An assistant at a restaurant helps primarily with staffing and record keeping, tracking spending and helping the facility stay on budget. The assistant generally doesn't have the authority to set a budget or spend money, but works under the direction of the manager who provides the necessary information. The assistant might be given a budget for wait staff, will schedule to avoid the dining room being short-staffed and approves shift changes to avoid overtime pay. The assistant might work with the kitchen staff to alert the chef to any large parties or menu specials that could raise demand for certain foods. If the restaurant has a bar, the assistant may review drink sales to look for areas of improvement, such as certain servers not pushing drinks or bartenders reporting lower sales than others.