Below is a free restaurant closing checklist template built that way, with a blank version and a filled-in café example. Download it, add your procedures, then use the guidance below to set owners, deadlines, and sign-off. No email required.
Download and customize the closing checklist
Editable
Excel workbook
A blank working checklist and a completed café example on separate sheets. Opens in Excel or Google Sheets.
- Location, service date, and version date fields
- Separate employee completion and manager review columns
- Handoff table, sign-off block, and fields to reference your own procedures
Print-ready
PDF checklist
Seven landscape Letter pages: the blank checklist on pages 1–4 and the café example on pages 5–7.
- Write-in space for names, times, and exceptions
- Manager review checkboxes and final sign-off
- Column headers repeat on every page
The restaurant closing checklist template
Each of the restaurant closing duties below has the same parts: a “done when” standard, one accountable owner, a due window relative to close, and how completion is recorded. Duties tagged Each person records need one record per section or station. The downloads add space for manager review, exceptions, and the next responsible person, plus a header for location, service date, version date, closing leads, the next opening lead, and where each referenced procedure lives.
A. Front-of-house closing checklist
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A1 Reset your dining section Each person records
Done when: Tables and chairs cleaned per the cleaning procedure and set to the opening floor plan; condiments and menus back at their station.
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A2 Clean and restock guest restrooms
Done when: Cleaned per the restroom procedure; soap, paper, and liners at par; trash removed; any defect noted.
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A3 Restock guest and takeaway stations to tomorrow's approved par
Done when: Water, condiment, utensil, napkin, and to-go supplies counted against the par sheet; any shortage recorded with the quantity on hand.
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A4 Close the bar or beverage station
Done when: Perishable garnishes, juices, and dairy stored or discarded per the food-storage procedure; glassware washed; equipment cleaned and shut down per its instructions; bottles secured per policy.
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A5 Close out POS devices
Done when: Open checks resolved per the POS procedure; tablets and handhelds on chargers; receipt paper loaded for opening.
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A6 Remove FOH trash and recycling
Done when: Bins emptied and relined; bags in the designated outdoor containers; lids closed.
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A7 Clean dining floors and entry
Done when: Floors swept and mopped per procedure; wet-floor signs out until dry; entry mats in place; nothing blocking exits.
B. Back-of-house closing duties
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B1 Break down and clean your station Each person records
Done when: Food stored per B2; surfaces cleaned and sanitized with approved chemicals as the procedure specifies; tools washed and put away.
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B2 Store remaining food
Done when: Food covered, labeled, dated, and stored per the food-storage procedure; items to discard recorded on the waste log.
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B3 Record cold-holding checks
Done when: Walk-in and reach-in readings entered on the temperature log per its procedure; doors closed and sealing. Out-of-range reading: escalate now.
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B4 Shut down cooking equipment
Done when: Fryers, grills, ovens, and hood handled per manufacturer and restaurant instructions, including any scheduled filtering or deep clean; equipment off where the procedure requires.
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B5 Close the dish area
Done when: All wares washed and racked; dish machine drained and cleaned per its instructions; chemicals capped and stored in their designated area.
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B6 Remove kitchen waste
Done when: Trash, compost, recycling, and used oil taken to designated containers per procedure; waste log complete.
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B7 Clean kitchen floors and drains
Done when: Floors swept and mopped per procedure; drain covers in place; mats cleaned and hung.
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B8 Set tomorrow's prep list and order notes
Done when: Opening prep list written; low stock recorded on the order sheet with quantity on hand.
C. Manager closing checklist: verification and sign-off
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C1 Review every completion record
Done when: Each duty in A and B shows initials and time, or an exception with a named next owner and deadline.
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C2 Spot-check a rotating sample of duties
Done when: A set number of duties (for example, three) checked in person against their "done when"; result recorded as OK or fixed.
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C3 Review the temperature log and equipment shutdown
Done when: Readings present; any out-of-range reading already escalated per procedure; cooking equipment off where required.
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C4 Complete the cash and deposit procedure
Done when: Completed per the restaurant's cash-handling procedure. Record amounts there, not on this sheet.
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C5 Confirm opening readiness
Done when: Every handoff item has a named owner and deadline; the opening lead has been told; supplies needed to open are on hand or on the handoff.
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C6 Secure the building
Done when: Doors, windows, alarm, and lights handled per the security procedure; last-out check complete.
The sign-off records each lead's and the manager's name and time, plus the number of open exceptions. “Closed with one open exception” is an honest sign-off; every box ticked with a known problem left off is not.
D. Unfinished-work handoff to the next shift
Add one row per item that couldn't be finished. The original duty stays unmarked.
- Duty #: the checklist item.
- What is not done, and why: specific, with quantities.
- Temporary action taken: what was done tonight.
- Action the next owner must take: what finished looks like.
- Next owner and due by: one named person, not “AM crew,” with a date and time.
- Opening lead informed: who, when, and how.
- Resolved: initials and time from the next owner.
Illustrative café example: recording a shortage
This is an illustrative example, not a customer story or a food-safety procedure. A counter-service café closes at 6:00 p.m. Maya (barista closer), Leo (kitchen closer), Priya (manager on duty), and Sam (tomorrow's opening lead) are fictional.
Illustrative example · employee record
A3. Restock the takeaway station to tomorrow’s approved par
- Done when
- Cups, lids, sleeves, napkins, and stirrers counted against the par sheet.
- Owner and due
- Maya R., barista closer · 6:20 p.m.
- Employee record
- Not marked complete. Note: “12 oz lids: 40 on hand, par 150; no backup case in storage. All other items at par. Told Priya at 6:16 p.m.”
- Manager review
- Priya K. · Open: see handoff 1.
Illustrative example · handoff row 1
Handoff: 12 oz lids below par
- Temporary action
- Moved all 40 lids to the station. Priya added two cases to the supplier order at 6:35 p.m. for the morning delivery.
- Action required
- Restock lids to par from the delivery. If the delivery is short, follow the purchasing procedure for an emergency buy and tell Priya.
- Next owner and due
- Sam L., opening lead · Wednesday 6:45 a.m., before doors open.
- Opening lead informed
- Text at 6:45 p.m. plus the handoff sheet; Sam acknowledged at 6:50 p.m.
- Resolved
- SL, Wednesday 6:38 a.m.
- Manager sign-off
- Priya K., 6:52 p.m. · one open exception.
Maya didn't check off a station that wasn't at par. Priya turned the shortage into an owner, an action, and a deadline before signing. Sam heard about it the night before, not at 6:55 a.m. The full café close is on the workbook's second sheet and PDF pages 5–7.
Adapting the template for a full-service restaurant
- Split FOH by section. Each server records their own section; restrooms, the host stand, and the entry each get one named owner.
- Give the bar its own block, owned by the closing bartender and timed from last call.
- Break BOH down by station. Each cook records their station; the kitchen lead owns cold-holding checks, the prep list, and equipment shutdown.
- With two leads, the FOH and kitchen managers each review their half, and the manager on duty signs off last.
- With staggered cuts, first cuts finish what they can before leaving; the closing crew owns everything after the last table.
How to use the restaurant closing checklist
Assign one accountable person to each shared result
A shared result is needed once: clean restrooms, a restocked takeaway station, trash out. Assign it to “closers” and everyone assumes someone else has it. Name one owner per shared result, on the sheet or through a rotation the closing lead confirms before close. Others can help, but the owner records completion and raises problems. If the owner is cut early, the closing lead reassigns the duty before they leave.
Know when every employee needs a separate completion record
Use one record per person when each person's work is its own result, like each server's section or each cook's station. Initials for “all stations cleaned” say nothing about station three. Keep shared results to a single record so you don't collect four checkmarks for one restroom.
Set realistic deadlines and handle overnight closes
Anchor each due window to the event that makes the work possible: doors close, last table, last call, or kitchen close. Time a few real closes; if a duty keeps finishing late, start it earlier or split it. Leave room before the manager's review so problems can still be fixed tonight.
For closes that run past midnight, write the day next to every time (“Sat 12:40 a.m.”) and record the service date as the day service started.
Choose the lightest record that answers the question
- Checkmark with initials and time: routine work with a clear standard, like trash out or chairs reset.
- Note: anything the next person must act on, such as a quantity, a defect, or why something isn't done.
- Photo: only when a picture answers a specific question for someone who isn't there. It shows what's in the frame, not how a surface was cleaned, and it doesn't establish food-safety compliance. Don't require photos for routine duties.
- Manager spot check: a rotating sample checked in person against “done when.” This is your best evidence that records match reality.
Report blocked work without marking it complete
If a duty can't be finished because of missing stock, a broken dispenser, or equipment that won't shut down properly, the employee leaves it unmarked, notes specifically what's wrong, and tells the closing lead right away. Marking it done “because I did what I could” hides exactly what the manager needs to know, so treat a reported blocker as the checklist working. Urgent problems follow your escalation procedure now, not tomorrow's list.
Pass unresolved work to a named next owner with a deadline
Before signing off, the manager turns each open item into a handoff row with one named next owner and a due time, then tells the opening lead directly through a channel your team actually checks and records that. The next owner initials the row when it's resolved, closing the loop for both shifts.
Running the closing checklist in teamsly
Paper or a spreadsheet works well for many restaurants. If you're re-creating the same list every night or chasing who finished what, teamsly's Task Manager can handle the recurring part:
- Recurring task lists: build “FOH close” and “BOH close” as lists that repeat daily or weekly while their Published switch is on.
- Assignments: each task in a list can go to everyone, a department, a role, or a named employee. For role and department tasks, the Require each person to complete individually switch decides whether one person completes it for the group or everyone assigned needs their own record.
- Time windows: tasks in a list share the list's start and due time, so give a duty with a different deadline, such as a bar close tied to last call, its own single task or list. Unfinished tasks show as overdue; tasks finished after the deadline show as late.
- Optional photo requirements: when photo proof is on, employees attach a photo in the mobile app before completing the task. Employees can also add notes, which is where a shortage like Maya's belongs.
- Completion and history review: managers can watch done, late, and overdue tasks during the close and review any past day in History, including who completed each task, when, and any notes or photos.
Manager sign-off and the handoff are workflow, not built-in features: Task Manager has no sign-off step or “blocked” status, and it doesn't automatically alert managers when a task goes overdue. Run sections C and D as your own routine, such as a list assigned to the manager on duty plus a one-time task for the opening lead. Scored inspections fit better in teamsly forms and audits. For any repeating routine, see how to manage recurring employee tasks without daily reminders.
Frequently asked questions
What belongs on a restaurant closing checklist?
Front-of-house duties (dining areas, guest stations, restrooms, bar, and trash), back-of-house duties (food storage, cold-holding checks, station cleaning, equipment shutdown, dish, and waste), and manager verification, cash, security, and sign-off. Each duty needs a finished condition, an owner, a due window, and a completion record, plus a handoff for unfinished work.
Who signs off a restaurant closing checklist?
The manager on duty, after reviewing every completion record, spot-checking a sample in person, and confirming each open item has a named next owner. Where FOH and BOH leads close separately, they sign their sections first.
Should everyone complete every task?
No. A shared result, like clean restrooms or a restocked takeaway station, needs one accountable owner and one record. Work each person does separately, like a server's section or a cook's station, needs one record per person.
What happens when a task can't be finished?
The employee leaves it unmarked, notes what's wrong, and tells the closing lead. The manager adds it to the handoff with a named next owner and a deadline, then informs the opening lead. Urgent problems follow the restaurant's escalation procedure immediately.
Download and customize the closing checklist
Get the free editable workbook and print-ready PDF, with a blank template and the café example. No email required. Want to run it as a recurring list? Explore Task Manager or try the live demo.