Playing alone means you are the register, the grill, the assembly table, delivery, and the mop. The useful choice is which of those jobs to do next. This is a repeatable routine from recorded solo shifts, not a timed world record.
Finish the first shift before you try to stock a whole kitchen. Day 1 does not have the soda station.
Prep only what the day unlocked
A solo clip on a later day, around Day 10, stocks patties and drinks before the next wave and suggests about ten patties and ten sodas. That is a player target, not a quota and not a Day 1 recipe. Soda is announced with NEW MENU ITEM! Soda after Day 1. Coral Bits and the fryer come later still. If the station is locked, do not search the kitchen for it.
When the drink station exists, the prompts are Pour and Finish Pouring. Fries use Fry Fries and Finish Fries. Top both stacks back up in quiet moments. Leave the register alone while you build that buffer, including the short countdown after you punch in.
The grill meter should finish in the green. Pick the patty up. A full counter of raw orders and an empty grill is how the first rush falls apart.
Match the green customer
Read the bubble before Deliver. The correct customer is highlighted green while other bubbles are still visible. A plain burger, a burger with toppings, and a burger plus a drink are different tickets. A fast tray handed to the wrong table costs more time than walking to the green highlight.
The register count tells you how many tickets are already open. Add another only when the prep counter can cover it.
One trash route
Put discarded trays in one indoor bin, the blue bin near the soda machine in the reviewed clip, instead of scattering them. At night you carry one bag. If the bin is full, deal with it. Do not treat a convenience as a reason to ignore the prompt.
After the Shift Report, mop spills, wipe tables, clean workstations, and take the bag to the dumpster. Then punch the clock. Leaving a lot of trash out makes the Hash-Slinging Slasher more likely around the dumpsters.
Lingering customers
Some guests stay after they eat. The prompt is Kick Out, including a clip of a customer with a smoky effect and floating Z symbols. Use Kick Out only when that is the prompt. A waiting order bubble is still a delivery.
What to unlock next
If the grill is why you fall behind, Jim (150 Doubloons, 25% faster patties) is the cheap cook and SpongeBob (2,500, two patties and auto-flip) is the later one. If you want seats and end-of-day crew cash, Mr. Krabs is the Manager card. None of them buses tables for you. Compare the live card on Classes before you spend.