Restaurant Cleaning Checklist

Cleaning your workspace is one of the most important things to do when you’re in the food business. A clean and sanitized space will help you prevent cross-contamination. To help you achieve safer areas, we’ve created a restaurant cleaning checklist you can use to keep track of the tasks that you must complete regularly.

Importance of Having a Restaurant Cleaning Checklist

If you own or manage a restaurant, without a doubt, you need a restaurant cleaning checklist to keep your place clean and sanitized.

Checklists are the ultimate organizational tool to help you complete all the things you need to do within a frequency of time. Therefore, if you want to improve efficiency, increase accountability and consistency, and save tons of time, a checklist is a perfect way to achieve this.

A cleaning checklist will ensure you and your staff stays on top of all the necessary cleaning duties for the restaurant. In addition, these professional lists cover tasks that may slip your mind.

Cleaning checklists also target frequencies of time and specify essential items to achieve for every specific time frame. So, for example, if you want to target daily cleaning tasks, you should follow a checklist specifically for daily cleaning.

Below you will find an area checklist to help you target all the cleaning tasks you need to complete daily, weekly, and monthly.

These are the main things we included on our kitchen cleaning checklist:

• Cleaning supplies you’ll need
• Daily, weekly, monthly cleaning tasks
• Front-of-house cleaning
• Back-of-house cleaning

Front-of-House Cleaning Checklist

The front house of your restaurant is the place where your guests create their best memories. It is every public space of the restaurant, such as waiting areas, booths, tables, etc. Because of this, you must make sure that it’s spotless to comply with the proper hygienic regulations.

Therefore, having a clean restaurant is vital to have a successful business. Following, you will find a restaurant cleaning checklist to keep your space spotlessly clean.

Cleaning Supplies List

• Sanitizer solution
• Vacuum for hard to reach nooks or carpeted areas
• Clean cloths
• Mop and broom
• A bucket of soapy water
• Bath cleanser
• Toilet brush
• Paper supplies (toilet paper, paper towels, etc.)

Daily Cleaning:

Restaurant owners must make sure to clean these areas daily:

Kitchen:

• Clean and sanitize your workspace.
• Wipe down any spills or splatters of walls.
• Sanitize all the equipment.
• Take out the trash.
• Sanitize trash and recycle bins.
• Sweep the floors, storage areas, and walk-in fridges.
• Wash the sinks.
• Run a load of coats and aprons in the washing machine, apart from kitchen linens.
• Manually clean the ovens (doors, walls, and racks).
• Wash and disinfect cutting boards.

Dining Room:

• Disinfect all the dining tables
• Clean menus
• Sanitize tabletop items (salt, pepper shakers, etc.)
• Vacuum or mop the floors

Bathrooms:

• Clean and sanitize sinks and toilets
• Restock bathroom items (paper towels, soap, toilet paper, etc.)
• Sweep and mop the floors
• Empty trash cans

Front Entrance:

• Sweep and mop or vacuum the entryway
• Disinfect frequently-touched surfaces, like glass doors, handles, push bars, etc. (do this once per shift or more)
• Clean windows and doors
• Take care of the landscape features (water plants, weed when necessary, etc.)

Lobby:

• Wipe down the seating area.
• Vacuum rugs and sweep the floors.
• Dust decorations.
• Use a sanitizing solution to disinfect the most frequently touched areas.

Weekly Cleaning

These are the tasks you need to complete every week to keep your restaurant clean:

• Spray and wipe down all the surfaces inside and outside coolers.
• Wipe down shelves and bottles in the bar and also any decorative fixtures.
• Clean movable equipment.

Monthly Cleaning

Remember to perform maintenance tasks once a month to keep your restaurant in tip-top shape:

• Give maintenance to the painting and artwork.
• Take off cobwebs and dust from the ceiling.
• Sanitize and clean the walls.

Back-of-House Cleaning Checklist

Sanitizing and maintaining a clean kitchen is hard work, and it is critical for passing a health inspection. Consequently, to succeed in the food industry, you need to ensure your establishment to be in tip-top shape all the time.

As we mentioned before, attention to cleanliness will help prevent cross-contamination with food and extend your equipment’s lifespan.

Daily Cleaning:

• Clean all the cooking equipment (fryers, grills, ranges, steam tables, vent hoods, dishwashers, etc.)
• Clean all the kitchen tools (utensils, glassware, smallware, and flatware)
• Wash coffee makers and all the prep equipment
• Remove water from the grease trap and also wipe it with a dry cloth
• Disinfect sinks, drains, soda fountains, cutting boards, countertops, etc.
• Wipe down grease and food stains on walls or ceiling
• Wash floor mats, tables, and aprons
• Sanitize trash cans or buckets

Weekly Cleaning:

• Clean ovens, deep fryers, and drains
• Degrease walls and doors
• Delime sinks, faucets, and dishwashers
• Spot clean water hoses and gas pipes

Monthly Cleaning:

• Wash and sanitize behind the equipment, walls, grease buildup, ceilings, freezers, floors, ice machines, and rodent or pest droppings

What Is the Best Restaurant Cleaning Schedule?

Creating a restaurant cleaning schedule can certainly be helpful to your staff. That will provide you with enough room to write down daily, weekly, and monthly restaurant cleaning tasks.

A clean and organized restaurant will make a great impression on your guests.

Restaurant Cleaning Tips to Keep in Mind

Do not wait until the end to clean everything at once. By constantly cleaning your equipment, you will guarantee that your food is always fresh and tasty.

Below, you will find a few cleaning tips to help you maintain your restaurant spotlessly clean all day long.

• Train your staff always to prioritize food safety
• Stay on top of the sanitary guidelines
• Keep your workspace pest-free
• Deep cleaning is essential to extend your equipment lifespan
• Constantly move trash bags to dumpsters or recycling bins
• Abide by the Health Department guidelines since this will help you have a clean restaurant to deliver the best dining experience to your customers.
• Have a test meal and audit the dining experience from the moment you sit until the payment process. It will give you a better understanding of the level of cleanliness you need to achieve.

Time To Get To Work

A clean restaurant begins with professional staff training. Therefore, make sure you use a checklist throughout the day to guarantee the cleanliness of every area.

Now that you have all the information you need to use a restaurant cleaning checklist, get to work on your customizable template. If you wish professional help to handle your cleaning, give us a call to get our commercial cleaning services. We will gladly help you.