Kitchen Opening & Closing Checklist

A consistent opening and closing routine is one of the simplest ways to maintain food safety standards and keep your kitchen running smoothly. This checklist covers everything your team needs to do at the start and end of each day, split by back of house and front of house.

Why You Need an Opening & Closing Checklist

Without a written checklist, tasks get missed. Staff assume someone else did it. Fridges don’t get checked. Surfaces don’t get sanitised. Equipment gets left on overnight. These are the kind of gaps that EHOs notice during inspections — and they all fall under “confidence in management.”

A checklist removes the guesswork. Everyone knows what needs doing, when, and who’s responsible.

What This Checklist Covers

The checklist is split into four sections:

Opening — Back of House — 13 items covering temperature checks, surface sanitisation, delivery checks, stock rotation, equipment checks, handwash stations, probe thermometer readiness, and staff uniform compliance.

Opening — Front of House — 9 items covering dining area setup, surface sanitisation, toilet checks, POS systems, lighting, and allergen information.

Closing — Back of House — 14 items covering deep cleaning of surfaces and equipment, food storage and labelling, temperature recording, bin emptying, equipment shutdown, and a final kitchen walkthrough.

Closing — Front of House — 11 items covering surface cleaning, floor mopping, bar cleanup, POS closedown, cash reconciliation, and premises security.

How to Use It

Print one copy per day. The shift manager or supervisor completes the opening section before service and the closing section at the end of the day. Sign off at the bottom and file with your daily records.

If any item is marked “No,” note the corrective action taken in the sign-off section. This creates a paper trail that demonstrates to EHOs you’re identifying and fixing issues proactively.

Part of a Complete Food Safety System

This checklist works alongside your other daily records:

• BOH Daily Cleaning Schedule — detailed task-by-task cleaning for the kitchen
• FOH Daily Cleaning Schedule — detailed task-by-task cleaning for front of house
• Fridge & Freezer Temperature Log — daily temperature recording for cold storage
• Staff Uniform Checklist — uniform compliance checks
• EHO Inspection Prep Checklist — full self-audit before an inspection

Go Digital

Paper checklists get lost, damaged, and are difficult to search when you need them. With Forkto, your opening and closing checks are digital, timestamped, and always ready for inspection. Assign tasks to staff, get notified when checks are missed, and build a complete audit trail — all from any device.