Opening and closing checklists for cafés, restaurants, takeaways and pubs

An opening and closing checklist is a list of the safety, cleaning, cash and set-up jobs that must happen at the start and end of every day. In England and Wales, the FSA's Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB) pack expects daily opening and closing checks, signed off in a diary. Below are free checklists for cafés, restaurants, takeaways and pubs. Print them, tick them and keep them with your food safety records.

Why checklists matter

• Food safety. SFBB has opening and closing checks and a daily diary. Inspectors will ask to see your records. Scotland uses CookSafe and Northern Ireland uses Safe Catering, with similar daily checks.
• Consistency. The same jobs get done whoever is on shift.
• Money. A proper cash-up catches mistakes the same day, not at month end.
• Handover. The closer leaves notes, so the opener isn't surprised.

Café and coffee shop opening checklist

Food safety

• Fridges and display chillers at 8°C or below (aim for 5°C or below). Record the temperatures
• Freezers at −18°C or below
• Hot holding at 63°C or above, if used
• Probe thermometer clean and working
• Handwash basins stocked: soap, paper towels, hot water
• Use-by dates checked, out-of-date food thrown away and logged
• Allergen information up to date for today's cakes and specials
• Staff fit for work (no sickness or diarrhoea in the last 48 hours)

Coffee and equipment

• Espresso machine on, warmed up, grinder dialled in
• Milk, cups, lids and sleeves stocked
• Dishwasher and glasswasher filled and at temperature

Front of house

• Floor, tables and toilets clean
• Menu boards and prices correct, card machine charged
• Till open with a counted float
• Online ordering page switched on, partner app and printer working

Café and coffee shop closing checklist

• Leftover food covered, labelled, chilled or thrown away (and logged as waste)
• Fridge temperatures recorded
• Coffee machine back-flushed, steam wands purged, grinder cleaned
• Surfaces, equipment and floors cleaned and sanitised
• Bins emptied, food waste separated
• Till cashed up, Z report printed, cash in the safe
• Online ordering paused or set to "closed"
• Windows, back door and alarm checked
• Diary signed: "safe methods followed today"

Restaurant opening checklist

Kitchen

• Fridge, freezer and walk-in temperatures recorded
• Deliveries checked: temperatures, dates, invoices, substitutions (and allergens on any swap)
• Prep list set from today's bookings and pars
• Raw and ready-to-eat areas separate and clean
• Extraction, gas and fryers checked

Front of house

• Bookings checked, tables set to the plan
• Pre-shift briefing: specials, 86'd dishes, allergens, big parties
• Toilets, entrance and outdoor seating clean and safe
• Till float counted, card machines charged
• Table QR codes in place

Restaurant closing checklist

Kitchen

• Food cooled quickly, covered, labelled and chilled
• Hot holding equipment off and cleaned
• All surfaces, equipment and floors cleaned to the cleaning schedule
• Fryers off, gas off, extraction filters on their cleaning cycle
• Stock count or par check for tomorrow's order

Front of house

• Tables cleared, cleaned and re-set or stacked
• Bar restocked and cleaned
• Till cashed up with a Z report; tips recorded apart from takings
• Doors, windows, alarm

Paperwork

• SFBB diary signed off
• Handover notes for the next shift (breakages, 86'd items, complaints)

Takeaway closing checklist

• Online and app ordering switched off at closing time
• Last orders checked: all delivered or collected, no missed orders in the app
• Fryer oil filtered or changed; fryers off
• Hot holding equipment emptied and cleaned
• Packaging restocked for tomorrow
• Delivery bags cleaned
• Cash-up done, with cash, card, online and app sales split
• Bins out, food waste separated

Pub closing checklist

• Last orders called on time under your premises licence
• Glasses collected, outside area cleared
• Beer lines checked; lines cleaned on your schedule
• Cellar door locked, cellar temperature recorded
• Spirits and high-value stock secured
• Till cashed up, tips recorded separately for the tronc
• Toilets checked for people, then locked
• Noise and dispersal: customers leave quietly, as your licence requires

The cash-up: a quick version

1. Print the Z report. It's the till's total for the day, and it resets the counter.
2. Count the cash and take out the float for tomorrow.
3. Compare. Cash counted minus float should match the Z report's cash total.
4. Match card totals with the card machine's end-of-day report.
5. Record online and app sales separately.
6. Note any difference and the reason. Bag and safe the takings.

Full steps, a cash-up sheet and what to do about overs and shorts are in our guide to cashing up a till.

Keep your online ordering in step with your hours

Two common mistakes: orders coming in after the kitchen has closed, and the ordering page still "closed" at opening time. Put "switch ordering on/off" on both checklists.

With Menuthere, you set opening hours for your online ordering page, close the store early with one button when you need to, and mark a dish as sold out in one tap when the kitchen runs out. Orders ring on the partner app and print in the kitchen, so nothing gets missed at the end of the night.

Take orders direct, with 0% commission.

Create your free ordering page