Every year it's the same story. Christmas party bookings start to pile up in October, and by the second week of December every venue in town is chasing the same small pool of experienced staff.

The venues that get through December calmly are usually the ones that planned in October. Here's a simple checklist to help you do that.

1. Map your peak dates now

Go through your bookings and mark every date where you'll need more people than usual. Think about:

  • Christmas parties and corporate events, which tend to cluster on Thursday and Friday nights in the first three weeks of December
  • Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, if you're open
  • Conferences and end-of-term dinners, which in Oxford can fill late November and early December
  • Holiday cover for your own team, who will want time off too

Once it's written down, the gaps are much easier to see.

2. Work out roles, not just numbers

"Six extra people on the 12th" isn't enough. Break it down by role: waiting staff, bar staff, kitchen porters, chefs, cloakroom, housekeeping. Each one needs a different skill set, and some are much harder to find than others. Kitchen porters and experienced chefs are usually the first to go.

3. Ask your own team first

Before you look outside, ask your existing staff whether they want extra shifts. Many part-time workers are glad of more hours before Christmas. Just keep an eye on fatigue. A tired team makes mistakes, and December is long.

4. Book temporary staff early

If you'll need agency staff, tell your agency your dates as early as you can. Good temporary staff get booked weeks ahead in December, and an agency can only plan around what it knows.

When you book, share:

  • Dates, start and finish times, and number of staff per role
  • Dress code and uniform
  • Where staff should arrive and who they report to
  • Anything specific about your venue, like a large function room or a set menu

5. Plan a short briefing for new faces

Temporary staff who arrive to a ten-minute briefing do a far better job than those thrown straight onto the floor. Walk them through the layout, the menu, how orders work and who to ask for help. Write it down once and reuse it all month.

6. Check food hygiene and allergen awareness

By law, food handlers must be supervised and trained in food hygiene in a way that matches their duties. A specific certificate isn't legally required, but many venues ask for Level 2 Food Hygiene as a simple way to show training. With so many set menus over Christmas, allergen awareness matters just as much. Make sure every new person knows how to answer an allergy question, and who to ask.

7. Agree how tips are handled

Since the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act came in, tips must be shared fairly with workers, including agency staff. If you use an agency, agree upfront how tips for their staff will be passed on, so there's no confusion in January.

8. Have a back-up plan

Someone will call in sick on your busiest night. Decide now who you'll call first, and make sure your agency knows your dates so they can try to send a replacement quickly.

The short version

Write down your dates, break them into roles, ask your own team, then book the rest early. If you're in Oxfordshire or Buckinghamshire and want help with Christmas cover, tell us what you need and we'll start lining people up.