In-house phone cost is not always the full cost of a host. Measure the incremental work attributable to calls, then separately examine whether shared duties leave enough coverage during busy periods.
This company-published account describes seasonal call spikes and front-of-house work across concepts. Use it as context for your own staffing observations, not evidence of a payroll saving. Loman’s Mamba Hospitality Group customer story ↗
Paid coverage is the time you intentionally staff the line. Active handling time is the time spent talking and completing related tasks. Interruption time includes stopping another job, finding an answer and returning to the floor. These measures answer different questions and should not be combined casually.
If a host would be on shift without the phone, assigning their entire wage to phone coverage can overstate potential savings. If calls require an extra scheduled person, counting only talk time can understate your actual staffing decision. Choose the comparison that matches the change you could really make.
For a few ordinary shifts and at least one busy service period, record arrival time, reason, duration, after-call work and whether the caller’s task was completed. Keep the exercise proportionate and avoid collecting unnecessary personal information. Review applicable recording and privacy requirements before using call recordings.
Note the concurrent floor work. A six-minute call during an empty dining room is operationally different from the same call while guests are waiting to be seated. Use those observations to define when coverage breaks down instead of assuming an average describes the rush.
A rota can show someone is scheduled without proving they can answer immediately. Check breaks, shift changes, opening tasks and closing work. Decide who backs up the primary phone handler and how a call reaches that person.
Document holidays and special events explicitly. A normal weekly schedule often misses the dates when guests ask the most questions. Assign an owner to update the phone information whenever the restaurant changes its hours or operating rules.
In the worksheet, use the loaded hourly cost your business uses for planning and the monthly hours that are actually attributable to this decision. Include training and supervision if they change between options. Keep sunk costs out of an incremental decision unless you are evaluating a full operating budget.
Treat time released by a service as capacity until your schedule or overtime actually changes. It may improve attention at the host stand without reducing payroll. Evaluate both operational effects, but do not report available staff time as cash savings automatically.
Only if that matches the staffing decision. If the host would be scheduled anyway, measure incremental phone work separately. If calls require an additional person, account for the extra scheduled coverage.
Observe talk time, after-call work and competing floor duties. Report time returned as capacity unless the actual staffing plan supports a payroll reduction.
Editorial operating guidance from Loman. The checklists are planning aids, not independent performance research or legal advice. Confirm your restaurant’s current policies and provider support.
Official Loman product information ↗Use the same call tasks and acceptance criteria when you evaluate Loman.
Learn more about Loman ↗Featured entity