How to build a bar rota (with a weekly template)

Bar shift patterns that work

Most bars and pubs run on three or four shift types. Naming them clearly makes the rota easier to read and easier to fill.

Opening shift

The opener sets up the bar before doors open. That usually means checking stock, setting up the tills, changing barrels if needed, and getting the floor ready. Give the opener time before opening, not just from opening.

Day or mid shift

A mid shift covers lunch and the early evening crossover. It is useful on days when food service or after-work trade picks up before the evening team arrives.

Late close

The closer stays after last orders to clear glasses, clean down, cash up and lock up. Allow enough time after closing for this work, and pay for it. A close that is rota'd to end at closing time will run over every night.

Try not to rota the same person on a late close followed by an early open the next morning. It leaves very little time to rest, and tired staff make more mistakes on the till and the door.

Event nights

Live music, quiz nights, sport and private hire all change the shape of the night. Treat them as their own shift type with their own cover level, and add them to the rota as soon as the event is booked.

Set your minimum cover first

Before you put any names on the rota, decide the minimum number of people you need for each part of the day. This is the floor you never go below.

• Look at your trading pattern. Use your till reports to see which hours are busy on each day of the week.
• Count roles, not just heads. A busy night may need a supervisor, bar staff, someone on the floor collecting glasses, and someone who can change a barrel.
• Always have a keyholder. Every opening and every close needs someone trusted to open up, cash up and lock up.
• Check your licence. Your premises licence may include conditions for certain nights or events, such as door staff. Build those into the cover level for those shifts.

A weekly bar rota template

Here is a simple weekly template for a pub that opens at 11:00 and serves until late. The times and numbers are an example only. Change them to match your hours, your trade and your licence.

How to fill it in

1. Collect availability from every staff member for the week ahead.
2. Put your keyholders and supervisors in first, on the opens, closes and event nights.
3. Fill the remaining bar and floor shifts from staff who are available.
4. Check nobody is on a late close followed by an early open.
5. Check each person's total hours for the week against what they expect and what you can afford.
6. Publish the rota at the same time each week, with as much notice as you can.

If you want a more general walk-through, see our guide on how to build a staff rota.

Swaps and last-minute cover

Bar staff swap shifts all the time. That is fine, as long as you keep control of who is actually working. A few simple rules help.

• Like for like. A keyholder shift can only be swapped with another keyholder. A supervisor shift only with another supervisor.
• Manager approval. Staff can arrange the swap between themselves, but a manager approves it before it counts.
• One version of the rota. Once a swap is approved, the rota updates. No side deals in the group chat.
• A cover list. Keep a list of people happy to pick up extra shifts at short notice, and ask them first when someone calls in sick.

Our guide to last-minute shift cover goes into more detail on handling no-shows and sickness on the night.

Tracking hours for zero-hours staff under ERA 2025

Many bar teams include zero-hours and casual staff. The Employment Rights Act 2025 makes the hours they actually work more important to record.

Since April 2026, employers must keep records of annual leave and holiday pay for every worker, including zero-hours staff. The guaranteed hours right is expected in 2027. It will require you to offer qualifying zero-hours and low-hours workers a contract that reflects the hours they have actually worked over a reference period, expected to be 12 weeks. Workers can turn the offer down, but you must make it.

That means the rota on its own is not enough. You need actual start and finish times for each shift, held against each worker, so you can see any person's hours over any 12-week period. A late close that runs an hour over is an hour that counts. Our guaranteed hours guide explains what to do now.

Where FlexiWork helps

FlexiWork is shift management software for UK hospitality, retail and events businesses, with a setup for pubs and bars. You build the week with scheduling based on staff availability. Staff swap shifts between themselves and a manager approves each shift swap in one tap.

Staff clock in and out against every shift, so late closes are recorded as they happen. Wage calculation works from those hours and your pay rules, including overtime, holiday accrual and service charge or tronc. ERA 2025 compliance tracking, with 12-week reference periods, guaranteed hours alerts and an audit trail, is included on every plan.

Pricing is a flat monthly fee with no per-user charges and unlimited venues, from £35 a month for up to 15 workers. See pricing for all plans.

Frequently asked questions