So for me, I place the floor by figuring out if we need people in their best positions or just any position. This is determined on what day part it is and if we’re busy. If it’s slower I’ll tend to ask newer partners where they want to be, but I’ll also check in on my partners that just seem tired and ask if they want a break from their current position. If I’m constantly putting you in a position where I need 100% chances are you’re a freaking beast and I trust you to handle that position amazingly, which I do communicate to partners. On the other hand, if I feel you need extra time in a position to get it down, I’ll also put you there ie register, drive thru, warming

Our team always says “aces in their places” for peak. We put the strongest/fastest partners on bar/oven, best at customer connection partners on DTR, best ability to multi task on CS/front, and shift on DTO. Off peak, I usually ask around for what people want to do.

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I’m an opener and I run the floor based on two things: needs of the customers and fairness to partners. This means for me, peak will have “aces in their places”. There are newer and slower partners that I will not put on bar for peak because I have to be respectful of customers time and keep our window times down. Outside that peak window, I try my best to rotate everyone at least every 2 hours. I don’t like to leave anyone planted anywhere for their whole shift. It’s not fair to expect one partner to be DTR for 6 hours straight. Additionally I make a point to ask my partners what their favorite and least favorite positions/tasks are. If I know person A hates trash runs but doesn’t mind window, and person B hates window and likes a trash run, I can make everyone’s day better by replying accordingly. Leaning in to what partners actually like to do makes everyone happier and gets things done.

The way I look at it is throughout the day positions are filled 1) according to need , then 2) to accommodate breaks, then 3) for pleasure. So like at open, we need to have at bare minimum a register and a bar person, while I do support. Then someone new comes in and covers a break, usually they stay there so the opener can flex to a new position. If those first two criteria are fulfilled and it just becomes a matter of maintaining the line, it becomes “where would you like to be? Are you sick of this position and would like to move?” It’s usually during the lulls that people realize they need to move on to something else.

If you like, when you start your shift you can ask the supervisor if they can find a way to get you some good bar time, or oven, or CS or whichever position you feel like you’d be strongest at that day. I always like to think of myself as the sorting hat from HP, I have an idea of where to put you but I heavily take your opinion into account and actually prefer it bc 90% of the time I can make your dream a reality and I want partners to be content.

So for my shift, I look at see who I have. (I used to work at a DT but switched to cafe after dealing with rude baristas who didn’t want to lift a finger -.-)
On DT I’d put my barista that could listen to orders and make drinks simultaneously, I’d have a shift on DTO/DTR (one or the other) to dictate DT, a shift on Food/warming to watch the floor, and then random baristas on bar, support, cold, and front.
I look at patterns associated with the flow of the orders. If cold bar is slow, I’ll usually put a partner that isn’t the fastest there so they can practice, I put my best connection partner on bar to connect with customers, and then a good support barista with them to ensure everything stays in flow, and then the typical barista that “doesn’t wanna be there/doesn’t wanna put their phone down” on front because god forbid if I see them go to the back to chit chat with people on break or take a FaceTime call when they’re supposed to be ringing people up…
Just to note: my old CS rating was a 16….so…that wasn’t the only problem there.