Pub Opening and Closing Checklist: Bar, Cellar, Kitchen and Cash
A good pub opening and closing checklist is split by area (bar, cellar, kitchen, front of house, security and cash), short enough to finish in 15 minutes, and signed off by a named person each shift. Copy the lists below, cut anything that doesn't apply to your site, and add weekday-only tasks like line cleaning so the list matches how your week actually runs.
On this page
Every pub has an opening and closing routine. The difference between a good one and a bad one is whether it lives in the GM's head or somewhere the whole team can see it. The lists below are written for a typical wet-led or food-led community pub. Copy them, delete what doesn't apply, and add the quirks of your building (the back door that needs a shove, the cooler that trips if the glass washer is on at the same time).
How to use these checklists
- One list per area, one person per list. Bar, cellar, kitchen, front of house, and security and cash. Five short lists get done. One long list gets skimmed.
- Safety first in every list. Fire exits, gas, temperatures and cash go at the top, so when you're late opening they're the bits that get done.
- Initial and time every line. "Done" with no name is no use when something goes wrong.
- Different days, different jobs. Line cleaning, chiller cleaning and deliveries don't happen daily. Put them on the right weekday rather than adding "if due" to every list.
Pub opening checklist
Front of house (open)
| Task | Done | Initials | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walk the building: lights on, heating/air con set, music on at the right level | ☐ | ||
| Fire exits unlocked from the inside, escape routes clear of kegs, chairs and deliveries | ☐ | ||
| Toilets checked: clean, stocked (paper, soap, towels), no leaks, sanitary bins emptied | ☐ | ||
| Floors dry, no trip hazards, wet-floor signs out if mopped | ☐ | ||
| Tables wiped, condiments filled, menus clean and current | ☐ | ||
| Today's specials and allergen information checked by the manager on duty | ☐ | ||
| Bookings checked, tables set and reserved signs out | ☐ | ||
| Outside area: furniture out, ashtrays clean, smoking area tidy, gate open | ☐ | ||
| Premises licence summary on display and visible | ☐ |
Bar (open)
| Task | Done | Initials | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pumps and taps pulled through, first pint of each line checked for taste and clarity | ☐ | ||
| Drip trays and nozzles clean, bar top wiped | ☐ | ||
| Fridges restocked (mixers, bottles, wine), front-facing and rotated | ☐ | ||
| Ice machine filled, ice scoop stored outside the ice | ☐ | ||
| Glass washer on, chemicals topped up, enough clean glasses | ☐ | ||
| Garnish prepped and dated | ☐ | ||
| Small measures available and price list shows them | ☐ | ||
| Spirit optics and measures clean and secure | ☐ | ||
| Age verification signage up, team reminded of your ID policy | ☐ |
Cellar (open)
| Task | Done | Initials | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cellar temperature checked and noted | ☐ | ||
| Gas cylinders secured and upright, no hissing, spare on hand | ☐ | ||
| Cask ales vented and tapped as needed, spiles and pegs in the right place | ☐ | ||
| Keg couplers connected, nothing running out before service | ☐ | ||
| Floor clear, dry and lit; hatch and stairs safe | ☐ | ||
| Line cleaning due today? If yes, done and logged before opening | ☐ |
Kitchen (open)
| Task | Done | Initials | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fridge, freezer and chiller temperatures recorded | ☐ | ||
| Probe thermometer checked and cleaned | ☐ | ||
| Gas on, extraction on, pilot lights and burners checked | ☐ | ||
| Deliveries checked in: temperatures, dates, packaging | ☐ | ||
| Use-by dates checked, anything out of date binned and noted | ☐ | ||
| Prep labelled and dated, allergens for today's specials confirmed with front of house | ☐ | ||
| Hand-wash basins stocked (soap, paper towels), clear of equipment | ☐ | ||
| Sanitiser made up at the right dilution | ☐ |
For the actual temperature limits, see our guide to fridge temperature rules in the UK and hot holding, cooling and reheating.
Security and cash (open)
| Task | Done | Initials | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alarm off, no sign of a break-in overnight | ☐ | ||
| Tills on, float counted and signed for | ☐ | ||
| Card machines on, charged, test transaction if needed | ☐ | ||
| CCTV recording and showing the right time | ☐ | ||
| Safe locked, keys back with the manager | ☐ |
Pub closing checklist
Front of house (close)
| Task | Done | Initials | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last orders called on time, customers out by the time on your licence | ☐ | ||
| Every room, toilet and the beer garden checked for customers | ☐ | ||
| Tables cleared and wiped, chairs up if floors are being mopped | ☐ | ||
| Toilets checked and restocked for morning | ☐ | ||
| Floors swept and mopped, signs left out until dry | ☐ | ||
| Outside furniture in or chained, umbrellas down, heaters off | ☐ | ||
| Candles and log burner out and safe | ☐ |
Bar (close)
| Task | Done | Initials | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glass washer drained and cleaned, filters cleared | ☐ | ||
| Drip trays emptied and washed, nozzles soaked | ☐ | ||
| Bar top, back bar and fridges wiped | ☐ | ||
| Fridges restocked for opening | ☐ | ||
| Bottle bins emptied, glass out | ☐ | ||
| Ice machine scoop washed, bin covered | ☐ | ||
| Spill or breakage? Logged with a note | ☐ |
Cellar (close)
| Task | Done | Initials | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cask ales spiled for overnight | ☐ | ||
| Gas turned off at the cylinder if that's your policy | ☐ | ||
| Cooler running, door shut | ☐ | ||
| Empties stacked safely for collection, nothing blocking exits | ☐ |
Kitchen (close)
| Task | Done | Initials | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| All food covered, labelled, dated and in the fridge | ☐ | ||
| End-of-day fridge and freezer temperatures recorded | ☐ | ||
| Cooling food logged and on track | ☐ | ||
| Surfaces, chopping boards and equipment cleaned and sanitised | ☐ | ||
| Fryers off and covered, oil checked | ☐ | ||
| Gas off at the isolation valve, extraction off | ☐ | ||
| Floors swept and mopped, bins out | ☐ | ||
| Any equipment fault written up for maintenance | ☐ |
Security and cash (close, signed by the person locking up)
| Task | Done | Initials | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tills cashed up, Z-read taken, takings counted twice | ☐ | ||
| Variance recorded with an explanation | ☐ | ||
| Cash in the safe, safe locked, float made up for morning | ☐ | ||
| Card machines on charge | ☐ | ||
| All windows and doors locked, fire exits secured | ☐ | ||
| Building walked: no one left inside, appliances off | ☐ | ||
| Alarm set | ☐ |
Weekday-only tasks
Some jobs belong to a day, not to every shift. Put them on the list for that day only:
| Day | Extra tasks |
|---|---|
| Monday | Deep clean glass washer, check first-aid kit, review last week's incidents |
| Tuesday | Beer line clean (or whatever your cycle is), restock cleaning chemicals |
| Wednesday | Chiller and ice machine clean, descale coffee machine |
| Thursday | Order for weekend, extra prep list, check rota cover for Friday and Saturday |
| Friday | Extra toilet checks every hour from 8pm, door staff briefing if you use them |
| Sunday | Carvery or roast set-up checks, deep clean kitchen after service |
The Home Office guide for small premises in England suggests testing the fire alarm weekly from a different call point each time and a monthly functional test of emergency lighting. If you have those systems, those tests belong on a fixed weekday too. Larger premises and those outside England should follow their own fire guidance.
How to make a checklist stick
Most checklists fail within a month. Here's what goes wrong and what to do about it.
It's too long. If a list has more than 15 lines, people tick the lot at the end without doing them. Cut ruthlessly. If a task never gets missed (turning the lights on), delete it.
It's on a clipboard nobody can find. Paper sheets end up wet, lost or filled in on Monday for the whole week. Keep the list where the work happens, on the bar tablet or the phone in someone's pocket.
Nobody looks at it. A checklist with no review is just a form. Spend two minutes at the start of each shift looking at what was missed last night, and say something about it.
The night isn't the same as the date. If your close finishes at 1am, paper and spreadsheet logs file it under the wrong day, so the morning team sees a gap. Decide that the trading day runs until you lock up.
It doesn't change when the pub changes. New menu, new cellar cooler, summer garden open. Review the lists every three months and after any incident.
What to do when a check fails
A checklist is only useful if a failed line leads to action. Agree this with your team:
- Fix it if you can, now. Mop the spill, move the keg from the fire exit.
- If you can't fix it, tell the manager on duty and write down what you found.
- If it affects safety, stop. A broken extraction fan or no hot water at the hand basin means the kitchen doesn't open until it's sorted.
- Log it with a photo, so whoever does the maintenance knows what they're looking at. Our pub maintenance log guide covers what to track.
- If someone got hurt, it goes in the accident book. See accident and incident logs for hospitality.
Or let ShiftComplete run it for you
ShiftComplete turns lists like these into a daily routine on the team's phones and the tablet behind the bar. You set opening, closing, cleaning and due-diligence checks that differ by weekday, so Tuesday's line clean only appears on Tuesday. Every tick is named and timestamped, and you can make a photo optional or required for jobs like "fire exits clear" or "cellar floor dry". A close finished at 2am still counts as today.
One-off priority tasks ("chase the glass washer engineer") sit at the top. Anything that goes wrong can be logged as an incident or maintenance job with a photo and severity, and it shows on the manager's dashboard until it's resolved. Fridge and freezer temperatures are logged in the same app, with out-of-range readings flagged.
It costs £1.49 per staff member per month with every feature included, and it's free for 60 days with no card needed. Set-up takes about five minutes. You can start a free trial or book a free 15-minute set-up call and we'll help you load your first lists.
Frequently asked questions
What should be on a pub opening checklist?
Cover five areas: front of house (tables, toilets, menus, fire exits clear), bar (pumps pulled through, fridges stocked, ice, garnish, glass washer on), cellar (temperature, gas, any line cleaning due), kitchen (fridge and freezer temperatures, probe checked, allergen information up to date) and cash (float counted, card machines on). Put the safety checks first so they never get skipped when you're running late.
What legal notices does a pub need on display?
In England and Wales the Licensing Act 2003 requires the summary of the premises licence to be displayed prominently, with the licence or a certified copy kept on the premises. Mandatory licensing conditions also require an age verification policy, free drinking water on request and customers being made aware of small measures. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own licensing laws, so check with your council.
How long should a closing checklist take?
For a typical community pub, aim for 20 to 30 minutes for the whole close split across two people, with no single list taking more than 15 minutes. If your closing list takes longer than that, it has drifted into a deep-clean schedule. Move weekly jobs like descaling, chiller cleaning and line cleaning to a specific weekday instead.
Who should sign off the closing checklist?
The person locking up should sign the security and cash section personally, even if others did the bar and kitchen lists. That way there is always one named person who confirmed the fire exits, doors, alarm and safe. If anything is found wrong next morning, you know exactly whose close it was and can fix the process rather than argue about it.
Should a closing checklist done after midnight count as the next day?
It shouldn't, and that's a common problem with paper and spreadsheet logs. A close finished at 1.45am belongs to the trading day that started that morning. When you review your records, a 2am close filed under the wrong date looks like a missed check. Date your closes by trading day, not by the clock.
Sources
- Licensing Act 2003, section 57 (duty to keep and display licence)
- GOV.UK: Revised guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003
- GOV.UK: New conditions for licensed premises in England and Wales: age verification and smaller measures
- GOV.UK: A guide to making your small non-domestic premises safe from fire (England)
- HSE: Slips and trips in catering
Checked 24 October 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice.