Closing Time
Closing down a commercial kitchen at the end of a long night should follow a routine. After putting out exquisite food through two or three meal rushes, the kitchen’s closing ceremony is vitally important to ending the night right and putting the kitchen in a great position to start the next day.
Below is our Kitchen Closing Check List.
Restaurant Kitchen items to clean after each cooking shift (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- Clean the fryers
- Brush the grill
- Empty sanitizing buckets
- Put all cleaning rags in dirty laundry
- Put all aprons and chefs’ coats in laundry (not with cleaning rags)
- Wash and sanitize all surfaces (cutting boards, reach-in, line, prep tables)
- Empty steam table and clean
- Wash meat and cheese slicer after each use
- Cover all bins in reach-in cooler with plastic wrap
- Wash floor mats
- Sweep and mop the kitchen floor
- Sweep walk-in refrigerator
Daily Restaurant Kitchen Cleaning List
- Clean out grease traps
- Change foil linings of grill, range and flattops
- Wash the can opener
- Run hood filters through the dishwasher
Weekly Restaurant Kitchen Cleaning List – these duties can be rotated throughout the week
- Empty reach-in coolers and wash and sanitize them
- Delime sinks and faucets
- Clean coffee machine
- Clean the ovens. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instruction on this particular job.
- Sharpen knives (okay, not cleaning, per se, but needs to be done)
- Oil cast iron cookware
- Use drain cleaners on floor drains
This list is not an exhaustive list, but it should provide a good start. Each operation, depending on its kitchen and food offerings, will differ slightly.