Does a casual working a single shift really sign an acknowledgement?

Yes, the same way they clock in. The manager hands them the phone. They read the list, tick ‘Read and agreed’ and sign. The acknowledgement shows what they received; the return recorded at close shows what they gave back. It protects them as much as it protects you.

A linen hire company already looks after our uniforms. What does MyDotation change?

The linen hire company washes and counts stock site by site, without knowing who wears what, and charges for missing units. MyDotation ties each unit to a person: you can check their statement against your handovers, and track shoes, keys, handhelds and knives as well.

We have twelve restaurants, some of them franchises, and each one does things its own way. Who sees what?

Head office sets the standard kit for each position; each restaurant, franchised ones included, hands it over with its own items, stock and staff members, on a single account. A general manager sees only their own restaurant. Roles and permissions set who assigns, who hands over and who has view-only access.

At an environmental health inspection or a client audit, how do we prove that everyone has received a uniform and non-slip shoes, stand-ins included?

Every allocation, SRC shoes included, is handed over against a signed, dated acknowledgement in the staff member’s name, even for the stand-in who started on Monday. It can be viewed on a phone, site by site. MyDotation doesn’t handle laundry; it proves the handover.

What is an acknowledgement signed on a phone worth if the staff member disputes it?

Dated, numbered, in their name, listing the units handed over, with the return recorded and the condition noted: that is your proof. It does not entitle you to deduct from wages or take a deposit, both of which French law prohibits in hotels and restaurants; it is there to get things back before someone leaves, not to recover costs afterwards.

Every chef’s jacket, every cellar key has a name against it

With MyDotation, staff sign for their uniforms, keys and handhelds on a phone, in the changing room or remotely, casuals included, and every return is tracked, restaurant by restaurant.

We reply within one working day. One-month trial, no commitment, no card details needed.

The position kit suggests, the head of department confirms: each suggestion is assigned with a click on ‘Assign’.

Chef’s jackets
Front-of-house uniforms
SRC-rated shoes
Cellar and storeroom keys
Till codes and cards
Order-taking handhelds

Four moments when nobody wrote the name down

Restaurants: the situation today, then MyDotation’s answer
Challenge	Today
End of season	Late September. The brasserie’s 12 seasonal staff have gone, final pay settled. In the changing room, 7 jackets out of 36 are left, and not a single pair of clogs.	Each seasonal staff member signs for what they receive. On their leaving date, the manager sees what to get back before final pay. The reminders go out on their own.
The 6pm casuals	Thursday, 6.15pm, the day before a bank holiday. Three casuals turn up; in the cupboard, two creased aprons and a size S polo shirt. The barman lends his own waiter’s friend.	The casual staff kit is ready before the rush. The casual signs on a phone. At close, the manager records the return.
The cellar key	A chef de rang leaves after a falling-out. Two days later, he still has the cellar key and his till code. A locksmith call-out on a Saturday.	Keys, codes and badges are handed over just like uniforms. On the leaving date, the manager sees what needs collecting or deactivating.
A transfer within the group	A sous chef moves from the Nantes brasserie to the new opening in Rennes. In Nantes, nobody knows what he has to return. In Rennes, his sizes are entered all over again.	A dated transfer: his Nantes items become due for return, his record and sizes go with him, and Rennes confirms the kit for his new position.

Today

End of season
Late September. The brasserie’s 12 seasonal staff have gone, final pay settled. In the changing room, 7 jackets out of 36 are left, and not a single pair of clogs.
The 6pm casuals
Thursday, 6.15pm, the day before a bank holiday. Three casuals turn up; in the cupboard, two creased aprons and a size S polo shirt. The barman lends his own waiter’s friend.
The cellar key
A chef de rang leaves after a falling-out. Two days later, he still has the cellar key and his till code. A locksmith call-out on a Saturday.
A transfer within the group
A sous chef moves from the Nantes brasserie to the new opening in Rennes. In Nantes, nobody knows what he has to return. In Rennes, his sizes are entered all over again.

End of season
Each seasonal staff member signs for what they receive. On their leaving date, the manager sees what to get back before final pay. The reminders go out on their own.
The 6pm casuals
The casual staff kit is ready before the rush. The casual signs on a phone. At close, the manager records the return.
The cellar key
Keys, codes and badges are handed over just like uniforms. On the leaving date, the manager sees what needs collecting or deactivating.
A transfer within the group
A dated transfer: his Nantes items become due for return, his record and sizes go with him, and Rennes confirms the kit for his new position.

The app, from the changing room to head office

The assignment acknowledgement, read and then signed on the staff member’s phone
The handover, signed in the changing room
Before mise en place, the manager hands them the phone. The staff member reads their list: service jacket, apron, name badge, locker key. They confirm and sign. The acknowledgement stays in the ‘Documents’ section of their staff portal, opened with a one-time code and no password.
Returns, from the soonest leaving date to the latest: one 14 days overdue, three reminders sent
Returns, before final pay
Leavers are listed by leaving date. On screen: Karim Benali, fixed-term contract, leaving date 28/09, return 14 days overdue, 3 of 3 reminders sent. The general manager knows what’s missing, and who has it, before final pay, and afterwards for as long as anything is still out.
The dashboard: who has received everything, who is leaving with items still to return, which acknowledgements are waiting
Head office sees, the site acts
On the dashboard, the operations director picks ‘All sites’: who has received everything, who has left with items still to return, which acknowledgements are waiting. Each restaurant keeps its own items and stock; each general manager sees only their own restaurant.

Four steps, from first service to final pay

01AssignThe manager confirms the position kit suggestions, clothing and shoe sizes included. Stock only moves at handover.
02PrepareThe manager gets the jackets, apron, clogs and badge ready before the start of shift, then lets the staff member know: ‘Your allocation is ready to collect’.
03Hand overIn the changing room, before their first service, the staff member reads the list and signs ‘Read and agreed’ on a phone.
04ReturnOn the leaving date, the manager takes the units back and records their condition. Reminders keep going for as long as anything is still due back.

MyDotation started in the changing room

Raphaëlle Chenu ran HR for five-star and Palace hotels on the French Riviera, then for a group of 250 staff, kitchen and front-of-house teams included. She tracked those teams’ uniforms, badges, keys and equipment by hand, and watched jackets leave with the seasonal staff. MyDotation came out of that: a way to keep a record at the very moment the jacket is handed over.

Raphaëlle Chenu – Founder, MyDotation

Pricing follows your headcount, not your aprons

Starter from €69, Essential from €99, Enterprise from €129 a month, based on average annual headcount. Plus €25 a month for each restaurant or other site added to the group, from Essential upwards. A one-month trial, no commitment, no card details needed.

See plan details

Starter
The complete foundation for digitising allocations and keeping every movement on record.
from €69 a month
Essential
Automate day-to-day running and connect your teams more closely.
from €99 a month
Enterprise
Oversee stock, scheduling and data in finer detail.
from €129 a month

Price based on your average annual headcount. For a group, each additional site: +€25 a month (Essential and Enterprise). Annual subscription; one-month trial, no commitment, no card details needed.

A demo for your restaurants or central kitchen

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See MyDotation for every position, from the pot wash to head office

A demo with your own position kits and restaurants, then a one-month trial with your organisation as it really is, no commitment, no card details needed.