Foundation 3 of 20 · Standardize
How to Improve Workflow: Prep Lists and Station Setup
A Busy Kitchen Is Not the Problem. An Unprepared One Is.
"Why does my kitchen fall apart every time it gets busy?" If your shop falls apart every time it gets busy, the people are rarely the problem. The work is arranged wrong. Here is how to improve workflow with a prep list and stations that move work one way.
Last Updated: 10/25/2026 · Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
The Short Answer
How Do You Improve Workflow?
Textbook Definition
Workflow is the sequence of steps, people, and locations through which work passes from initiation to completion. Workflow improvement removes unnecessary steps, moves preparatory tasks ahead of demand, and arranges workstations to minimize motion and handling.
In Plain English
Map the path one order takes, step by step. Move every step that does not need the customer to before the rush. Then arrange the workspace so each person has what they need within reach and the work moves in one direction.
Why It Matters
Why Does the Rush Always Fall Apart?
Most rushes do not fail because people are slow. They fail because work that could have been done an hour early is being done now, in front of the customer, by too many people in too small a space, all reaching for the same tool.
The fix is old. Kitchens call it mise en place: everything in its place before service starts. Any business with a busy hour can use it. The goal is to turn the rush into assembly instead of scrambling.
Signs you have this problem:
- Your line or queue stops whenever one ingredient or part runs out.
- Staff reach past each other for the same tool.
- The same small tasks get done fresh for every order.
- You jump in to "help" during the rush.
- Busy days feel like chaos instead of rhythm.
- Customers leave the line before they reach the front.
What It Looks Like
What It Looks Like When Every Order Starts With an Onion
From the Fabled Forest · Chapter 3
Fast Frankie's food truck had the longest line at the winter market, and the only one not moving. Inside, four creatures shared a space built for two and one knife. Every order started with someone chopping onions. At noon they ran out of chopped onions and the whole line waited.
Doctor Owl had Opal, the cook, walk through one pizza from order to window. Eleven steps, fourteen trips across the truck, and six of those steps did not need a customer standing there at all. They could have been done at nine that morning.
Opal wrote a prep list with amounts, a done-by time, and her name as owner. The truck was rearranged into three stations, left to right, so a pizza only moved one way. Frankie stayed at the window. Sales went from 110 to 170 on a Saturday, with the same three cooks.
Frankie's story is Chapter 3 of Operations for Small Businesses, Book 3 of Dr. Paul's Fabled Forest Business School Series.
The Fix
How to Improve Workflow in 5 Steps
Do this after a busy day, while the chaos is still fresh in everyone's memory.
Walk one order from start to finish.
Write every step as it really happens, and draw an arrow each time someone has to move to another spot. A tangle of arrows is your diagnosis.
Circle every step that does not need the customer there.
Chopping, portioning, folding boxes, pulling parts, setting up tools. Those are your prep.
Write a prep list with amounts, a time, and one owner.
What must be ready, how much, by when, and whose name is on it. Plan a mid-rush top-up too, because a good rush can outrun the morning's prep.
Set up stations so work moves one way.
Each person gets what they need within reach. Arrange stations in the order the work happens. This is station setup.
Owner: stay at your post.
Take orders, talk to customers, watch the line. Do not jump in to help unless something is truly on fire. The system only works if you let it.
Dr. Paul's Insight
The first time a new prep list works, something else usually runs out, because the line moves faster than it ever has. That is a good problem. Do not abandon the list. Add a line to it. Prep lists grow from real rushes, one fix at a time. And put one person's name on the list as owner. "Everyone preps" means nobody does.
Sample: A Prep List
One owner, a done-by time, and amounts. Plus the top-up.
| Dough | 60 balls, portioned, on three covered trays. |
| Sauce | Two squeeze jars full. Third jar in the cooler. |
| Cheese and toppings | Grated and chopped, one bin each. Second bin each in the cooler. |
| Boxes | 100 folded, stacked by the window. Fold more in quiet minutes. |
| Mid-rush top-up | 40 more dough balls delivered by 12:00. Driver owns it. |
Sample for illustration. Build yours by walking one order through your own busiest hour.
The Shortcut That Costs More
Skip the Prep and Hire More Hands?
In the book, Talon Fire Pizza, a new shop on the square, keeps showing the forest a faster way. Every one sounds efficient. Every one works for a while. Every one breaks down on the busiest day. Here is the one in Chapter 3.
Skip the prep work. When the line gets slow, hire more people for the rush.
Nobody is paid to prep before opening, and a crowded workspace looks like a busy one.
Five people reaching for one tool are slower than three with a plan. You pay more wages to serve fewer customers, and the line learns to go somewhere else.
More hands help only after the work is arranged. Prep first, stations second, then decide if you truly need another person.
Watch
Video: How to Prep for Your Busiest Hour
How to Improve Workflow: Prep Lists and Station Setup
Dr. Paul maps one order's workflow and builds a prep list on screen.
From the Book
However Long Onions Take
Chapter 3 · Workflow and Prep
Forty Minutes of Onions: A Fox's Kitchen
"Two margheritas, one forest special, one with everything!" called Frankie, over his shoulder.
"I'm still on the onions from the last everything," said the otter.
"Two minutes!"
"It's not two minutes, Boss. It's however long onions take."
How did the same truck and the same cooks go from 110 to 170 orders? Find out in Chapter 3. Book 3 of Dr. Paul's Fabled Forest Business School Series.
Get the Book on Amazon →FAQ
Workflow and Prep Questions
What is workflow in a small business?
What is mise en place?
What should a prep list include?
How do I set up work stations?
Keep Going
Related Foundations
Workflow and prep connect four foundations that keep a busy day calm. New to a term on this page? Every one is in the operations glossary.
Foundation 1 · Standard Work
Standard steps are what make a prep list possible.
Foundation 14 · Staff Scheduling
Schedule enough people for the rush once the work is arranged.
Foundation 18 · The Bottleneck
If one station still backs up, it is your bottleneck.
Foundation 13 · The Run Sheet
For events, put the prep list inside a full run sheet.
Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA, business consultant and author who helps owners build businesses that run on systems. Want help untangling your busiest hour? See fractional COO services.
This page is for general educational purposes only. It is not legal, safety, employment, financial, or tax advice. Safety and employment rules differ by place and industry. Dollar figures are illustrations. The Fabled Forest and its characters are fictional. For decisions about your own business, consult a qualified professional.