A restaurant opening and closing checklist is the sheet a supervisor walks through every day before the doors open and after the last order, so the items that keep getting forgotten are not: the gas valve, the fridge temperature reading, the drawer count. The page holds five sheets: the opening checklist, the closing checklist, a shift handover form, the manager's daily walk and a shop opening and closing checklist. Choose Restaurant or Café and the kitchen and bar items change.
Every section in the checklist shows who owns it and when it is due before opening, and the bar counts what is left until it says "Ready to open". In the manager's walk example, 9 of 12 items are Yes, so compliance is 75%.
How to use the checklists
- Type the branch name and the shift supervisor, and choose Restaurant or Café.
- Print the checklist blank and pin it up in the kitchen, or tick items on your phone during the walk.
- In Advanced mode, add the owners' names and items specific to your branch, one per line.
- Download the completed checklist, sign it with the branch manager and file it with the day's records.
Restaurant and café opening tasks
The order starts with the kitchen an hour before opening, because ovens, fryer and prep need time, then the dining room 30 minutes before, then the cashier 20 minutes before: switch on the register and printer, count the opening float under the cashier's name and test the card terminal. In a café the coffee machine and dialling in the grinder with a test shot take the place of burners and fryer.
Restaurant closing tasks
The closing checklist starts after the last order: turn off the burners and close the gas valve, cover and date-label leftover food, record waste by item, quantity and reason, clean the dining room, then print the sales report and count the drawer with the supervisor present. The last step is always checking the premises are empty and setting the alarm.
Shift handover form
The shift handover form is filled in by the outgoing person before leaving: stock notes, faults, pending orders and the amount counted in the drawer at handover. Both sign it and a "Handed over" stamp appears. The form records the amount only; matching the drawer to the shift's sales and working out any shortage or surplus belongs to the shift close. You can download it as a PDF to print or in Word to edit.
Restaurant manager's daily tasks
The manager's walk measures what you see, not what the team reports: clean washrooms, covered and dated food in the fridges, ticket times at the rush, and staff present against the shift rota. Every No item turns red and gets a note; Advanced adds who fixes it and by when. The example has three No items: washroom paper towels, two undated sauce tubs, and milk.
Shop opening checklist
Shops and grocery stores need a shorter list on one sheet: in the morning the alarm, lighting, cashier, restocking shelves and matching shelf price labels to till prices; at the end of the day the sales report, the drawer count, returning abandoned items and locking up.
Common mistakes
- Ticking the whole list from memory at the end of the shift.
- Counting the drawer without a witness, then arguing about the balance on the next shift.
- Writing "the freezer has a problem" without its number and without telling anyone.
- One list for every branch even though equipment differs; add your branch's items.
Regulatory notes
Storage temperature limits and shelf lives for prepared food are set by the food safety requirements of the municipality and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, so the checklists carry no figures for them. Write the limit your establishment follows in the temperature log, and check Civil Defense requirements for emergency exits and fire extinguishers.
When the same mistake repeats from shift to shift
Microtec builds O-Red, a cashier and point of sale system for restaurants and cafés.
Frequently asked questions
What are a restaurant's daily closing duties?
Turn off the burners and close the gas valve, cover and label leftover food, record waste, clean the kitchen, dining room and washrooms, print the sales report and count the drawer, then check the premises are empty and set the alarm.
What goes on a shift handover form?
The names of the person handing over and the person receiving, the amount counted in the drawer, stock notes, faults and pending orders, then both signatures. Advanced mode adds the branch, date, shift and a supervisor's signature.
Is there an opening and closing checklist for a café?
Yes. Choose Café on the opening or closing checklist and the bar items appear: warming up the coffee machine, dialling in the grinder with a test shot, and backflushing the machine before switching it off.
Can I add items specific to my restaurant?
Yes. Advanced mode has an "Extra items for your branch" box; write one item per line and it appears in the checklist and in the downloaded files. To remove an item that does not apply, download the Word file and delete it there.