Closing your restaurant business at the end of a busy shift can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. From restocking and emptying trash cans to running staff meetings and polishing silverware, there are so many things to remember and tasks to complete. But a suitable restaurant closing checklist can help you simplify your closing procedures and streamline your operations.
Whether you run a seafood restaurant or a food hall, a steakhouse or a high-end Italian restaurant, the right restaurant closing checklist can help your eatery enjoy a smooth closure, night after night. We’ll help you write the perfect list for your business needs.
A restaurant closing checklist is a list of tasks your team members must complete before you lock up for the night. It usually includes a thorough cleaning checklist to ensure you’re meeting all food safety standards and hygiene regulations, plus a list of security procedures and tasks for your restaurant manager to check and complete.
Writing a closing checklist lets your front-of-house (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH) staffers know their responsibilities for the end of the day, making it easier for your daily opening staff to open your doors on time at the start of the next shift. The checklist can help streamline your restaurant operations, ensuring all staffers know what they’re doing and guaranteeing that all tasks are done before the next day’s restaurant opening.
It doesn’t matter whether you run a Tex-Mex or taco food truck in Texas, a French bistro in New York, or a coffee shop in San Francisco — the right restaurant closing checklist can apply to any existing or new restaurant in America.
Here, we’ve put together a handy restaurant closing checklist template that you can use to create the perfect checklist for your own restaurant. Depending on the cuisine you serve and the size of your real estate block, some points might not apply, so read it carefully, and use it as a starting point for your checklist.
Some of the most critical closing tasks include cleaning your restaurant space and restocking any missing items. Maintaining a high standard of cleanliness is vital if you want to meet FDA food standard regulations in your state.
Use the cleaning checklist below as a starting point for your restaurant closure checklist:
Clean all tables and chairs in the dining room.
Ensure tables and chairs are in the correct layout if they had been moved to new locations during the shift.
Have the necessary table settings for reopening reservations the next day.
Thoroughly clean and restock the restrooms.
Empty all trash bins, and sort recycling into the appropriate receptacles.
Clean the bar area, including beer taps, soda fountains, and coffee machines.
Polish silverware and glassware.
Wipe down and replace all menus.
Restock any napkin dispensers.
Refill condiments, including the salt and pepper shakers on tables.
Restock bar refrigerators with drinks, placing new stock at the back to ensure you follow a first-in-first-out (FIFO) system.
Thoroughly clean all food preparation areas and kitchen stations.
Scrub the grills and ovens in the kitchen.
Change the fryer oil.
Organize the walk-in fridge and freezer, ensuring all perishable food items are stored correctly and not expired.
Check all inventory levels in the kitchen, including refrigerators and dry storage.
Empty the dishwasher.
Collect all used linens for laundering.
Refill any hand sanitizer stations.
Sweep, vacuum, and mop all the floors, including the kitchen, dining room, bar, and restrooms. It’s worth doing this as one of your last steps to prevent debris from falling on the floors after cleaning them.
While FOH and BOH staff members can work on the cleaning and restocking tasks, additional jobs should be left for the restaurant manager or general manager at the end of each shift.
Add the tasks below to your general manager’s restaurant closing to-do list:
Ensure all staffers have clocked in and out.
Update the manager log book.
Check over the staff schedule for upcoming shifts.
Ask the head chef to write a prep list for kitchen staff coming in before opening tomorrow.
Organize incoming deliveries, and complete inventory management tasks.
Update social media profiles with posts.
Check sales reports from your POS system against money in the cash drawer and credit card receipts.
Cash out the drawer and ensure all financial tasks are complete.
Once all the above tasks have been completed, your team will be ready to complete the final steps of the restaurant closing process. These tasks might fall to the shift manager or general manager — they should only be carried out by a senior staffer who’s well trusted by the entire management team.
Ensure all heaters, ovens, and gas stoves are switched off.
Verify the temperature of fridges and freezers, and ensure their doors are closed securely.
Switch off all the lights.
Engage the security system or alarm system.
Lock all doors, ensuring the building or real estate unit is secure.
A thorough checklist can simplify the restaurant closing process, but that’s not the only thing you can do to streamline your operations. Here are a few bonus tips to help you make your restaurant closing seamless:
Organize your checklist into FOH and BOH tasks: This makes it simpler for each team member to know their responsibilities.
Hang the checklist in a visible location: There’s no point in writing a restaurant closing checklist if you aren’t going to use it. Print out the list, laminate it, and hang it in an easily visible location. A laminated copy means your staffers can use dry-erase markers to manually check off tasks once they’re complete, making it clear to see what still needs to be done.
Use a POS system instead of a cash register: POS software prepares instant sales reports that let your management team view sales and inventory data in real time. It can help speed up your end-of-day processes, as it’s easier to cash out your checkout stations with this information at hand.
Clean as you go: The restaurant closing process can take a long time if you have a large space. To speed things up and help your closing staffers get home on time, set up a “clean as you go” policy. Whenever anybody has a free moment, they can take that time to spot clean and wipe down surfaces. Self-service ordering apps like KioskBuddy can help with this; instead of taking orders for the whole shift, your FOH team can spend time tidying up and checking off other tasks on the closing checklist ahead of time.
From BBQ comfort food joints and Japanese ramen bars to ice cream cafes and Mexican restaurants, all kinds of American restaurants, cafes, and food businesses can benefit from a detailed restaurant closing checklist. Use our template to write the perfect closing checklist for your business.
KioskBuddy can streamline your end-of-day operations by freeing up your staffers for other tasks during each shift. They can start working on your closing checklist even as customers are placing orders.
KioskBuddy is an easy-to-use self-service app that lets you turn a tablet into a self-ordering station for customers. It’s quick and straightforward to set up, making it a perfect solution for any restaurant business.
Sign up for KioskBuddy today and get a 30-day free trial.