Restaurant Cleanup Checklist

As much time as you spend trying to please your guests' palates, nothing is more frustrating than an aspect of the house unrelated to the quality of cuisine, eclipsing your efforts. Cleanliness is next to godliness, so conversely, lack of cleanliness is a deadly sin, at least in this business.

You can smooth over the occasional service faux pas; however, lack of cleanliness leaves an indelible impression on your guests' perception of the restaurant. That's why the kitchen manager needs to be involved in the cleaning process throughout the restaurant.

Provide your restaurant the advantage of your back-of-the-house perspective in the front of the house, to keep the whole place in good shape. Chefs get so accustomed to the back of the house that sometimes they overlook other areas in the restaurant that need attention. The same goes for the managers out front. Suggest that these employees swap checklists and "run down" each area. Bring each of them into each other's house, keeping the hair on their neck down, of course, and help each other out. The goal is getting the operation to function as cleanly as possible.

A foodservice establishment must be a bastion of cleanliness at every level. At one time or another, during family road trips, you have sought out a McDonald's to use the bathroom. Say what you want about the food, but the restaurants are always clean, front to back. Surely that's one of the reasons there is a gazillion of them.

The checklist for the front of the house is different from the one you use in the back of the house. Different cleaning products are needed, as well as vastly different types of cleaning. Make sure the entire restaurant is covered when creating a cleanup checklist. Divide the back and front of the house into sections. This will help ensure that no area gets overlooked. Enlist the help of managers and staff members responsible for cleaning. The goal is to create a working checklist that serves the people doing the cleaning and those in charge of making sure everything is cleaned properly.