How many breaks does a cafe shift get?

It depends on the length. Under Part 6D of the Employment Relations Act 2000, 2 to 4 hours earns one paid 10-minute rest break; over 4 to 6 hours adds an unpaid 30-minute meal break; over 6 to under 10 hours is two rest breaks and a meal break; 10 to 12 hours is three rest breaks and a meal break. The template applies those minimums to every shift. This is general information, not legal advice. For specific situations, talk to an employment law specialist or your advisor.

Can I use it for a bar or a food truck?

Yes. Rename the roles and change the hours. An evening bar week usually needs the evening roles on more days and the day roles on fewer; a food truck is usually one crew on the days it trades. The roster generator builds any shape you type in.

What about public holidays?

The week you pick marks the national public holidays on the days they are observed, from 2024 to 2031. Anyone rostered on one is paid at least time and a half for the hours worked and, if it is an otherwise working day for them, earns an alternative holiday. Regional anniversary days are not marked; the public holiday planner lists them for 2026 and 2027.

How do I get it into Google Sheets or Excel?

Download the CSV and open it, or in Google Sheets use File then Import. Each row is one shift with its date, day, times, breaks and paid hours, so you can sort by role or by day.

Free roster template

Cafe and restaurant roster template

A seven-day week for a cafe that opens early and a restaurant that runs Thursday to Saturday nights: eight roles, breaks worked out for every shift, public holidays marked. Change the week, rename the roles, and download it.

Week starting

Weeks run Monday to Sunday. Pick any day and we use its Monday; public holidays follow the week.

Roles stand in for people. Download the CSV and rename them, or build your own week in the roster generator.

Cafe and restaurant roster for Mon 12 Oct to Sun 18 Oct

Total paid hours: 203h

Person	Mon 12 Oct	Tue 13 Oct	Wed 14 Oct	Thu 15 Oct	Fri 16 Oct	Sat 17 Oct	Sun 18 Oct	Hours
Opener and barista	06:30-14:302 rest breaks, 1 meal break	06:30-14:302 rest breaks, 1 meal break	06:30-14:302 rest breaks, 1 meal break	06:30-14:302 rest breaks, 1 meal break	06:30-14:302 rest breaks, 1 meal break			37h 30m
Weekend barista						07:00-15:002 rest breaks, 1 meal break	07:00-15:002 rest breaks, 1 meal break	15h
Front of house, day		10:00-16:001 rest break, 1 meal break	10:00-16:001 rest break, 1 meal break	10:00-16:001 rest break, 1 meal break	10:00-16:001 rest break, 1 meal break	10:00-16:001 rest break, 1 meal break		27h 30m
Kitchen, breakfast and lunch	07:00-15:002 rest breaks, 1 meal break	07:00-15:002 rest breaks, 1 meal break	07:00-15:002 rest breaks, 1 meal break	07:00-15:002 rest breaks, 1 meal break	07:00-15:002 rest breaks, 1 meal break			37h 30m
Weekend kitchen						07:00-15:002 rest breaks, 1 meal break	07:00-15:002 rest breaks, 1 meal break	15h
Front of house, evening				16:30-22:301 rest break, 1 meal break	16:30-22:301 rest break, 1 meal break	16:30-22:301 rest break, 1 meal break		16h 30m
Kitchen, evening				16:00-22:001 rest break, 1 meal break	16:00-22:001 rest break, 1 meal break	16:00-22:001 rest break, 1 meal break		16h 30m
Manager	08:00-16:002 rest breaks, 1 meal break	08:00-16:002 rest breaks, 1 meal break	08:00-16:002 rest breaks, 1 meal break	08:00-16:002 rest breaks, 1 meal break	08:00-16:002 rest breaks, 1 meal break			37h 30m

Breaks are the Employment Relations Act 2000 minimums for each shift length; agree the timing with each employee. Public holidays are national ones. This is general information, not legal advice. For specific situations, talk to an employment law specialist or your advisor.

How this template is built

Why the week is shaped this way, so you can change it with confidence.

Openers start before the doors do

The opener is on from 6:30 so the machine is warm and the cabinet is full at 7:00. An 8-hour shift earns two paid 10-minute rest breaks and one unpaid 30-minute meal break, which the template shows in the cell.

Weekend cover is its own pair of roles

Weekend barista and weekend kitchen are separate roles so nobody is rostered seven days. If one person covers both a weekday and a weekend role, merge the rows in the CSV or add them once in the generator with all their days ticked.

Evening service is Thursday to Saturday

A 6-hour evening shift for front of house earns one rest break and one meal break. Add Wednesday if you open, or drop Thursday if you do not; the breaks follow the shift length whatever you change.

Hours, not wages

The template totals paid hours per role after unpaid meal breaks. It carries no pay rates, so you can print it for the wall or send it to the team as it is.

What every template includes

Three things a blank grid does not do for you.

Breaks by shift length

Every shift shows the minimum breaks Part 6D of the Employment Relations Act 2000 requires for its length: 2 to 4 hours, 1 paid 10-minute rest break; over 4 to 6 hours, 1 paid 10-minute rest break and 1 unpaid 30-minute meal break; over 6 to under 10 hours, 2 paid 10-minute rest breaks and 1 unpaid 30-minute meal break; 10 to 12 hours, 3 paid 10-minute rest breaks and 1 unpaid 30-minute meal break. Agree the timing with each employee; the Act sets default timings when nothing is agreed.

Source: Employment New Zealand: rest and breaks

Public holidays marked

The 11 national public holidays are marked on the days they are observed, including Mondayised dates, for any week from 2024 to 2031. Regional anniversary days are not marked because they depend on where you are; the public holiday planner lists them for 2026 and 2027.

Source: Employment New Zealand: public holidays and anniversary dates

Hours, not dollars

Each role gets a total of paid hours for the week: the rostered time minus unpaid meal breaks. There are no pay rates anywhere in the template, so it can go on the wall or to the team as it is. Download it as a CSV for Google Sheets or Excel, print it or save it as a PDF, or have it emailed to you with the CSV attached.

Break calculator and public holiday planner

Other roster templates

None of them fit? Build your own week in the roster generator, or see all the templates.

Template questions, answered

How many breaks does a cafe shift get?: It depends on the length. Under Part 6D of the Employment Relations Act 2000, 2 to 4 hours earns one paid 10-minute rest break; over 4 to 6 hours adds an unpaid 30-minute meal break; over 6 to under 10 hours is two rest breaks and a meal break; 10 to 12 hours is three rest breaks and a meal break. The template applies those minimums to every shift. This is general information, not legal advice. For specific situations, talk to an employment law specialist or your advisor.
Can I use it for a bar or a food truck?: Yes. Rename the roles and change the hours. An evening bar week usually needs the evening roles on more days and the day roles on fewer; a food truck is usually one crew on the days it trades. The roster generator builds any shape you type in.
What about public holidays?: The week you pick marks the national public holidays on the days they are observed, from 2024 to 2031. Anyone rostered on one is paid at least time and a half for the hours worked and, if it is an otherwise working day for them, earns an alternative holiday. Regional anniversary days are not marked; the public holiday planner lists them for 2026 and 2027.
How do I get it into Google Sheets or Excel?: Download the CSV and open it, or in Google Sheets use File then Import. Each row is one shift with its date, day, times, breaks and paid hours, so you can sort by role or by day.

Keep the template, drop the retyping

In Clockie a week like this is saved as a named template and applied to any week, or you copy last week and adjust. Publish it by email or text message, see who is rostered today on the kiosk, and compare rostered hours with clock-ins. Rostering is included in every plan.

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