Kitchen Daily Shift Standard Checklist

Shift date

Enter the date for this shift (YYYY-MM-DD).

Shift window

Select the part of day this checklist covers.

Location / station

Which kitchen/location/station is this for? (useful for multi-location groups)

Name of person completing checklist

First and last name or role.

Role

Select your primary role this shift.

Opening checks (common)

Mark items completed during opening duties.

Power, lights, and major equipment on and operational

Food contact surfaces cleaned and sanitized

Sanitizer concentration checked

Walk-in and reach-in fridge/freezer temps recorded

Thermometers checked/calibrated

Stations stocked with mise, portioning, condiments

Par levels verified for high-use items

Food in safe holding temperatures; thawing items checked

Service start checks

Before guests arrive / service begins.

Ticket printer and POS connected

Allergen station & communication ready

Expeditor / plate check area set

Heat-holding timers and cook timers set

Staff positions and stations confirmed

Mid-shift checks

Checks to repeat during the shift to sustain quality.

Mise re-stocked and portioning maintained

Critical hot/hot-holding and cold temps rechecked

Waste and spoilage log updated

Ticket times monitored and trending OK

Breaks covered; no gaps at stations

Last order / closing checks

Tasks to prepare for last order and clean close.

Last call/last order confirmed with FOH

Holdovers labeled, dated, and stored properly

Hot holding temperatures logged for service end

Cold storage organized; items covered

Cleaning and sanitizing tasks completed to standard

Leftovers discarded per safety policy where required

Any critical issue requiring immediate escalation?

Examples: unsafe temperature, suspected foodborne risk, major equipment failure, staffing emergency.

If yes, select issue type

Choose the most relevant category (if none apply, choose Other and describe).

If an issue, describe what happened and immediate actions taken

Include who was informed, times, and any interim containment steps.

Incoming/outgoing shift briefing completed?

Did the outgoing shift brief the incoming on current issues, orders, and customer notes?

Briefing notes (incoming/outgoing)

Short bullets for the incoming shift: priorities, outstanding prep, equipment notes, guest issues.

Coaching prompts for incoming/outgoing shift

Use this to leave a brief coaching note: what to watch for, one idea to improve flow or quality next shift.

One improvement idea you observed

Capture a quick, testable idea (small experiment) for the team to try next shift.

Priority for follow-up

Choose what category should be followed up on after shift.

Outgoing sign-off (name)

Person handing off the shift.

Incoming sign-off (name)

Person taking over the shift.

Additional notes or context

Anything else to record for this shift.

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Kitchen Daily Shift Standard Checklist

Kitchen Daily Shift Standard Checklist

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