Digital Checklists For Restaurants: Detailed Guide For Managers

What Is a Digital Restaurant Operations Checklist?

To keep things going smoothly at a restaurant, it's a good idea to have a restaurant operations checklist. 

Managers and workers at restaurants often utilize basic digital checklists for restaurants to ensure that all tasks are completed correctly. These checklists include crucial duties like:

• Opening and closing schedules
• Assigning jobs to staff
• Making sure the kitchen is clean and stocked
• Ensuring customer happiness

There has to be a restaurant checklist for every facet of running the business.

A restaurant checklist can be seen as a helpful tool to keep track of all the little details that add up to a better dining experience for both guests and employees.

What to Include in Digital Checklists for Restaurants?

If you own a restaurant, you know how important it is to have a checklist to follow before, during, and after business hours. Here are some items that should be on the list:

• Name of restaurant
• Date 
• Time of completion
• Restaurant shift (opening or closing) 
• Name of assigned checker
• Task list
• Action owner
• Remarks

The Problem with Paper

You know the drill: you put in a lot of time and effort to write up a thorough list of tasks for your team, but then it either gets coated with BBQ sauce, disappears, or ends up in the garbage. After that, it's time to play detective and see who was responsible for what and when. Certainly not a productive use of your time, is it?

Next, there's the problem of contradiction. Each worker has their own unique perspective on the checklist's instructions.

The result might be assignments that aren't finished at all, or at least not to your standards. It's similar to a game of telephone with your employees, but instead of laughing at the end, you'll only wind up confused and frustrated.

At last, we can discuss responsibility. It is tough to keep track of who accomplished what and when when using paper checklists and training binders. Because it is difficult to hold people responsible when there is a lack of openness, your restaurant could grow less efficient and productive.

Why Go Digital?

With digital solutions like Xenia's all-in-one software for restaurant operations and training, you can easily manage your restaurant operations from any location and at any time. Digital checklists for restaurants allow you to establish criteria for the completion of activities and guarantee that they are met consistently. 

Furthermore, because everything is traceable and readily available, there is no longer any need to play detective when you have the best checklist software in place.

Some convincing statistics that show how effective going digital is are as follows:

• Improved Efficiency: Businesses that completely commit to digital transformation have the potential to see a 40% increase in productivity.‍
• Better Customer Experience: An overwhelming majority of consumers (84%) consider a company's customer service to be just as essential as the quality of its goods and services. Businesses with strong digital capabilities can provide their clients with experiences that are both easy and tailored to their individual needs.‍
• Drive Profits: Companies whose operations are more tech-savvy enjoy three times the revenue increase of companies whose operations are less tech-savvy.

Types of Digital Checklists for Restaurants

For every aspect of managing a restaurant, you can create a checklist. Restaurants often utilize the following types.

Restaurant Manager’s Checklist

One of the most essential tools for a successful restaurant launch is a checklist. Before opening your doors to the public, several items on this checklist must be attended to. 

Ensuring all of your equipment is operational, setting up workstations, inspecting and refilling merchandise, opening doors, and turning on lights are all examples of possible duties. 

Restaurant opening checklists aid in getting the restaurant ready for daily operations by methodically attending to these things. For an effective and coordinated opening ritual, this is crucial.

• The accuracy of the cash register balance.
• Make sure there is adequate stock to begin the day by coordinating with the culinary crew.
• Making extra purchases from suppliers if needed, and coordinating delivery for the day.
• Gathering some cash for payment.
• Planning the day's activities and sales projections.
• The front-of-house personnel needs an explanation of the daily specials.
• Examine the eatery to make sure it is clean.

Manager’s Closing Checklist

Digital checklists for restaurants for closing down the day's activities are just as crucial; they include all that needs doing to ensure a proper conclusion. 

Cash register settlement, building security, and end-of-day cleaning and upkeep are all items on this list.

Restaurants need to have opening and closing checklists that coordinate to make sure the establishment is secure, tidy, stocked, and prepared for the start of each shift.

• Going over the books
• Keeping track of tips and dispersing them as per company policy
• Going over the plans for the next day's employees
• Getting ready for the following day by making sure everything is tidy
• Verifying the accuracy of your finances by reviewing day-end reports
• Powering down all large appliances and electronics
• Configuring the security system
• Closing your restaurant

Shift Change Checklists For Restaurants

Managers should collaborate at the end of each shift to make sure their teams transition smoothly to the next one. This restaurant management task list could help them remember to attend to things like:

• Outlining the assignments that have been completed
• Alerting others to any irregularities, such as a lack of staff or missing inventory, is essential
• Talking about what needs doing to be productive today

Kitchen Operations Checklist

The kitchen, being the nerve center of every restaurant, is the ideal location for an operations checklist. The daily chores needed for the kitchen to run well are outlined in these checklists. 

This could entail keeping the kitchen clean and organized, monitoring and refilling materials as needed, and adhering to standards for food safety and hygiene. A comprehensive kitchen equipment management checklist may be part of this as well. 

Kitchen personnel regularly maintain high standards in food preparation, cleanliness, and organization with the use of proper digital checklists for restaurants.

Front & BOH Restaurant Operations Checklist

A front-of-house/ BOH restaurant operations checklist is created to improve the eating experience by addressing the customer-facing components of restaurant operations. 

Meanwhile, the “back of the house” component focuses on streamlining restaurant operations to a standardized level, where the speed of service, quality and overall process is fine tuned to deliver a delightful customer experience.

Everything from taking orders to setting the tables to making sure the dining room is always inviting falls under this category. The front desk personnel will be ready to provide outstanding service if they follow this checklist.

Restaurant & Cafe Employee Training Checklist

When hiring new workers, it's important to have a staff training checklist. 

To make sure that new employees learn the restaurant's safety rules, customer service standards, and processes, it serves as a training guide. 

A solid training checklist ensures that new team members are consistently and thoroughly oriented by methodically addressing these training aspects. This ensures that all employees get training that meets the required standards.

Food Safety Checklist

A food safety checklist is an important tool for any business that wants to keep its customers' food safe. 

Checking the temperature on a regular basis, following correct protocols while handling food, and keeping an eye on when products expire are all items on this checklist. 

Cleaning and Maintenance Checklist

Keeping a restaurant clean is a huge component of the job. 

Consequently, a cleaning element should be included in the restaurant's opening and closing checklists.

A maintenance and cleaning checklist offers a comprehensive structure for regular cleaning schedules, whether it's daily, weekly, or monthly. Using this checklist, you can be sure that every part of the restaurant, from the kitchen to the dining rooms, gets the care it needs.

Inventory Management Checklist

Keeping expenses in check and maintaining a consistent supply of products both depend on efficient inventory management. 

Maintaining accurate stock counts is a breeze with the help of an inventory management checklist.

You can always place an order for goods when you need them, allowing you to reduce waste. Some items on your list may include making an inventory consumption sheet, arranging your restaurant's stock, and delegating the responsibility of doing frequent and precise stock takes to a team.

Top Benefits of Working With Digital Checklists For Restaurants

The following are a few of the most important reasons why you should have a restaurant opening checklist and a restaurant closing checklist:

Saving Time and Money

Using restaurant opening and closing digital checklists for restaurants will mostly result in significant time savings while staffing the establishment, as well as significant money savings in material and labor expenses.

If you and every other top manager didn't have to guide your team members through every job they were responsible for, think of how much more productive you could be.

When running a business, it's tempting to rely on gut feelings and conventional knowledge. However, a well-organized checklist can save you and your employees a ton of time.

Contrarily, if you can keep your assets intact, you can save a ton of money over time.

The likelihood that your workers will forget to switch out the lights in each room right before they leave will be reduced if you include this requirement in your checklist. Similarly, you can lower the likelihood of losing important inventory by requiring your kitchen staff to check certain perishables for expiry dates daily.

Inspecting is Easier Than Ever

As the saying goes, it's easier to inspect, if you know what to expect.

What this implies is that using a checklist at a restaurant makes it much simpler to keep your employees responsible than before. You can verify who is accountable for what, when you have your team members verify and sign off on each completed job at the bottom of the page or in the electronic form.

Managers can optimize workplace processes with the help of digital checklists for restaurants, which also make employees feel more accountable for their jobs. When everyone knows that a given work is crucial for your daily operations it seems less like your boss is always bothering you to get it done.

Keeping Your Restaurant Safe

Your restaurant's safety procedures should be among the first and foremost items on your checklist.

Everything from turning off the gas burners to setting up the alarm system at nightfall are items that are often part of your opening and closing digital checklists for restaurants.

If you suspect petty theft at your restaurant, there are extra safety measures you can take. For example, you can have your management match the end-of-day data from the POS system with each individual transaction. A restaurant safety checklist is a great tool to have on hand for achieving these objectives.

Improved Accountability And Transparency

Using a digital checklist to run your business efficiently has several advantages.

One of the most apparent is that it facilitates employee tracking. You may monitor the status of tasks and their completion times in real-time using a computerized system. 

Those who own and operate more than one restaurant may find this feature very useful. No matter whether you're in the kitchen or 1,000 miles away, it's your job as a manager to keep your employees informed and on the same page. Inquire as to the status of the ovens, the dicing of the garlic, and the serving of table three. 

You can remain organized and productive at all times by accessing your checklist from any location. Prepare yourself; be prepared.

On That Note

Running a restaurant becomes much easier with the right checklists in place. Making sure you've thought of everything becomes much simpler with more comprehensive digital checklists for restaurants.

On that note, your restaurant's management should make it a point to create and regularly update them. 

We suggest having at least one daily checklist for a restaurant, but you can split them up into an opening checklist and a closing checklist if you want.