Staffing and payroll planning for a small venue

Roles by concept, shift math, minimum wage and employer cost, severance and what an experienced chef costs.

8 min read · Updated 2026-09-05

Roles by concept

Cafe (40 seats): 2 baristas, 1 kitchen, 2 waiters, 1 dish/cleaning; founder full-time.
Specialty coffee (30 seats): 3 baristas (one head barista), 1 prep, 1 cleaning.
Restaurant (60 seats): 1 chef, 3 cooks, 4 waiters, 1 cashier, 2 dishwashers; manager or founder.
Patisserie (24 seats + counter): 1 pastry chef, 1 assistant, 1 cashier/counter, 1 service, 1 cleaning.
Fast casual (40 seats): 4 line cooks, 2 cashiers, 1 cleaning; couriers via platforms.

Shift math

A venue open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, with the legal 45-hour week and weekly rest day needs ~1.6 people per position. For 10-hour days and 6 days, ~1.3. Longer hours mean a second shift and a bigger roster. Use part-timers for peaks; two part-timers count as one full-timer.

Minimum wage and employer cost (2026 estimate)

Gross minimum wage ~₺33,000, net ~₺28,000. Employer cost: gross × (1 + 18.5% social security [after the 5-point discount] + 2% unemployment) ≈ gross × 1.2; with meals, transport, holiday and overtime premiums and severance accrual (8.3%) it reaches gross × 1.3. A founder who "pays minimum wage" therefore pays ~₺43,000 per person. The January hike (2027 estimate 27%) raises the roster cost overnight; reprice the menu the same month.

Role multipliers

Manager 2.0×, chef/pastry chef/head barista 2.3×, cook 1.45×, barista 1.3×, waiter and cashier 1.15×, dishwasher 1.0× minimum wage (Istanbul). 10% lower in Anatolia, 5% higher in prime districts. A premium concept cannot keep quality staff at minimum wage.

An experienced chef or head barista

Costs 2-2.5x minimum wage (~₺90-110k a month to the employer) but is the single decision that reduces risk most in a first venture: menu, waste, suppliers and training are in their hands. Investors look for this on the team slide.

Legal basics

Written contracts, probation at most 2 months, 45-hour week, overtime at 1.5× (270 hours a year), weekly rest and public-holiday pay, 14 days of annual leave (1-5 years). Severance: 30 days' gross wage per year for those past one year (with a cap). Wages via bank from 5+ employees. Informal employment is not a saving; it is the biggest risk.

Training and turnover

Annual turnover of 60-100% in service roles is normal. Budget 3 weeks of training before opening (paid, no revenue); clear standards and short weekly trainings reduce turnover.

The founder's role and pay

If you run the venue you save a manager's salary, but the plan should still carry a modest owner's draw (1.5x minimum wage); investors do not believe plans where the founder works for free.

Labor-to-revenue thresholds

Cafe 26-32%, restaurant 28-34%, patisserie 28-34%, specialty coffee 24-30%, fast casual 22-28%. Above 40% the roster or the prices are wrong.

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