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.
Free. No email address, no sign-up — the kitchen opening & closing checklist downloads straight away.
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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