Free template
Opening checklist
One page, in the order the open actually happens. The first step is reading last night's closing sheet. Everything else on the page depends on it.
How to use it
- 01Print 7 copies and clip them by the pass on a Monday.
- 02Whoever opens signs the bottom with the time they finished.
- 03Read last night's closing sheet first, then initial the top line to prove it.
- 04After a fortnight, look at which steps are missed most and move them earlier.
Opening checklist
Site ______________ Week beginning ____ / ____ / ______
Swipe the sheet sideways to see every column.
| Step | Done | By | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last night's closing sheet and handover read | |||
| Fridge and freezer readings taken and written down | |||
| Anything abnormal from last night acted on and noted | |||
| Hot holding and equipment on and up to temperature | |||
| Date labels checked, anything out of date pulled | |||
| Prep list set against today's bookings | |||
| Deliveries checked in, temperatures taken at the door | |||
| Stock gaps from last night ordered or noted | |||
| Front of house set, toilets checked | |||
| Staff on shift confirmed, sections allocated | |||
| Specials and shortages briefed to the floor | |||
| Tills counted and floats set | |||
- The first line is the one that matters. An open that ignores last night's sheet repeats last night's problems.
- Anything not completed goes to the shift manager with a reason, not left blank.
Completed by ____________________ Time ______ Checked by ____________________
This is a working sheet, not a legal record. Set your own targets and frequencies, and keep whatever your local authority asks you to keep.
Restaurant Operations Audit
One sheet fixes one part of the day. Which part of your operation is most exposed?
The Audit is 9 questions about how you open, close, clean, log temperatures, hand over and track waste. It takes about 3 minutes on a phone. You get a scored report back: where you are exposed, what to fix first, and what a good standard looks like for your type of site.
Every line in the report is traceable to something you told us. It is free, and it makes no claim about your legal or food-safety position.
Start the free Audit