Free Restaurant Time-Off Request Template
Stay on top of time-off requests with this free template
- Store all staff time-off requests
- Categorize request types to identify trends
- Completely customizable to match your schedule and shift needs
Store all staff time-off requests
Employee Time-Off Request Template.docx
All about this time-off request template
Time-off requests are easy to lose when they come in through texts, sticky notes, or quick hallway conversations. A simple process helps: have every employee use the same form, route it to a manager for approval, and keep all requests in one place before you post the next schedule. This free template gives you a paper trail, so you can see what was requested, what was approved, and where coverage problems keep popping up. You can also pair it with a restaurant schedule template, or manage requests inside restaurant scheduling software when you’re ready to move beyond paper.
How to use your staff time-off request template
Lose the post-its! Keep track of your staff’s availability easier.
1. When an employee requests time off, send them this file.
2. Add their employee details, type of request, and dates.
3. Add manager signature to approve or deny requests.
4. Update the schedule to reflect changes.
What is a time-off request template?
Keeping staff availability in check means your restaurant is fully staffed. Managing requests in crucial. With this template you can track requests for vacation or can be used to track what times and days of the week your team can work due to restrictions from school or other obligations.
How often should employees update their availability?
Ideally, employees should update their availability as often as it changes. If a team member books a vacation, they should update availability as far out as possible to ensure coverage. For employees who are students, they should update their availability. every semester when class schedules change.
That is just one piece of the puzzle
A powerful team management platform like 7shifts saves you even more. With touchpoints across every part of the employee lifecycle, you can hire, train, schedule, pay and retain your staff easier, and smarter than ever.
“It is SO easy to use. It is intimidating at first familiarizing yourself with the platform but after a few minutes it feels so natural using it. I used to do all of my scheduling on an excel spreadsheet. It would take two or three times as long as it takes me now on 7shifts.”
Eddie Cuellar
Restaurant owner, Tower Burger
“I was originally drawn to 7shifts because of their simple and easy interface for scheduling, but when I found out they also did payroll, it was a no-brainer. My employees onboarded via the 7shifts mobile app in 10 minutes and I'm already saving hours of time when it comes to processing payroll. Total game changer.”
Fahad Hanif
Owner/Operator, Halal Guys
“If you're a restaurant professional, this is a mandate. If this is a hobby for you, by all means, use something else. Use Excel, use post-it notes if you write it down. But if you're a professional and this is your career and your actual goal is to earn profit for your business, then there's no viable solution or anything that would make sense other than this. There just isn't.”
Mike Bausch
Owner, Andolini's
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Frequently asked questions
The most reliable way to manage time-off requests at a restaurant is to use a standardized form that captures the employee’s name, the dates requested, the type of leave, and a manager approval signature — and to store all requests in one place. Without a consistent process, requests made verbally or via text are easy to miss, which leads to understaffing and last-minute scrambles. A free time-off request template gives you a paper trail and makes it easier to spot patterns, like which shifts are most frequently requested off. Once your team grows beyond 10–15 employees, a digital tool that lets staff submit requests through a mobile app — and automatically flags conflicts in the schedule — will save you significantly more time than any spreadsheet.
A restaurant time-off request form should include the employee’s name and role, the dates being requested off, the type of request (vacation, personal day, sick leave, or availability restriction), and a field for manager approval or denial with a signature. It’s also worth including a “reason” field — not to gatekeep time off, but to help you categorize requests and identify trends, like whether a particular shift consistently gets more requests. The more information you capture upfront, the easier it is to make a fair, informed scheduling decision. If you’re using a scheduling platform like 7shifts, employees can submit requests digitally and managers get an instant notification to approve or deny — no paper required.
Most restaurants require employees to submit time-off requests at least two weeks in advance, though the exact window depends on your scheduling cycle and how busy your operation is. For high-demand periods like holidays or local events, asking for 30 days’ notice is reasonable and gives you enough runway to find coverage. Student employees are a special case — they should update their availability at the start of every semester when their class schedules change, so you’re not caught off guard mid-term. Setting a clear policy and communicating it during onboarding prevents confusion and reduces last-minute no-shows.
Yes — 7shifts offers a free, downloadable time-off request template in .docx format that you can customize to fit your restaurant’s needs. There’s no cost and no account required to download it. You can add your restaurant’s name, adjust the request categories, and share it directly with your team.
Absolutely. The template works for any employee type — full-time, part-time, or seasonal. You can add a field to indicate employment type if you want to track requests separately, which is useful for restaurants that staff up during busy seasons and need to manage a larger, more varied team.
A time-off request is a one-time ask for specific dates off — like a vacation or a personal appointment. An availability update reflects an ongoing change to when an employee can work, like a student whose class schedule shifts each semester. Both need to be tracked separately so your schedule accurately reflects who’s available versus who’s temporarily away. In 7shifts, employees can submit both through the mobile app, and the schedule updates automatically to reflect those changes.
The fairest approach is to have a written policy that sets clear rules — like a minimum notice period, a cap on how many employees from the same role can be off at once, and a first-come, first-served approval process. Apply the policy consistently across your whole team to avoid any perception of favoritism. When you use a digital tool like 7shifts, every request is time-stamped and logged, so you have a clear record if a decision is ever questioned.
That’s one of the most common scheduling mistakes in restaurants — and it’s exactly how you end up short-staffed on a busy Friday night. If you’re using a paper or spreadsheet-based system, you need to manually cross-reference every approved request before publishing your schedule. With 7shifts, approved time-off requests automatically block those dates in the scheduling tool, so you can’t accidentally schedule someone who’s already off.
