Creating Restaurant Opening And Closing Checklists

Restaurants have a lot of checklists, and kitchen checklists make up the bulk of them. Here you’ll find lists for opening, closing, cleaning, and other procedures that are put on paper and given to staff and management.

Why You Need a Restaurant Open and Close Checklist

Why do you need a restaurant opening or closing checklist? A lot of new eateries just “wing it.” Employees will open and close without knowing if every task has been completed or not. If no one complains, the business continues operating without any issues.

The problem is that new managers or employees won’t know what tasks should and shouldn’t be completed. If you’re debating whether you need a restaurant manager opening and closing checklist or not, here are a few reasons to create it today:

1. A server opening and closing checklist is clear and concise. When someone has a list to follow, they can go down and tick off each item as it’s completed.
2. Anyone can follow a list of opening and closing duties. They’re easy to read and can ensure new employees know what their duties are.
3. Adjusting an opening and closing checklist template is easy and ensures that any new tasks can be completed.

You may think that a restaurant checklist is not a viable option because you’ve been in the business for years and know the tasks you must complete. However, other team members need opening and closing procedures so that eateries meet owner and city standards.

Creating a Restaurant Opening and Closing Checklist

An open and closing checklist allows for kitchen prep to go much faster. Let’s see the steps you need to take to create a list that’s ideal for your eatery.

Opening a Restaurant Checklist

If you’re worried about your daily opening checklist, don’t be — it takes three quick steps to create one.

Step 1: Determine Which Tasks to Perform

What tasks will be added? What kitchen procedures will you follow? Managers and owners need to sit down and discuss which items should be added.

You can determine what items to add by:

• Asking others in the industry
• Analyzing current openings
• Talking to cooks, servers, managers, and others

You’ll have a list that’s unique to your operations. A kitchen opening checklist may contain a variety of items, including:

• Specials on the menu or items not on the menu today
• Handling deliveries
• Preheating all of your appliances: fryers, ovens, etc.
• Prepping the food for the day

Step 2: Organizing Your List Logically

You’ve done the hard part and found all of the items that need to be added to your opening checklist, and now it’s time to make it make more sense.

You may even want to:

• Categorize all tasks
• Put the tasks in a logical order
• See which items logically move into the next one

For example, you’ll want to preheat the oven before deciding to go into the freezer to take out the marinade and chicken that was prepped at closing the day prior.

Step 3: Create Your List and Post It

Your list should be saved in an easy-to-update format so that you can print and update it as needed. Saving a copy for yourself is recommended so that you can always make rapid changes as they are inevitably uncovered.

Print out a copy that’s placed in the kitchen, ideally in an area that’s accessible to all employees.

It’s also important to alert your employees on the changes you’ve made so that everyone is aware of the changes made.

Kitchen Closing Checklist

At the end of the day, a checklist is so important because employees are revving up to leave for the night. The closing procedure checklist will follow the same first step as we discussed with the opening list.

Step 1: Determine Which Tasks to Perform

Your list is very important because these are the kitchen closing procedures that, if not followed properly, can lead to safety and health issues.

Also, make sure that you have a list of all state and city codes for food safety and cleanliness. You don’t want to miss a key cleaning procedure that can lead to health violations. A few of the main items that may make it onto your closing procedures checklist are:

• Turn off all appliances
• Put chairs up
• Wrap up all food items
• Safely store all food in appropriate containers
• Sanitize all surfaces
• Clean all utensils, glasses, etc.
• Clean the floors
• Wipe down menus, display screens, etc.
• Turn off the lights

Of course, add in any items that are not on this list.

Step 2: Refer to Guidelines and Organize Tasks

Make sure that you cross-reference state and city guidelines. You may have to clean certain equipment daily and some weekly. You want to make sure all of the guidelines from the Department of Health are followed and on the list.

Step 3: Create Your List and Post It

Your final task is to print out your list and make sure that it’s posted. Update it as necessary and repost to ensure that employees can easily see changes made. A neat idea is to leave space on the list or even create another empty list, where employees can add in items that they deem pertinent.

Now that you know how to create a kitchen opening and closing checklist, it’s important to enforce the following of the list. Checklists are only good if they’re followed by your employees.

Source: https://mcdonaldpaper.com/blog/restaurant-kitchen-opening-and-closing-checklist