The Restaurant Checklists Guide

By Rob Bruni, founder of OpsEdge Hospitality, twenty years running restaurants, bars, clubs and resorts. Updated November 2026.

Opening and closing checklists are the cheapest system in a restaurant and the most often ignored. Done right, they are the reason the line is ready at 11, the bar is stocked at 4, the walk-in is at temperature on Monday morning and the health inspector finds nothing. Done wrong, they are a laminated sheet nobody reads. This guide covers what belongs on each checklist, the rules that make them stick, and the manager's walk that holds the whole thing together.

Why checklists work, and why most restaurant checklists fail

A restaurant shift is forty small tasks that each matter and that are easy to skip when it is busy or when you are tired. A checklist takes the remembering out of it. Surgeons and pilots use them for the same reason: not because they are incompetent, but because consistency under pressure is hard and the cost of a miss is high.

Most restaurant checklists fail for predictable reasons. They are too long (a 60-item list gets ticked without being done). They mix tasks with standards ("clean the line" is not a task; "wipe and sanitize the flat top, lowboy doors and handles" is). Nobody checks them. And they never change, so after a month they describe a kitchen that no longer exists.

A checklist confirms the work was done. A standard operating procedure explains how to do it and the standard it has to meet. The restaurant SOP guide covers which procedures to write, with worked examples and a free template builder.

Six rules for a checklist people actually use

1. One list per position per shift segment. Line cook opening, line cook closing. Not "kitchen." The person doing it should see only their tasks.
2. Fifteen to twenty-five items. If it is longer, split it by station or cut it. If it is shorter, it is a reminder, not a checklist.
3. Tasks, written as actions, with a standard. "Walk-in at 38°F or below, logged" not "check walk-in." "Sanitizer at 200 to 400 ppm, test strip in the log" not "sanitizer."
4. In the order the shift actually runs. Lights, then temperatures, then prep, then line setup. The list should read like the first hour.
5. A name, a time, and a second signature. The person who did it initials. The manager who verified it signs. Unsigned lists are decoration.
6. Reviewed monthly, changed when the operation changes. New equipment, new menu item, new inspection finding: the list changes that week.

Kitchen opening and closing

Opening

• Walk-in, reach-ins and freezer temperatures checked and logged (walk-in 38°F or below, freezer 0°F or below)
• Any product out of temperature or past date pulled and logged as waste
• Hand sinks stocked: soap, towels, hot water running
• Sanitizer buckets made and tested, strips logged
• Equipment on in order: ovens, fryers (oil checked and filtered if due), flat top, grill, steam table filled
• Prep list pulled from the forecast, pars checked against the count
• Line set to spec: every station's mise in place, labeled and dated, lowboys organized
• Deliveries received: temperature checked, invoice matched to the order, product dated and rotated (first in, first out)
• 86 list cleared or updated and communicated to the front
• Pre-shift with the manager: specials, counts, any menu changes

Closing

• All product covered, labeled, dated and in the correct storage
• Hot-held product cooled correctly (135°F to 70°F in two hours, to 41°F in four more) and logged
• Fryers off and covered, oil filtered or scheduled
• Flat top, grill, ranges, ovens cleaned to standard
• Cutting boards, lowboys, shelving, handles sanitized
• Floors swept, mopped, drains cleared, mats pulled and cleaned
• Dish area clean and empty, machine drained and cleaned, chemicals stocked
• Trash and recycling out, cans cleaned and relined
• Walk-in organized, temperatures logged, door sealed
• Prep list for tomorrow written from the count and the forecast
• Equipment off, gas valves checked, lights, doors, alarm

Front of house opening and closing

Opening

• Lights, music, temperature, restrooms stocked and checked
• Dining room walked: tables level, chairs wiped, floors clean, windows and door glass
• Tables set to spec, sections assigned, floor plan posted
• Side stations stocked: silverware rolled, glassware polished, condiments filled and wiped
• POS up, specials entered, 86 list entered, cash drawers counted and signed
• Coffee, tea, water service set
• Reservations reviewed, large parties and special requests flagged to the kitchen
• Pre-shift: specials tasted, pours, selling priorities for the night

Closing

• Side work completed by section and checked off
• Tables wiped and reset, chairs up or straightened, floors swept
• Side stations broken down, wiped, restocked for the morning
• Restrooms cleaned and restocked
• POS closed out, server checkouts reconciled, tips recorded, cash counted and dropped with two signatures
• Voids, comps and discounts reviewed and signed by the manager
• Reservations for tomorrow reviewed, notes to the kitchen
• Lights, music, thermostat, doors, alarm

Bar opening and closing

Opening

• Coolers and ice wells checked and logged, ice stocked, wells cleaned
• Bottles pulled to par from the storeroom, logged on the transfer sheet
• Draft lines checked, kegs tapped and dated, pours tested
• Garnishes cut and dated, juices fresh, syrups and batches labeled
• Glassware polished and stocked by type
• Bar top, rail, speed rail and back bar wiped and organized
• POS up, bank counted, bar menu and specials set

Closing

• Bottles wiped, caps on, pourers pulled and soaked, bar sealed
• Garnishes covered and dated or discarded, juices labeled
• Wells drained and sanitized, ice bins emptied, drains cleared
• Draft lines flushed on schedule, drip trays cleaned
• Glassware washed and racked, dish area clean
• Bar top, rail, floor, mats, trash
• Spill and comp log completed, voids reviewed by the manager
• Bank counted and dropped with two signatures, POS closed
• Weekly: full count by tenths or weight (see the bar inventory guide)

The manager's walk

Checklists without verification become fiction inside a month. The manager's walk is a short list of its own: ten to fifteen things the manager personally checks at open and close, with the signed staff lists in hand.

• Temperature logs complete and in range, no gaps
• Sanitizer logs complete, strips in use
• Walk-in: labeled, dated, rotated, nothing on the floor, door sealing
• Line: set to spec, nothing out of temperature, nothing undated
• Restrooms: clean and stocked
• Dining room and bar: first-impression walk from the front door
• Cash: drawers and drops reconciled, two signatures
• Voids and comps: reviewed, reasons noted, anything unusual followed up
• 86 list, specials and reservations communicated front to back
• Staff checklists signed, any missed item noted on the manager log

The walk takes fifteen minutes. It is the single habit that keeps every other list honest.

How to roll them out and keep them alive

1. Write them with the people who do the work. A cook who helped write the closing list follows it. One handed down from the office gets ignored.
2. Train on them for a week with a manager walking each shift alongside, before anyone signs alone.
3. Post them where the work happens, laminated at the station or on a tablet, not in the office.
4. Verify every shift for the first month, then spot-check. The first time a signed list has a missed item with no consequence, the list is dead.
5. Review monthly. Ten minutes with the team: what is missing, what is pointless, what changed.
6. Tie them to the inspection. Every health inspection finding becomes a line on a checklist that week. Our Health Inspection Self-Audit is built to run alongside the lists.

The complete set, for kitchen, bar and front of house, with the manager's walk and the temperature and sanitizer logs, is in our Opening and Closing Checklists bundle, and the bilingual English and Spanish versions are here.

Related guides and tools

FAQ

What should be on a restaurant opening checklist?

Temperature checks and logs for every cooler and freezer, hand sinks and sanitizer set up and tested, equipment turned on in order, deliveries received and rotated, the line set to spec with product labeled and dated, the prep list pulled from the forecast, the 86 list and specials communicated, and a pre-shift meeting. Each position gets its own list.

What should be on a restaurant closing checklist?

Product covered, labeled, dated and stored, hot food cooled and logged, equipment cleaned to a written standard, surfaces sanitized, floors and drains done, dish area empty and clean, trash out, walk-in organized with temperatures logged, tomorrow's prep list written, and equipment, gas, lights and alarm secured. Front of house adds POS close-out, cash drops with two signatures and a void and comp review.

How long should a restaurant checklist be?

Fifteen to twenty-five items per position per shift segment. Longer lists get ticked without being done. If a list is longer, split it by station; if it is shorter, it is a reminder rather than a checklist.

Who should sign off on opening and closing checklists?

The person who completes the tasks initials each item, and the manager on duty verifies and signs the list on a short manager's walk at open and close. Unverified checklists stop being followed within weeks.

What temperatures should be on a restaurant checklist?

Walk-in and reach-in coolers at 41°F or below (many operations target 38°F), freezers at 0°F or below, hot holding at 135°F or above, and cooling of cooked food from 135°F to 70°F within two hours and to 41°F within four more. Sanitizer at the concentration on the label, usually 200 to 400 ppm for quat, tested with strips.

How do I get staff to actually use checklists?

Write the lists with the people who do the work, train on them for a week with a manager alongside, post them at the station rather than in the office, verify every shift for the first month, and act on the first missed item. Review the lists monthly so they keep describing the real operation.