Which shifts make the most money?

What the averages say

Weekend dinners win on volume: the most covers, the largest checks and the most alcohol, which is where tip percentages climb. Sunday brunch often tips a higher percentage but on smaller checks and shorter shifts, so it tends to pay less in take-home. Weekday lunches are steady, short and low. Monday, at most concepts, is the shift people trade away.

Averages are where to start, not where to stop. A hotel bar, a brunch-led café and a neighbourhood bistro have different weeks, and within one restaurant the patio, the bar and the private room all pay differently.

Total versus per hour

Saturday's total is usually the biggest, but Saturday is also the shift most likely to run long: an 11-hour double at $259 is $23.55 an hour, while a tight six-hour Thursday at $150 is $25. If you are choosing between shifts, the rate is the fairer measure. If you have a fixed number of shifts and want the largest cheque, total wins. Know which question you are asking.

The hourly rate formula is simple: net tips plus wage earnings, divided by hours actually worked.

How to find your own best shifts

You need about three weeks of complete entries, with hours and tip-out, and a note on anything unusual. Then:

• Compare the week subtotals first. Weeks with an extra weekend shift versus weeks without tell you what that shift is worth to you.
• Look at rows by weekday. Two or three Thursdays in a row at a lower rate than your Tuesdays is a pattern, not a bad night.
• Check the calendar for the days that paid. Shading by earnings makes a slow stretch obvious at a glance.
• Read your notes on the outliers. "Private party" or "patio closed for rain" explains a number that would otherwise mislead you.

Things that move the number more than the day

Section matters more than weekday at many restaurants; a six-table patio section on a warm Friday can outpay the dining room. Bar shifts trade lower tip percentages for volume. Events, holidays and local sport days change the week; so does the closing shift, which often adds an unpaid hour of sidework that quietly drags the rate down. Logging turns these from folklore into your own numbers.