Restaurant guide

Restaurant closing checklist: the nightly close, step by step

A good close sets up tomorrow and protects tonight’s money. A rushed one leaves cash short, food unlabeled and a mess for the opening crew. Here is a closing checklist by area, and the manager’s close that ties the night together.

5-minute readUpdated

Front of house

  • Close every open check; transfer or settle anything left on a server.
  • Run each server’s checkout: sales, tips and cash owed.
  • Wipe and sanitize tables, chairs, booths and menus.
  • Restock server stations: napkins, roll-ups, condiments, to-go supplies.
  • Sweep and mop the dining room; empty trash.

Bar

  • Close and settle every tab, and release any card holds left open.
  • Store garnishes and perishable mixers, labeled and dated.
  • Clean the speed rail, taps, ice wells and bar mats.
  • Restock beer, wine and spirits from storage; note what is running low.
  • Lock liquor storage.

Kitchen

  • Wrap, label and date all food going into storage.
  • Record cooler and freezer temperatures.
  • Log waste for the shift.
  • Clean and sanitize the line, cutting boards and prep surfaces.
  • Turn off and clean equipment as scheduled: fryers, grill, flat-top.
  • Write the prep list for the opening crew.
  • Take out trash and recycling; check that the back door is locked.

The manager’s close

This is where the night’s numbers get checked while the people who made them are still in the building.

  1. Confirm every check is closed and every server has checked out.
  2. Settle the card batch.
  3. Count each cash drawer against the system and record any over or short.
  4. Review comps, voids and discounts: each should have a reason and an approval.
  5. Check labor: everyone clocked out, and any missed punches fixed.
  6. Prepare the deposit and lock it in the safe.
  7. Write the shift notes: anything the next manager needs to know.
  8. Walk the building: equipment off, doors locked, alarm set.

Make the close a record, not a memory

A checklist only works if it is done the same way every night. Keep it where the closer works, give each area an owner, and have the manager confirm it rather than redo it.

The numbers from the close (cash over or short, comps, voids, labor and sales) are the start of your bookkeeping for the day. If they are recorded at close, the books for the day are mostly done.

Questions

Common questions

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What should be on a restaurant closing checklist?

Tasks for each area: closing checks and server checkout on the floor, tabs and storage at the bar, food storage, temperatures, cleaning and prep lists in the kitchen, and the manager’s cash, card, comp and lock-up checks.

Who should do the restaurant close?

Each area’s closer does their own list, and the closing manager confirms each one, then does the cash, card and comp review and locks up.

Should comps and voids be reviewed every night?

Yes. Reviewing them the same night, while the server and manager remember why, is the easiest way to catch mistakes and discourage misuse.

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