Morning Prep Checklist

Use a 50/50 ice-water slurry; the probe should read 32°F (±2°F). Recalibrate any thermometer that drifts. Health inspectors check thermometer accuracy on the spot — a miscalibrated probe undermines every cooking and cooling log it touched.

Check oil clarity before service. Filter or change if dark, smoking below 350°F, or foaming. Log the change date on the fryer tag.

Cold-holding requires 41°F or below. If the walk-in is out of range, pull TCS items to the reach-in and call refrigeration before opening. Twice-daily logs are the documentation that food was held safe.

Use a test strip. Quat sanitizer target is 200–400 ppm; chlorine is 50–100 ppm. Out-of-range sanitizer is a critical violation and means the dish pit is effectively non-functional.

Drain, refill, and re-dose sanitizer per the manufacturer's dilution chart. Retest with a fresh strip and log the new reading before any dishes run through.

Pull the prep sheet from MarginEdge or your printed par list. Walk each station and count what's already on hand before prepping — over-prep is the #1 source of avoidable waste in a full-service kitchen.

Pull use-by-dated items forward; move newer deliveries to the back. Discard anything past date and log the waste in your inventory system. Inspectors flag undated and out-of-rotation containers immediately.

Work top-down: proteins first (longest cook/marinade), then sauces, then garnish. Date and label every container. Cooked items going into the walk-in must hit 70°F within 2 hours and 41°F within 6 — log the cooling times.

List anything you're out of or short on for the shift. The expediter and FOH need this before lineup so servers don't sell items that aren't there.

Mark items unavailable in Toast or Square so servers see the block at order entry. Also update online ordering channels (ChowNow, DoorDash, UberEats) — guests who order an 86'd item online generate refunds and 1-star reviews.

Count every case against the invoice before signing. Probe at least one TCS item — refuse anything above 41°F for cold or below 135°F for hot. Note shorts and damages on the invoice; the driver must initial.

Photograph the invoice with the discrepancy noted, log it in MarginEdge or R365, and email the rep before end-of-day. Credits not requested within 48 hours typically get denied.

Anything that didn't arrive on today's drop or is below half-par goes onto tomorrow's order. Submit by the distributor's cutoff (typically 4 PM the day before).

States including MA, IL, MI, NY, and RI require a certified allergen-aware manager (PCFP or AllerTrain) on every shift. Inspectors check certification at point of service. If the scheduled manager is out, swap a certified shift lead in before doors open.

Do not open the kitchen until a certified allergen-aware manager is on the floor. Pull from the on-call list and confirm ETA before unlocking the front.

10 minutes max. Cover features, 86s, large parties, allergen tickets expected, and one training point. Post station assignments at the pass.

Clean chef coats, hair restraints, no exposed jewelry, no bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food. Send anyone with vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice symptoms home — FDA Food Code requires exclusion of the Big 6 pathogens.