Free kitchen opening and closing checklist template
This free kitchen opening and closing checklist template — printable PDF or editable Excel — lists the open and close tasks in the order you actually do them, with initials and time columns so the last hour of the night is never guesswork.
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A kitchen checklist earns its place by covering the tasks that cost money when they are missed, not by listing everything a kitchen does. Gas off, fridges reading in range, hot holding switched on early enough, waste out, mats down, delivery area clear. Those are the items that cause a failed check, a wasted prep batch or a next-morning scramble.
The order matters as much as the content. Opening tasks are sequenced so anything with a lead time — hot holding, combi, fryers coming up to temperature, defrosting — is started before anyone stops to check the walk-in. Closing tasks are sequenced so the things that must happen while there is still light and staff on site come before the final walk-round.
Every row has an initials column rather than a tick box. A tick tells you a task was marked done; initials tell you who marked it. That difference is the only reason a checklist ever gets taken seriously after the first fortnight.
This is a general kitchen checklist, not a food safety management system. It sits alongside your temperature logs and cleaning schedule — the open and close checks confirm the equipment and the space are right, and the logs record the readings.
What's on the sheet
Checklist — pre-printed tasks in sections · Portrait A4 · PDF, Excel and CSV
Header fields
Venue / site · Date · Opening chef · Closing chef
Columns
- Task
- Done — Initials
- Time — hh:mm
- Issue found / action
Opening — first 15 minutes
- ·Turn on extraction and check it is pulling
- ·Gas on at the main and burners tested
- ·Switch on combi, fryers and hot holding so they reach temperature before service
- ·Check fridge and freezer displays against target and log the readings
- ·Check nothing has been left out overnight; discard anything unlabelled
- ·Wash hands, change into clean whites, check nobody on shift is reporting illness
Opening — before service
- ·Probe thermometer tested and wiped, spare batteries on hand
- ·Sanitiser made up fresh, cloths and blue roll stocked
- ·Hand wash sink stocked with soap and paper, hot water running
- ·Check use-by dates on all prep and rotate stock front to back
- ·Prep list checked against today's bookings and specials
- ·Allergen information for today's specials written up and accurate
- ·First aid kit and blue plasters present and stocked
- ·Floor dry, mats down, walkways clear
Closing — during the last hour
- ·Cool down and date-label all cooked food, recording temperatures in the cooling log
- ·Wrap, label and rotate all open prep
- ·Break down and clean the pass, boards and section surfaces
- ·Empty, clean and refill sanitiser buckets
- ·Fryers filtered or oil changed, oil level recorded
- ·Take waste and cardboard out to the correct bins; area left tidy
Closing — final walk-round
- ·All food off the bench and in a labelled, in-range unit
- ·Fridge and freezer temperatures checked and logged for close
- ·Gas off at the main; all burners, grills and fryers off
- ·Combi, salamander and hot holding off and cooling
- ·Extraction filters cleaned or logged for cleaning
- ·Floors swept and mopped, mats lifted, drains clear
- ·Fire exits clear, no cardboard stored against them
- ·Water off where required, taps closed, no leaks
- ·Lights off, door locked, keys accounted for
What you get
- ✓Printable PDF, portrait A4, four sequenced sections on one page
- ✓Excel (.xlsx) version you can edit to match your kitchen's equipment
- ✓CSV version for import
- ✓Initials and time columns on every row
- ✓Issue found / action column for anything incomplete
- ✓Separate opening chef and closing chef sign-off fields
How to use it
- 1
Print one sheet a day and clip it where the section starts, not in the office.
- 2
The opening chef works down the opening sections in order, initialling and timing each row.
- 3
Start anything with a lead time — hot holding, combi, fryers — before you begin checking stock.
- 4
Log fridge and freezer readings on your temperature log as well as ticking the row here.
- 5
The closing chef begins the last-hour section before service finishes, not after.
- 6
Complete the final walk-round with the sheet in hand, then sign it and leave it for the manager to review the next morning.
Questions
What should be on a kitchen closing checklist?
The non-negotiables are: all food labelled and in an in-range unit, cooked food cooled and recorded, gas and all cooking equipment off, waste out, floors done, fire exits clear, and a final temperature check logged. Everything else is site-specific.
Who should sign the kitchen checklist?
The person doing the tasks initials each row, and the opening or closing chef signs the sheet as a whole. A manager reviewing yesterday's sheet the next morning is what makes the habit stick.
Can I change the tasks on the list?
Yes — the Excel version is meant to be edited. Delete equipment you do not have and add anything specific to your site, such as a wood oven, a pass-through dishwasher or a separate prep kitchen.
Does this replace a HACCP food safety system?
No. It is an operational open and close checklist. Your temperature logs, cooling records, delivery checks and cleaning schedule are the food safety records — this sheet confirms the space and equipment were set up and shut down properly.
Or stop printing it altogether
Rotahr does this check on a phone — timestamped, with the person who did it attached, reminders when one is due, and a PDF export when somebody asks for a month of records. Same job, no folder to search through.
Templates that go with it
Bar opening & closing checklist
This free bar opening and closing checklist template — printable PDF or editable Excel — runs from cellar and gas through to till reconciliation and lock-up, with initials and time columns on every task.
Front of house opening & closing checklist
This free front of house opening and closing checklist template — printable PDF or editable Excel — takes the floor from doors-locked to service-ready and back again, including the pre-service brief and the checks guests notice first.
Fridge & freezer temperature log
This is a free fridge and freezer temperature log template you can download as a printable PDF or an editable Excel sheet — one page per week, with a row for every named unit and space for a morning and evening reading.
Free to print, copy and use in your venue — no attribution required. Written for an international audience: where a threshold is a widely used figure it is printed as one, but food safety and employment rules differ by country and change. Check yours before relying on this sheet.
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