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Matt has let his lifelong passion of food and people lead him to 15 amazing years as a restaurant manager and another 9 years working as a Director with a major food service distributor. He has channeled this passion to help create and run ShiftNote. When he's not dominating the food service industry, he's spending time with his 4 children and cheering on the Tigers as a Mizzou Alumni.
Shift scheduling conflicts are one of those problems that quietly drain time, energy, and morale in restaurants. Rarely does a week go by without a manager dealing with a missed shift, a last‑minute call‑out, or a frustrated employee who swears they were never scheduled.
Running a restaurant has always been a juggling act — balancing guest experience, back-of-house efficiency, costs, staffing, ambiance, and now rapidly changing consumer habits and technology.
If you're managing a shift-based team—whether in a restaurant, hotel, or manufacturing plant—then you already know the chaos that can come from a poorly executed shift change.
Accountability doesn’t happen by accident. In restaurants, hotels, or manufacturing floors, it’s built shift by shift through clear communication, shared expectations, and consistent follow-through.
If you’ve ever wandered through Denver’s City Park neighborhood on a sunny day, chances are you’ve passed by the vibrant energy of Vine Street Pub & Brewery. Known for its friendly vibes, fresh house-brewed beer, and some of the best veggie burgers and nachos this side of the Rockies, Vine Street is more than just a pub—it’s a community cornerstone.
Twice a year, the clocks shift—and so do your operations. While most people just lose (or gain) an hour of sleep, for shift-based businesses, daylight saving time (DST) brings extra challenges: schedule confusion, fatigue, and even dips in productivity.
For restaurant and hotel managers, every shift tells a story. It’s the story of how your team communicates, how your guests are served, and ultimately how your brand is remembered. Shift planning isn’t just about plugging names into a schedule — it’s about creating flow, reducing stress, and building a culture where people can thrive.
Manufacturing is the backbone of so many industries, but let’s be honest—running a production floor can feel like herding cats with clipboards. Between changing order volumes, unexpected absences, and a million moving parts, shift planning often ends up being more chaos than strategy.
If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, hotel, or any shift-based business, you know the schedule can make or break your day. But while shift planning and shift management are often used interchangeably, they’re not the same thing. Understanding the difference can help you run smoother operations, improve employee satisfaction, and cut down on those stressful “Who’s covering tonight?” moments.
If you’ve ever felt torn between being a supportive leader and accidentally becoming the “hovering boss,” you’re not alone. Building accountability without falling into the trap of micromanagement is one of the biggest challenges managers face—especially in shift-based businesses like restaurants, hotels, and manufacturing.