Daily Cleaning Checklist

Pull caddies to the bus station, wipe with sanitizer cloth, refill salt/pepper/sugar, and inspect menus for stains and tears. Pull any menu that's no longer presentable — guests notice greasy menus before they notice anything else.

Use the bathroom-only sanitizer bucket — never the kitchen sanitizer cloth. Hit handles, flush levers, stall latches, and the back of the door; these are the high-touch surfaces inspectors check first.

A leaking faucet, slow drain, or out-of-order stall is a guest-experience and a health-code issue. Note the issue here so the GM sees it on the morning open and can call the plumber before the lunch rush.

Wash, rinse, sanitize — in that order. Color-coded boards (red/raw, green/produce, yellow/poultry) get washed separately to prevent cross-contamination. Allergen prep board gets washed last and stored separately.

Use a quat or chlorine test strip. Quat sanitizer should read 200–400 ppm; chlorine should read 50–100 ppm. Out-of-range readings are a critical health-code violation — remix the sanitizer bay before using it for closing dishes.

Scrape the flat top while still warm; degrease per the manufacturer's spec. Filter or change fryer oil based on the cook's clarity check. Pull grill grates for soak overnight in the dish pit.

Cold-holding requires 41°F or below. Read the thermometer mounted inside each unit and record the closing temperature. If a unit reads above 41°F, escalate before leaving — food may need to be moved or pulled per the 4-hour rule.

Pull the spray arm and rinse the wash tank if the cycle's been running all night. Air-dry glassware on mats — towel-drying re-contaminates the rim.

Pull drip trays and rinse — sticky trays are a fruit-fly problem within 48 hours. Wipe down bottle shoulders on the back bar; dust on the call brands is what guests notice.

Follow the closing sequence posted on the line. Hood off last so it pulls residual heat and steam after the equipment is down.

Every container gets a date label with prep date and use-by date. Rotate FIFO — older product to the front. Unlabeled containers in the walk-in are an automatic citation on inspection.

In Toast, Square, or Aloha — close any open tabs left at the bar before the lockout window. Run the end-of-day report so tip-out and cash variance reconcile cleanly for the GM in the morning.