gives payroll the numbers it needs and gives you a record if anyone asks how tips were shared.
View and downloadPre-shift meeting sheet
A one-page lineup sheet that keeps pre-shift to ten minutes. The manager fills it in before the meeting, reads it out, and the sheet stays at the pass for anyone who starts late.
View and downloadWeekly staff schedule
A weekly grid for front and back of house, with a line for forecast sales and scheduled labor so the schedule is checked against a number before it is posted.
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3 templates
Checklists
New hire packet checklist
The cover sheet for a new hire's file. It lists each form and notice, who completes it and when, so a busy first week does not leave a gap you find at an audit.
View and downloadOpening & closing checklist
Three short lists, for front of house, kitchen and the manager, that turn opening and closing into something a new hire can do the same way a ten-year veteran does.
View and downloadServer training checklist
A five-shift training plan for a new server, with a trainer sign-off each day. Adapt the same structure for hosts, bartenders and line cooks by swapping the tasks.
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5 templates
Policies
Tip pooling policy
A written tip pool policy for a Massachusetts restaurant. It says who shares, how the split is worked out and when tips are paid, in a form each tipped employee signs.
View and downloadCell phone policy
A one-page phone policy that staff can follow and managers can enforce the same way for everyone: where phones live during service, when they can be used and what happens if the rule is ignored.
View and downloadUniform & dress code policy
A dress code for front and back of house that separates what the restaurant provides from what staff choose themselves. In Massachusetts that line decides who pays.
View and downloadEmployee meal policy
A shift meal and meal break policy for a Massachusetts restaurant. It covers what staff can eat, when breaks happen and, if you charge for meals, the written consent the state requires.
View and downloadAttendance & no-call no-show policy
An attendance policy that tells staff exactly how to call out and what happens when they do not, without punishing anyone for using sick time the law protects.
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How these templates are put together
- Each template is short enough to use on a shift. If a form takes longer to fill in than the problem took to happen, nobody fills it in.
- Each page shows the Massachusetts rules that bear on the document, quoted from our answer library, where every answer links to its official source.
- Brackets mark the choices that are yours to make. Fill them in before you hand a policy to staff.
- Need the whole handbook? Start with the restaurant employee handbook guide.
Your restaurant remains the employer of record and approves payroll and employment decisions. BOHO is not a PEO, a staffing agency, or legal counsel. Templates are general starting drafts, not legal advice. A policy that fits one restaurant can be wrong for another, so have an employment attorney review anything you plan to enforce.
Rather not maintain the paperwork yourself?
Your restaurant remains the employer of record and approves payroll and employment decisions. BOHO is not a PEO, a staffing agency, or legal counsel.