Free Restaurant Cleaning Checklist

Why You Need a Cleaning Checklist for Your Restaurant

In restaurants, cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting are essential for preventing cross-contamination of food and the spread of viruses. And in the wake of the pandemic, a clean restaurant is even more crucial to the customer experience, as guests have now become hyper-aware of proper hygiene. In fact, a study by Simon-Kucher & Partners found that guests will spend twice as much each month at restaurants that meet their cleanliness standards. 

With so much emphasis on restaurant sanitation and hygiene, it’s essential to use detailed cleaning checklists in your business venue. A cleaning list can help your staff manage required restaurant cleaning and sanitizing, and how often that needs to happen. This will also allow you to maintain a clean restaurant when it comes time for a health inspection.

So to help you cross this essential item off your to-do list, we’ve created a ready-to-print restaurant cleaning checklist PDF. 

What to Include in a Checklist for Foodservice Cleaning

This comprehensive cleaning checklist PDF includes daily, weekly, and monthly restaurant cleaning checklists so you can monitor your cleaning duties over time. With these lists and some cleaning tips, you can keep your restaurant clean at all times.

What you can expect from the PDF lists:

• The restaurant cleaning checklists are separated into two different sections – front of house and back of house – so you can tackle each individual area.
• They also have columns for dates so you can have a regular cleaning schedule for your restaurant.

The front of house restaurant cleaning list is designed to help staff clean some of the most visible parts of your restaurant, such as the dining room, bathrooms, and host stand, which will show customers you take their health and safety seriously. 

On the other hand, the printable restaurant cleaning checklist is designed to help back of house staff tackle the cleaning of prep areas, cooking stations, and the dish pit.

And because no two restaurants are alike, we’ve also included a blank cleaning checklist sample so you can add additional cleaning tasks that may not be on the list. 

Of course, checklists aren’t the only thing you need to ensure proper restaurant sanitation. Below are also some tips to help you stay on top of all the cleaning in your venue. 

Tips for cleaning your restaurant:

• Keep an inventory of your cleaning supplies so you can restock supplies well before they run out.
• Place cleaning supplies close to the areas and equipment that you need to clean with those supplies.
• Make sure employees know where cleaning supplies are located and how to handle those supplies correctly.
• Teach your employees the difference between terms like “sanitize,” “wipe down,” and “wash.”
• Keep a regular cleaning schedule for the restaurant (you can document these dates in the printable checklist).
• Make sure all employees know where the cleaning lists and schedules are.

Front of House Cleaning Checklist

Below are three checklists (daily, weekly, and monthly) for restaurant cleaning in the public facing areas of your business. These lists will help you know what kind of cleaning to do (sanitize, wash, launder, etc.), when to carry out each task, and plan what supplies you’ll need so you can keep your restaurant clean.

Example of Daily Checklist for Restaurant Cleaning

• Clean and sanitize the tables
• Wipe down walls and baseboards (if necessary)
• Sweep and mop floors
• Clean and sanitize door handles
• Spot clean windows and glass doors

Example of Weekly Checklist for Restaurant Cleaning

• Dust and wipe down light fixtures
• Wash glass windows and doors
• Spray and wipe down all mirrors

Example of Monthly Checklist for Restaurant Cleaning

• Inspection of the ceiling for any cobwebs
• Clean and wash the walls
• Deep clean the floors
• Inspection of upholstered items for damage

Remember, the front of house includes any part of your restaurant that customers can access, such as dining areas, the bar, and restrooms, as well as the equipment in those spaces. These are the most visible parts of your restaurant, so by following each checklist, restaurant guests will know how much you care about restaurant hygiene.

While you’re maintaining your restaurant’s hygiene, it’s also important to conduct a regular inspection of your furniture, carpets, etc. in case of damage. This way, you can catch things that need to be fixed sooner rather than later, which will ultimately save you money in the long run.

Of course, with so many various cleaning and inspections to do daily, weekly, and monthly, it can be difficult to get your employees to follow all your instructions and checklists, so here are some tips to help encourage them:

• Offer incentives for employees to meet certain goals. Some friendly competition can also help motivate them.
• Recognize employees for a job well done to help them feel valued.
• Use checklists, schedules, and other organizational tactics to take some of the work off of them and streamline day-to-day processes.
• Ask employees for feedback on how the process can be better and implement their ideas so they see that you’re listening.

Restaurant Kitchen Cleaning Checklist

Of course, you can’t forget about the rest of your venue. Below are three checklists (daily, weekly, and monthly) to help you clean your restaurant’s kitchen. Kitchen cleaning includes any part of your restaurant where employees handle food, such as the kitchen and bar as well as the equipment there.

Example of Daily Kitchen Cleaning Checklist

• Clean and sanitize any meat and cheese slicers
• Wipe down other equipment such as coffee makers, microwaves, and toasters
• Clean and sanitize the sinks
• Clean beverage dispenser heads in the soda fountain and the tips of the soda guns in the bar
• Hand wash any kitchen tools that cannot be run through the dishwasher
• Launder any rags, towels, aprons, and uniforms

Example of Weekly Kitchen Cleaning Checklist

• Clean the ovens, including the walls, door, and racks
• Clean any anti-fatigue mats
• Use drain cleaner on floor drains

Example of Monthly Kitchen Cleaning Checklist

• Burn, clean, and the sanitize ice machines
• Empty, clean, and sanitize refrigerators and freezers
• Wash walls and ceiling to remove grease buildup
• Deep clean the floors

Your kitchen, bar, and equipment must be properly and regularly cleaned for the health and safety of your customers and employees. Sometimes, you’ll also need special tools to clean certain equipment properly, such as a nozzle brush for the tips of the soda guns in the bar.

Your kitchen is a fast-paced environment where it’s easy for things to get messy. But, it’s critical you don’t forget to clean any of it, so use a checklist to take some of the load off yourself and your team to keep your kitchen as clean as possible. 

Besides a checklist, you should also review health department guidelines to make sure you’re meeting all their standards and can change any of your processes if you need to.

Lastly, while your staff is working in the kitchen, they should also be mindful of other factors that can be health and safety risks, such as: 

• Not washing their hands properly
• Cross-contaminating by improperly handling raw meat near other foods
• Incorrectly storing food

At the end of the day, following these guidelines and using these handy checklists will help ensure every part of your venues – from back to front – is sparkling clean.