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Now more than ever, a restaurant’s hygiene is singularly important.
Just 29% of consumers say they’d return to an unclean business only if it was absolutely necessary. That’s okay news for mechanics, hospitals, or grocery stores, we suppose. But not for anyone in the hospitality industry. The expectations for the hygiene of places we go voluntarily remains extremely high.
Cleanliness has always been a crucial factor in attracting new customers and keeping existing ones. Now it’s downright critical. A restaurant that drops the ball in terms of sanitization is not only impacting the customer experience, but the very health of their customers. If you're curious how to improve customer satisfaction in restaurants, that's a big part of it. That's why digital wine lists are becoming so popular. The reality of 2020 is that paper menus will become touchless menus. It's what QR codes are used for nowadays.
To make it a little easier, we put together this restaurant cleaning checklist (along with a downloadable, free restaurant checklist cleaning doc). It includes all the big daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning tasks. And if you download the free, printable PDF version, you’ll see columns for staff initials to keep track of completed tasks.
You may notice more sanitization in this restaurant cleaning schedule checklist than in other, similar restaurant cleaning checklists online. As we settle into the new normal, cleaning and sanitizing will become the industry’s number one priority. Our restaurant cleaning schedule checklist reflects that.
A few quick notes about using the restaurant checklist:
- “Wipe down” means use water.
- “Clean” means use soap.
- “Sanitize” means use a commercial-grade sanitizing solution.
- The “Last Completed” column is so anyone using this checklist on a daily basis will know when weekly and monthly tasks were last completed. And if they have to take care of them that week.
To help you get all that cleaning done, here’s a useful resource on restaurant cleaning supplies if you’re in the market.
Restaurant Front of House Cleaning Checklist
"Key Takeaway: Cleanliness has always been a crucial factor in attracting new customers and keeping existing ones. Now it’s downright critical."
Daily
- Wipe down walls
- Clean and sanitize counters
- Clean and sanitize tables
- Clean and sanitize all menus (a moot point if using a QR code menu)
- Inspect, wipe down, and sanitize condiments, salt, and pepper on tables
- Clean and sanitize seats, booths, and benches
- Launder all napkins, tablecloths, and aprons
- Take out trash and recycling
- Wipe down and sanitize down recycling bins
- Sweep and mop floors
- Vacuum carpets
- Clean and sanitize bathrooms
- Clean and sanitize door handles
Weekly
- Wipe down and dust light fixtures
- Wipe down and sanitize doors
- Wipe down windows
Monthly
- Dust decorations, painting, and artwork
- Knock cobwebs off ceiling
- Clean and sanitize walls
Restaurant Kitchen Cleaning Checklist
Daily
- Wipe down walls
- Brush, scour, and clean grill
- Clean griddle, range, flattop, and fryer
- Clean and sanitize any meat and cheese slicers
- Change any foil lining on ranges, grills, and flattops
- Wipe down other appliances like coffee makers, toasters, and microwaves
- Clean and disinfect all prep surface areas, including cutting boards
- Clean and soak all beverage dispenser heads at soda stations
- Run all utensils, flatware, smallware, and glassware through the dishwasher
- Clean and sanitize all sinks
- Wipe down surfaces of ice machine
- Launder rags, towels, aprons, chef coats, and uniforms
- Refill any soap or hand sanitizer dispensers
- Sweet and mop all floors, including walk-ins refrigerators and storage areas
- Take out trash and recycling
- Wipe down and sanitize down recycling bins
- Empty and clean grease traps
Weekly
- Clean ovens
- Delime faucet heads and sinks
- Boil out deep fryer
- Use drain cleaner on floor drains
- Clean and sanitize walk-in refrigerators and storage areas
- Clean anti-fatigue mats
Monthly
- Clean behind oven, stoves, and fryers (the hotline)
- Run cleaning and sanitizing chemicals through coffee and espresso machine
- Burn, clean, and sanitize ice machines
- Empty, clean, and sanitize freezers
- Clean refrigerator coils
- Clean and sanitize walls and ceiling
- Clean restaurant vent hoods
- Replace or discard any pest traps
Restaurant Daily Cleaning Schedule Template
Our free restaurant cleaning checklist PDF also includes a blank restaurant daily cleaning schedule template. It’s just like the first two pages, except there are no specific tasks listed. It’s fully customizable, with spaces for you to write down daily, weekly, and monthly bar and restaurant cleaning tasks. It can be your restaurant’s daily cleaning schedule template. It can be your restaurant’s weekly cleaning schedule template. Monthly, too. It can be whatever you’d like. Which is why it’s so useful. Print it out and make it your own!
How to Improve the Restaurant Cleaning Checklist
A restaurant’s cleaning checklist should be changed and improved to increase the efficiency of the cleaning process and help the business maintain high hygiene standards. Here are a few tips related to improving the front of the house (FOH) and kitchen cleaning checklist.
- Gather feedback from staff. The staff of the restaurant is likely able to share tips about the cleaning process. Chefs, waiters, bartenders, and other employees are the ones who constantly work there. They will know if the process can be improved or if some tasks require better attention.
- Choose the right days for different cleaning tasks. Daily and weekly tasks in the restaurant cleaning checklist should be performed during the slow hours of your establishment. In most cases, the right time for performing front-of-house cleaning tasks is before or after working hours. Some kitchen cleaning duties can be performed between the peak hours of the restaurant.
- Include tasks done less frequently. Most restaurant cleaning checklists include daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. However, a restaurant cleaning checklist should also contain tasks that should be performed every three, six, or twelve months. Examples of such include cleaning the upholstery in the restaurant, cleaning the refrigerator condenser coils, and proper care for the wood of chairs, tables, and other interior elements.
- Automate or outsource certain tasks. Restaurants should answer to high hygiene standards. That’s why there are dozens of tasks in a daily restaurant cleaning checklist. Hiring a commercial cleaning contractor can be a great solution for businesses that don’t want to invest in expensive cleaning equipment.
You Can Make Your Restaurant Cleaner with QR Codes, Too
Paper menus are brutally dirty. Studies show they’re far and away the filthiest things on restaurant tables. Rather than check off menu cleaning every day, why don’t you eliminate that variable entirely?
A dynamic QR code menu is easy to use. Look at how to scan a QR code for proof. Or, for that matter, look at how easy it is to deal with any of the (very rare) QR code scanning problems.
They’re also simple to roll out, deploy, and maintain. Once you create your QR code PDF and generate your code, you’re all set. Be aware of the QR code security risks associated with free online QR code generators, though.
Frequently Asked Questions About Restaurant Cleaning
The process of cleaning a restaurant from front to back takes time and a lot of knowledge. Our answers to these frequently asked questions will help prepare you even more.
What Is the Procedure of Cleaning a Restaurant?
The procedure of cleaning a restaurant involves taking a close look into every section of the restaurant and cleaning every inch of it. Effectively, that means making a list of every part of the restaurant that needs to be cleaned, and when it needs to be cleaned, to stick to a schedule.
What Is a Good Cleaning Schedule?
A good cleaning schedule depends on the items and areas in question. There are some parts of a restaurant, like tables, door handles, and all kitchen equipment, that should be cleaned on a daily basis. Other things, like the floor or windows, can be weekly or, in the case of the windows, monthly.
What Should a Cleaning Checklist Include?
A cleaning checklist should include every item and area of the restaurant. Anything that can and should be cleaned needs to be represented on the checklist.
How Do You Clean Like a Professional?
To clean like a professional, you need the right tools and cleaning supplies, but the right attitude and attention to detail is equally important. If you want to clean like a professional, give your cleaning needs a professional level of courtesy.
Free Restaurant Cleaning Schedule Checklist
All the necessary components to running a clean restaurant are included in this post. Both a restaurant kitchen cleaning checklist and a restaurant front of house cleaning checklist. And each section’s weekly and monthly tasks are parts of any good deep cleaning restaurant checklist.
But you should download and print the restaurant cleaning checklist doc above if you really want to keep your suds game strong. Post it weekly and use it daily. We advise against laminating it and using a dry-erase marker on it. Interacting with the same document daily is too great a health risk. At present, the National Restaurant Association recommends paper menus be discarded after every use. And we recommend the same for your restaurant cleaning checklists.
Also check out our free bar cleaning checklist template.
You got this.