A restaurant can be a busy and fast-paced environment, and staying organised is the key to its success. It’s important to be prepared before the restaurant opens each day – cleaning and sanitising the restaurant is essential to protect the health and safety of your staff and customers. Therefore, certain jobs need to be completed before and after each shift in order to ensure the business runs smoothly. This is where an opening and closing checklist can be beneficial for restaurants.
A checklist is a list of tasks to be completed by staff members – in particular before and after each shift. In the hospitality industry, where there is often a high staff turnover, this can be an especially helpful tool to use.
In this article, we will explain the importance of using an opening and closing checklist, along with exploring some of the benefits of implementing these. We will also look into the specific areas of a restaurant that should be using a checklist, and what needs to be included in one. Finally, we will provide free downloadable templates for you to edit, print and use in your business.
An opening and closing checklist for a restaurant is a list of tasks that staff need to complete either at the start or the end of a shift. These lists are accessible to all members of staff – whether they are printed and displayed, or made available digitally – who can tick or sign off each task as it is completed.
Typically, these checklists are divided into three sections: Front of house, back of house (or kitchen), and management. The restaurant manager would oversee the front of house section, while the head chef would be in charge of the back of house list.
Following an opening and closing checklist ensures tasks that are crucial for maintaining a clean and orderly establishment that’s safe for both customers and staff are completed, and nothing is missed.
This is especially important in the kitchen, where bacteria can fester and infect food if surfaces are not properly cleaned and sanitised. This can place customers at risk, and is an essential part of food hygiene and safety.
For more information, consider taking a look at our food hygiene training courses, which is suitable for anyone who works in a setting where food is cooked, prepared or handled.
An opening and closing checklist can be helpful for restaurants of all sizes – whether you have three members of staff, or thirty.
Overall, there are many benefits to using an opening and closing checklist for a restaurant, and we will look at some of these below.
Benefits of using an opening and closing checklist in a restaurant include, but are not limited to, the following:
Every restaurant is different, and so, no two opening and closing checklists will look the same. However, there are some key areas that are applicable to every restaurant that we will look into.
Many opening and closing checklists are separated into three sections – front of house, back of house (or kitchen) and management. We’ll explore what needs to be included in each of these sections below.
The front of house team is responsible for the restaurant being ready for customers at the start of each day, and to make sure it is clean and well-stocked after each shift.
For an opening checklist, their duties would usually include, but not be limited to:
For a closing checklist, their duties would usually include, but not be limited to:
The back of house staff are responsible for preparing ingredients and putting away stock from deliveries. At the end of each shift, they are responsible to ensure the cleanliness and safety in the kitchen.
For an opening checklist, their duties would usually include, but not be limited to:
For a closing checklist, their duties would usually include, but not be limited to:
The restaurant manager is primarily in charge of ensuring that the front of house staff have completed their tasks, however, they also have their own list of duties to complete each day.
At the start of each shift, this is usually communicating with the kitchen regarding bookings and orders, ensuring the front of house staff are aware of any menu changes or specials, and completing administrative tasks. At the end of each shift, it is their responsibility to oversee the tills being counted, record discrepancies with the tills, and ensure the restaurant is locked and secured.
For an opening checklist, their duties would usually include, but not be limited to:
For a closing checklist, their duties would usually include, but not be limited to:
Overall, restaurant best practices are elements you can implement to improve the efficiency of your restaurant. Applying restaurant management best practices can strengthen your business in both the short and long term.
These can include:
As we’ve previously mentioned, implementing an opening and closing checklist for your restaurant can contribute towards its success.
As a restaurant manager, a checklist can also have some added benefits aside from those we have previously explained, such as:
Alongside an opening and closing checklist, it may be beneficial to conduct a risk assessment to ensure that the health and safety of your staff and customers are prioritised at all times. For example, consider how many staff you have working during a closing shift – Is it safe to have one person counting the tills and locking up alone? In this case, you may want to implement a buddy system to prevent any dangerous situations for your staff.
For more information on how to conduct a risk assessment visit our article, here.
As we have learnt, an opening and closing checklist for a restaurant can be a highly beneficial tool to use. It ensures that staff members are clear in their responsibilities across all areas of the business and means that no task gets overlooked in a busy environment.
We have provided free, downloadable checklists for you – which you can edit and tailor to your business specifically, as you see fit.
You can find these templates below:
We hope you’ve found this article on opening and closing checklists for restaurants helpful and informative. If you have any questions, or need further information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. High Speed Training has a variety of different courses available that can help you make your business as successful as can be!
