How a Restaurant Closing Checklist Can Set You Up for Success

Restaurant closing checklists can be a helpful part of the day-to-day management of your business. They can help restaurant managers keep their staff accountable for closing tasks and clear up any confusion about how things should be done.

Many restaurant operations can divide up the closing duties into three: a front-of-house checklist (done by a floor manager or senior server), a back-of-house checklist (done by a chef or sous chef), and a manager checklist (done by the general manager). While these assigned staff members aren’t directly responsible for doing every task, they are responsible for making sure someone has done them.

Similar to an restaurant opening checklist, a closing checklist template can set the next shift up for success.

In this article, you’ll learn what to include in your closing checklist, which items fall in the front-of-house vs the back-of-house, and how to hold employees accountable to follow the checklists.

What to include in your front-of-house closing checklist

A restaurant’s front-of-house includes the entrance, waiting area, seating area, drink stations, POS system stations, and restroom areas. Any outdoor seating is also included in your front-of-house.

If your restaurant has a bar, it can be considered part of the front-of-house — but for the sake of a cleaning checklist, it can be better to keep it separate.

When it comes to cleaning, here’s what to include on your restaurant closing checklist:

• Clean all tables and chairs.

• Flip chairs on top of tables.

• Remove and clean non-slip mats behind the bar.

• Pull up grate and clean spills underneath.

• Sweep floor.

• Mop floor.

• Put non-slip mats back.

• Make sure all the tables are back in the right position according to the floor plan.

• Empty rag buckets at server station.

• Wipe down checkbooks.

• Empty & clean coffee and ice tea makers.

• Take apart the soda machine and clean out well at the bottom.

• Clean and plug beer taps. 

• Clean guest bathroom and restock if needed.

• Empty any trash cans available to guests (including bathroom) and put garbage in the dumpster.

• Wipe down the bar, the host stand, and any POS tablets and stations.

• Polish glasses and roll silverware.

• Shine glass surfaces and windows.

• Turn off the dining room lights.

• Turn off all the bar lights.

Here’s what to consider for the drink station and any refrigerators that servers or the front-of-house may use:

• Wipe down and dry any soda fountains.

• Empty and clean any tea and coffee urns, water bottles, or other drink canisters.

• Restock water glasses, coffee mugs, and other cups — being sure to wipe any glassware for fingerprints or watermarks.

It’s important to consider any safety and security system procedures as part of your closing checklist, including any alarm systems, locks, or other components.

• Lock the door to any restricted areas.

Restaurant staffing should also consider all the elements on the floor that need cleaning and restocking. This can include:

• Wiping down and putting all menus back in the menu holder.

• Refilling the napkin dispensers.

• Refilling salt and pepper shakers.

• Refilling any sauces or condiments.

Restaurant team members all have some finance procedures on their list of tasks. This may include:

• Making sure everyone reported tips and distributed tip-out when applicable.

• Closing out the floor register and store in a safe location.

What to include in your bar closing checklist

For your bar closing checklist, here are some important tasks that should happen at the end of every service:

• Pull out pouring spouts from liquor bottles and clean them; close the bottles.

• Seal any open wine bottles.

• Restock the fridges with any canned drinks.

• Restock inventory on liquor bottles and mixers.

• Burn the ice and make sure it drains out fully.

• Refill bar garnishes.

• Restock all beer kegs.

• Close out the bar cash register and store cash in a safe location.

• Lock alcohol cabinets, if used.

What to include in your back-of-house closing checklist

The back-of-house can get quite grimy, with all the food preparation and the debris that it can generate. That’s why an in-depth cleaning checklist can be critical to maintain a back-of-house that restaurant owners can be proud of.

Here’s a rundown of what cleaning tasks your back-of-house staff can expect at the end of every service.

• Remove non-slip mats and clean them.

• Sweep kitchen floor.

• Mop kitchen floor.

• Put back non-slip mats.

• Empty kitchen trash cans into dumpster.

• Wash and/or sanitize all cooking utensils, cutting boards, hotel pans, etc.

• Clean all prep areas and line stations.

• Scrub all kitchen equipment, the flattop, grill, ovens, and more.

• Change fryer oil. 

• Clean and restock the employee bathroom.

• Make sure the break room is tidy. 

Closing procedures can be essential for food safety. It’s essential that kitchen staff streamline processes at the end of the day to ensure food items maintain their freshness:

• Double check inventory and adjust any orders.

• Consolidate containers of the same foods. 

• Put away any leftover deliveries that arrived throughout the day.

• Date and label all food that hasn't been dated or labeled.

• If you find a container older than 5 days old in the walk-in fridge, toss the contents. 

• Restock all line stations.

• Ensure all perishable foods are stored in the walk-in fridge or freezer.

• Make sure the walk-in and any other fridges or freezers are shut tight.

• Make prep list for tomorrow’s prep cook based on what’s left. 

It’s important to maintain organizational best practices. This can help your morning staff follow their opening checklist and streamline any real-time procedures.

• Make sure the walk-in and other dry storage areas are organized according to food safety standards to prevent cross-contamination (from floor to top shelf: raw poultry, raw seafood or fish, raw meat, cooked chicken, meat, seafood, and fish, sauces and prepped dish components, produce).

• Rotate inventory in fridge (FIFO — first in, first out — is the cardinal rule of restaurant fridge organization. The oldest things in the fridge should be placed at the front of their shelves, so they’ll be used first.)

• Empty dishwasher and put everything back in its correct place 

Safety is also critically important for the back-of-house. Here are a few tasks that operators should keep in mind for their closing checklist:

• Verify temperature of freezer and fridge.

• Turn off all heaters, ovens, and gas stoves.

• Properly store any sharp kitchen tools. 

• Make sure all equipment is off.

• Make sure employee lockers are locked.

What to include in your general manager closing checklist 

General managers also have plenty of closing duties to keep track of. Here are some general closing tasks that general managers will want to include on their closing checklist:

• Walk through the whole restaurant and make sure everything is clean, or being cleaned.

• Collect linens and prepare them to be sent to be washed.

It can be nice to close every shift with positive vibes for you and your staff. Here are some ways to cultivate some great employee engagement while also checking the box on your closing procedures:

• Say thanks and goodbye to every employee.

• Make sure everyone clocked in and out.

• Fill out manager log book if anything notable happened during shift.

• Build and post staff schedule (in break room, online, or in your scheduling software).

• Post any outstanding job postings on job sites.

Organization begins and ends with the manager on duty. That means you need to keep a tight ship regarding any managerial organization tasks. Here are some common ideas to add to your daily closing checklist:

• Answer emails, Yelp reviews, and social media posts received during the day.

• Tidy back office.

• Organize incoming deliveries.

• Take care of any outstanding paperwork.

• Organize upcoming maintenance to equipment.

Here are some finance tasks that general managers will want to keep in mind as they close after every shift:

• Compare your sales report from your POS system with your money in the register and your credit card receipts.

• Check sales data and create a report for the day’s sales.

• Address any outstanding checks or orders.

• Make deposits.

• Double-check any voids or comps.

• Pay any bills that are due.

Safety should be a top concern for general managers as they close. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Make sure office is locked and the computer is off (and password is active).

• Double check that every exit is locked, and lock the restaurant on your way out.

• Set building alarm.

Mastering your restaurant closing checklist

There are so many moving parts when it comes to closing down a restaurant for the day  — without a list, it’s really tough to juggle it all.

If you have a list for every area of the restaurant, the tasks are more manageable, and every supervising staff member will know what they need to get done before heading home.