Floor manager's checklist for event day

A timed room check for maîtres d' and coordinators

Time before	What to check	What counts as passed	Who does it
4 hours	Table structure and distances	1.5 m aisles verified against the plan	Setup supervisor
3 hours	Linen, crockery and glassware	Glasses polished, no fingerprints, cloths uncreased	Floor manager
2 hours	Chair and high chair count	Exact number of guests per table, per the floor sheet	Section maître d'
1 hour	Diets cross-checked with the kitchen	Allergen sheet signed with the chef, seat by seat	Maître d' and head chef
30 minutes	Climate control and background music	22°C and a microphone sound check done	AV technician and coordination
15 minutes	Brigade briefing	VIP tables and service protocol run through with the waiters	Head maître d'

1. Checking the sightlines by sitting down

The maître d' should sit in a chair at every table to see what the guest will see: that the floral centrepieces do not hide faces, that the head table is visible, and that no column cuts across the view.

2. Allergens: the double-check rule

Before service, the waiter assigned to each table with special diets goes through the floor sheet in hand, reading out the seat numbers with intolerances and confirming with the pass which substitute dish goes to each one.

3. The floor manager's emergency kit

The basics worth carrying: printed copies of the setup sheet and the scale plan, permanent markers, safety pins, masking tape, a waiter's friend and stain-removal wipes.

Frequently asked questions

What temperature should the room be before the guests come in?

Pre-cool the room to 21-22°C, because 150-200 people arriving plus the hot trays will push the temperature up by 2 or 3 degrees very quickly.

Who gives the order to let guests into the room?

The head maître d' alone, after confirming with the head chef that the mise en place for the first course is ready to go out within 10 minutes.

This, in MisePlan

Floor plan

In MisePlan you draw the room’s real outline on a grid — whatever shape it is, L-shaped or with a cut corner — place the columns and set the doors. The usable floor area is worked out with the voids taken out, not from the rectangle around it, and that plan is reused for every event that passes through the room.

The definitive event-day checklist for floor managers and coordinators

A timed room check for maîtres d' and coordinators

1. Checking the sightlines by sitting down

2. Allergens: the double-check rule

3. The floor manager's emergency kit

Frequently asked questions

What temperature should the room be before the guests come in?

Who gives the order to let guests into the room?

Print the full set of reports before every event

This, in MisePlan

Floor plan

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Keep reading

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