Restaurant Cleaning Checklist & Guide (+ Free PDF)

Before and during the shift:

• Sweep and mop the entrance to the restaurant before service starts and during service. This is a heavy foot traffic area, so constant cleaning is needed to keep the entrance area in order. 
• Clean and polish windows, doors, and door handles, ensuring a sanitary and aesthetically pleasing dining room. 
• Polish silverware, glassware, plates, and other items guests use to catch any dirty dining ware before serving customers.
• Clean and sanitize chairs and tables. Between seatings, wipe down all tables and chairs, along with condiment bottles and other table staples. 
• Disinfect high touch points: POS terminals, bathroom door handles, handrails, etc., hourly. 
• Empty and re-line service area trash cans as needed. 
• Check and tidy restrooms. Assign checks and cleanings to key employees throughout the shift. Checks should include cleaning the restroom and restocking any needed supplies, such as hand soap and paper towels.

After the shift:

• Wash, clean, and polish all glassware and silverware to be ready for the next shift. 
• Sanitize and wipe down all menus, touchpads, POS systems, and self-order kiosks. 
• Spray and wipe down all table tops, booths, chairs, and benches. 
• Vacuum the dining room (if carpeted) every night. 
• Sweep and mop floors after every service.
• Clean and disinfect restrooms.
• Refill disposable supplies.
• Clean and refill condiment holders.
• Take out the trash and any recycling. 
• Send dirty linens to the laundry.

• Clean and sanitize all doors and door handles.
• Dust light fixtures, window corners, and other areas where dust may settle. 
• Tend to any live plants within the dining room. 
• Steam carpets and scrub hardwood floors. 
• Clean baseboards and corners of the dining rooms. 
• Wipe down walls and try to remove visible scuff marks.

• In-depth cleaning of ceiling fixtures and hard-to-reach places.
• Move large furniture in the dining room and clean under and behind this furniture. 
• Check carpets, walls, and all furniture for damage or repairable wear. 
• Deep-clean all bathrooms.

Before and during the shift:

• Ensure all refrigeration units are clean, running, and holding temperature. 
• Sanitize the bar surface, stools, and menus with a sanitizing solution. 
• Clean blenders, shakers, and strainers after every use. 
• Wipe down beer taps, pour spouts, and soda gun nozzles hourly to prevent dirt and debris build-up. 
• Sweep and mop behind the bar on a regular cadence. 
• Wipe down the POS system and other ordering devices regularly. 
• Change sanitizer solution regularly based on product-specific requirements. 
• Wash all glassware and polish after every use. 
• Empty trash and recycling bins regularly.

After the shift:

• Wipe down and sanitize the bar counter, stools, and other guest touchpoints, such as coat hooks and footrests. 
• Wash and polish all glassware. 
• Wipe down soda nozzles, beer taps, and liquor pour spouts. Cover nightly with stoppers or plastic coverings to prevent flies from entering these small spaces. 
• Wipe down all liquor bottles. Clean out lowboy fridges and other bar areas where liquor or mixers are stored. 
• Organize liquor bottles and clean shelving accordingly.
• Empty and sanitize the ice bin. Start with fresh ice each day.
• Sweep and mop floors with hot soapy water. Be sure to get under and behind the bar. 
• Clean and sanitize rubber bar mats, and clean under the mats. 
• Clean any non-slip floor mats used during service. 
• Clean and sanitize all bar utensils, such as shakers and strainers.
• Organize receipts and paperwork, and remove and discard paper tickets from check spindles.
• Refill paper in check and ticket printers.

• Deep clean coffee machines, juicers, blenders, and other beverage tools. Descale and wipe down machinery as needed. 
• Sanitize soda guns and interior heads. 
• Move equipment when possible and clean behind it. 
• Remove all bottles from the shelving. Clean both bottles and shelving thoroughly.
• Clean and flush beer tap lines. If the lines are heavily used, this could be done more than once a week. 
• Deep-clean reach-in coolers. 
• Deep-clean floors, looking for debris, sticky spots, and other dirty areas. 
• Clean floor drains.

• Check all liquor, mixers, and other beverage ingredients for expiration dates. 
• Clean all liquor, mixer, and beverage containers. 
• Inspect equipment, such as beer line pressure, refrigerators, and ice machines—schedule repairs as needed. 
• Dust and clean light fixtures above the bar. 
• Inspect the bar and guest seating for damage—address as needed.

Before and during the shift:

• Before and after prep, sanitize all food prep areas. Change out sanitizing fluid regularly. 
• Thoroughly clean kitchen equipment after use, such as blenders, slicers, mandolines, vegetable peelers, and all other equipment. 
• Clean and sanitize sinks regularly. 
• Ensure hand sinks have warm running water and are stocked with soap and paper towels. 
• Have scheduled sweep and mop cadences, and add in more if food debris is built up on the floor. 
• Have handwashing timers for consistent handwashing throughout a shift. 
• Ensure gloves are changed constantly when handling food. 
• Scrape down griddles and grills as needed. 
• Consistently check temperatures on refrigerators and freezers in your restaurant. 
• Ensure dishwasher emptying, sanitizing, and refilling are scheduled throughout the day. Monitor the status of the machine’s cleanliness. 
• Clean and sanitize surfaces when switching from raw to cooked prep or when allergens are introduced. 
• Clean and sanitize utensils, such as plating, spoons, and chef knives regularly. 
• Switch out water in bain-maries for holding equipment regularly. 
• Date, cover, and properly store ingredients (via first in, first out, or FIFO) prepped throughout the shift. 
• Ensure the three-pot sink has clean, warm, and soapy water, clean rinsing water, and clean sanitizing water with the proper dilution of sanitizing solution. 
• Monitor employee uniforms, like aprons and chef coats, and have employees swap out gear if it gets too dirty. 
• Ensure floor mats are kept clean and in their proper areas during service.

After the shift:

• Clean all stations, including the countertops, shelving, and lowboy refrigerators. 
• Clean out the walk-in fridge. Discard old prep, organize and wipe down shelves, and sweep and mop the interior. 
• Remove floor mats and clean thoroughly. 
• Scrub the wall behind the stovetop, removing debris and grease build-up.
• Sweep and mop the kitchen floor. 
• Ensure all dishes, plateware, and other dirty items are washed, cleaned, and sanitized. 
• Refill hand soap and paper towel dispensers.
• Place dirty linens and towels in bags and get ready for cleaning. 
• Empty trash bins and clean out trash bins of any food or other debris. 
• Clean and disinfect cutting boards or line boards. 
• Empty drip trays from the hoods.
• Clean the ice machine if necessary. 
• Filter and change fryer oil as needed. 
• Ensure all food debris is cleaned up and pest control tools are active and ready, just in case. 
• Store food in proper containers, with clear labels and dates added to each prepped item. 
• Ensure the dishwasher is cleaned, drained, and ready to go for the next day. 
• Ensure all stations are cleaned, sanitized, and ready to go for the next day.

• Deep clean hoods and vents to prevent grease build-up.
• Empty and clean all shelves in the walk-in and freezer, discarding old and expired products. 
• Replace the fryer oil and clean the fryer. 
• Clean inside and outside of ovens.
• Clean out floor drains around the dish pit and throughout the kitchen. 
• Delime sinks and faucets. 
• Boil out the fryer.
• Scrub grout and tile floors to move debris. 
• Steam clean floor mats.
• Clean out dry storage areas and organize them. 
• Inspect pest traps and potential pest-access areas.

• Fully empty and deep-clean the walk-in. Conduct a detailed organization of the freezer, disposing of any expired or freezer-burned items.
• Soak hood vent covers. Deep clean fans and vents above the line.
• Clean behind the stove, ovens, and other major appliances. 
• Empty and thoroughly clean grease traps. 
• Wash the walls and ceilings in the kitchen. 
• Deep clean floors and floor drains. 
• Deep clean fryer flutes, walls behind the stove, and other grease-heavy areas. 
• Inspect all fire suppression and fire extinguisher units in the kitchen.

Cleaning a restaurant includes using checklists and schedules to ensure all parts of the business are clean. Regular cleaning is required in a restaurant due to the heavy use of the equipment and working spaces, paired with a variety of ingredients being utilized throughout the day. By creating checks and systems, restaurants are cleaned in a structured, efficient, and timely manner.

A cleaning schedule for a commercial kitchen should include time intervals, assigned employees, and the tasks being done at each interval. Other relevant information, such as dishwasher temperature guidance or sanitizer dilution levels, should also be included for specific tasks. A cleaning schedule for restaurants should detail what needs to be cleaned, by whom, and how often.

The answer to this depends on the use of the kitchen and basically what deep cleaning means to your management. If we discuss “deep cleaning” as getting into the nooks and crannies of the kitchen, I would say this should be done multiple times a week for busier kitchens. Deep cleaning is required so that food and bacteria do not build up, so doing it regularly is important.

All cleaning agents you bring into a restaurant need to be food-safe or cleared to be used around food. Companies like Ecolab and agencies such as the Health Department can assist in sharing what cleaning agents can be used in your restaurant. Restaurant cleaning tools must also be food-safe and should not leave debris or residue in food or food prep areas/equipment.