Kitchen Closing & Cleanup Checklist

End-of-night BOH cleanup and sanitation routine for a full-service kitchen. The closing line cook, dishwasher, and closing manager run this together to leave the line audit-ready for tomorrow's open.

6 sections 25 steps Collects data
1

Cooking Equipment Breakdown

  1. Power down and lock out hot equipment
  2. Scrape and degrease the flat top and char
  3. Clean the salamander and convection ovens
  4. Filter or change fryer oil
  5. Confirm fryer oil action taken
    Collects list
  6. Log used oil pickup in the rendering bin

    • Pour drained oil into the rendering tank out back and note the gallon level. Mahoney/DAR/Restaurant Technologies pickup is scheduled when the tank reads above the fill line — flag the GM if the tank is full so a pickup gets scheduled before next service.

2

Line and Prep Surfaces

  1. Break down and sanitize the line stations

    • Pull all sixth-pans and cambros from the wells, transfer leftover product to labeled deli containers with date and use-by, and run inserts through the dish pit. Wipe wells, lowboys, and reach-in handles with quat sanitizer at 200-400 ppm.

  2. Sanitize cutting boards and prep tables

    • Color-coded boards (red meat, green produce, yellow poultry, blue seafood) get scrubbed with hot soapy water, rinsed, then dipped in sanitizer for at least 30 seconds. Stand vertically to air-dry — stacking wet boards traps moisture and grows bacteria.

  3. Wash and rack all knives and smallwares
  4. Verify three-bay sanitizer concentration

    • Test the third-bay sanitizer with a quat or chlorine test strip before final wash-down. Quat: 200-400 ppm. Chlorine: 50-100 ppm. Log the reading on the sanitation form for the inspector.

    Collects number
3

Walk-In and Dry Storage

  1. Log walk-in and reach-in temperatures

    • Cold-holding requires 41°F or below. Use the calibrated probe thermometer, not the unit's display dial. Record on the cooler temp log; gaps in the log are a critical violation in most jurisdictions.

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  2. Notify GM of walk-in temperature failure

    • If the walk-in is reading above 41°F, do not assume the gauge is wrong. Move TCS items to a working unit, call the refrigeration vendor for after-hours service, and document the discovery time. Product held above 41°F for more than 4 hours must be discarded.

    Collects paragraph
  3. Rotate stock FIFO and pull expired items

    • Front-rotate everything by use-by date. Anything past date goes in the waste log with weight and reason — do not just trash it silently, the GM uses the waste log to spot prep over-production and theft patterns.

  4. Sweep and reset dry storage shelves
4

Dish Pit Shutdown

  1. Drain and de-lime the dish machine

    • Drain the wash and rinse tanks, pull and rinse the scrap screens and curtains, and wipe the wash arms. Once a week (Sunday close), de-lime per the Hobart/Jackson manual; mineral buildup is the most common reason machines fail to hit final-rinse temp.

  2. Verify final rinse temperature or sanitizer

    • High-temp machines need 180°F at the final rinse (use the thermolabel or built-in gauge). Low-temp chemical-sanitizing machines need chlorine at 50-100 ppm at the rinse arm. Log the reading.

  3. Refill soap, rinse aid, and sanitizer
  4. Sanitize the three-bay sink and pre-rinse hose
5

Floors, Walls, and Hoods

  1. Pull mats and degrease the line floor

    • Take rubber mats out back and hose them down — never leave them stacked wet on the line. Degrease the floor under the fryers and grill where slip-and-fall risk is highest, then mop with a fresh bucket of disinfectant.

  2. Wipe down walls, splash guards, and hood edges
  3. Pour water down floor drains

    • Dry P-traps let sewer gas back up into the kitchen overnight. A gallon of water per drain at close is the cheapest fix for the morning smell complaint.

6

Trash and Closing Sign-Off

  1. Pull all trash and replace liners
  2. Sanitize trash cans inside and out
  3. Walk trash to the dumpster and lock the cage

    • Lid down, cage locked, no bags on the ground — open trash is the #1 attractant for rodents and the fastest way to fail your next health inspection. If the dumpster is full, call the hauler before you leave so it gets serviced before tomorrow's prep delivery.

  4. Closing manager sign-off

    • Closing manager walks the line, verifies all stations are broken down, lights and gas mains are off, back door is locked, and signs the closing log. Anything not completed gets flagged for the opening manager so it doesn't get buried.

    Collects list Collects paragraph Collects signature

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Sections 6
Steps 25
Category Restaurant
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