The problem
Bar staff on different shifts miss the news: the quiz moved, a delivery is late, a barrel is changing, a reminder to ask for ID. If the manager spends 40 minutes a week writing the notes and messages around them, that's 40 x 4.3 = 172 minutes, about 2.9 hours a month, and still things get missed.
What the AI does
Each week, write the manager's rough notes into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini: events, deliveries, specials, who is on, and anything staff must remember. Ask for a one-page briefing with headings, short bullets and a checklist for opening and closing, using only your notes. You read it, correct it and post it in the staff room and group chat. The assistant doesn't write your policies. Challenge 25, refusals, licensing conditions and the checks before closing are your own written procedures, applied by the person serving and the designated premises supervisor, and the assistant just reminds staff they exist.
A worked example
A pub in Lincoln with 8 bar staff and a cook has the manager write notes on Sunday night. The manager pastes them into an assistant, edits the draft and posts it for the week.
Before
40 minutes a week to write and send the briefing: about 172 minutes, 2.9 hours a month
After
About 15 minutes a week to draft, edit and post: 65 minutes, about 1.1 hours a month
What it's worth
About 1.8 hours a month saved (107 minutes), worth around £45 if the manager's time is worth £25 an hour. The free plans of ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini can do this; a paid plan is up to about £20 a month for one person if you hit usage limits.
How to set it up
- Keep a running notes file during the week with events, deliveries, rota changes and reminders.
- On Sunday, paste the notes into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and ask for a one-page briefing with headings and short bullets.
- Check every date, name and number against your own records, and delete anything the assistant added.
- Include a fixed line pointing staff to your written Challenge 25 and refusals procedures; don't ask the assistant to write them.
- Print it, post it in the group chat and keep a copy.
What goes wrong
- An assistant can change a date or time or add a rule you didn't write. A wrong briefing is worse than none, so check it.
- Never ask an assistant to decide whether to serve someone or what ID is acceptable. That's the server's decision under your written procedure and licence conditions.
- Don't paste staff names, phone numbers or details of a particular incident or customer into consumer AI plans.
- Free plans have usage limits; weekly use should fit, but a long document may hit them.