What's included
- Restaurant Opening Checklist — 8 steps
- Kitchen Cleaning & Sanitation Checklist — 8 steps
- Restaurant Closing Checklist — 8 steps
- Food Prep & Portioning Standards — 6 steps
Restaurant Opening Checklist
Everything that needs to happen between unlocking the door and seating the first customer.
- Unlock and disarm the security system. Turn on all lights including kitchen hoods, dining room, restrooms, and exterior signage.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Check walk-in cooler and freezer temperatures. Log them. If anything is out of range, assess product safety before the kitchen starts prep. Don't just turn the dial and hope — check the food.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Turn on all kitchen equipment: ovens, flattop, fryers, steam tables. Allow proper preheat time before service — rushing this leads to inconsistent food.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Kitchen opening: check prep list against par levels. Pull proteins to thaw if needed. Set up all stations with mise en place. Verify all sauces, dressings, and sides are prepped and portioned.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Front-of-house: check today's reservation list and any large party notes. Set tables — silverware, napkins, menus, condiments. Check that salt and pepper shakers are full, sugar caddies stocked.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Restrooms: check soap, paper towels, toilet paper. Wipe counters, mirrors, and fixtures. If the restroom isn't ready at open, it won't improve during a busy shift.Notes: _______________________________________________
- POS system: open the day, verify menu items and pricing are correct, check that all printers are connected and printing. Run a test ticket to the kitchen.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Walkthrough: stand at the front door and look at the restaurant as a customer would. Lights working? Music on? Floor clean? Tables straight? Fix it now.Notes: _______________________________________________
Kitchen Cleaning & Sanitation Checklist
The cleaning procedure that keeps your kitchen health-inspection ready at all times.
- Sanitize all cutting boards and prep surfaces between proteins. Never use the same board for raw chicken and vegetables without sanitizing. This isn't optional.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Clean and sanitize the line between lunch and dinner service. Wipe down all surfaces, swap out cutting boards, replace sanitizer buckets with fresh solution.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Fryers: filter oil at end of each shift. Full oil change on the weekly schedule. Wipe down the exterior — grease buildup is a fire hazard and an inspection flag.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Flattop and grill: scrape, clean with grill brick, and re-season at end of shift. A clean flattop heats evenly — a dirty one gives you hot spots and cold spots.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Floors: sweep after each rush. Full mop with degreaser at closing. Don't forget under equipment and behind the line — inspectors look there first.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Dish area: run sanitizer cycle empty to verify temperature (180°F minimum). Clean the dish machine itself — spray arms, drain, interior walls.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Walk-in and reach-ins: wipe shelves, check for spills, verify all containers are labeled with contents and date. FIFO — first in, first out. Rotate stock every time you put something away.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Sanitizer test: verify concentration with test strips at every station. Post the acceptable range chart on the wall where staff can see it.Notes: _______________________________________________
Restaurant Closing Checklist
The end-of-night procedure that sets up tomorrow's opening crew for success.
- Last seating: stop taking new tables at the posted time. Let remaining guests finish without rushing, but don't seat new walk-ins after cutoff.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Kitchen breakdown: clean all equipment per the sanitation checklist. Wrap and date all remaining prep. Put everything in the walk-in — nothing left on the counter overnight.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Restock stations: refill napkins, to-go containers, bags, silverware rollups, and anything the opening crew needs so they're not scrambling during morning prep.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Front-of-house: bus all tables, wipe down every surface, flip or stack chairs for floor cleaning. Clean condiment holders. Check under tables and booths for debris.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Restrooms: full clean — not a wipe-down. Scrub toilets, mop floors, restock all supplies. The closing crew owns the restrooms, not the morning crew.Notes: _______________________________________________
- POS: run end-of-day report, close out all tickets, reconcile cash drawer. Note any comps, voids, or discounts and the reason for each.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Trash: all bins emptied and new liners in. Take trash to the dumpster — don't leave full bags by the back door overnight.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Security: check all burners and ovens are off. Back door locked. Walk the entire building one final time. Set the alarm and lock the front door.Notes: _______________________________________________
Food Prep & Portioning Standards
Keeps food cost consistent and ensures every plate looks the same.
- Pull the daily prep list from the kitchen manager. Check par levels against what's already prepped in the walk-in before making anything new.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Weigh and portion proteins per the recipe spec sheet. Use a scale — eyeballing portions is how food cost creeps up 3% without anyone noticing.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Date and label everything that goes into storage. Item name, prep date, use-by date. No exceptions, no shortcuts. Unlabeled food gets tossed.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Sauces and dressings: follow the recipe card exactly. Taste for seasoning but don't freelance. Consistency means a regular gets the same dish every visit.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Produce prep: wash all produce in the designated sink. Cut to spec — dice means dice, julienne means julienne. Inconsistent cuts cook unevenly and look sloppy on the plate.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Store everything at the correct temperature immediately. Hot foods above 140°F, cold foods below 40°F. The danger zone isn't a suggestion — it's where you get people sick.Notes: _______________________________________________
Want your crew to run these on their phone?
Import these checklists into WithoutMe. Your crew checks off each step at the job site. You see who finished what.
Start building procedures — free No signup required.Common questions
What checklists does a restaurant business need?
Every restaurant business needs at minimum: restaurant opening checklist, kitchen cleaning & sanitation checklist, restaurant closing checklist, and food prep & portioning standards. Start with the one your crew asks about most often or the one that leads to the most complaints and callbacks.
How do I get my restaurant crew to actually use a checklist?
Print it and hand it to them. A checklist in a binder nobody opens is worthless. Keep it short, make the steps specific to how your company does the job, and check that it's being followed for the first two weeks. If you want them to use it digitally, share a link they can pull up on their phone at the job site.
How many steps should a restaurant checklist have?
Keep it under 15 steps. A checklist with 30 steps won't get used because it takes too long to follow on a live job. Focus on the steps that matter most: the ones your crew skips, forgets, or does inconsistently. You can always add detail later.