Form library · Food safety
Kitchen opening and closing checklist
Opening and closing checks for a commercial kitchen. Before food is prepared: fridges, equipment, staff, handwashing, clean surfaces, probe, pests, use-by dates and allergen information. Before the kitchen is left: food away, cleaning done, waste out and equipment off. Problems are recorded with photos and the checker signs. Every question is listed below, and you can fill the live form in on this page.
Ready to use from the form library, and every question is yours to edit. Trial from £1, cancel any time.
Try it on your phone
Try it on this phone
Fill in the kitchen checklist on your phone now
See how the kitchen checklist looks on your phone
Scan the code with your phone camera. It opens the real form, no sign-up needed.
Open the live example and fill it in, just as your team would on site. No sign-up needed.
See it on this phoneEvery question is editable. Add this form to your account, then change the wording, add or remove questions and options, and make it fit your own jobs.
What should a kitchen opening checklist include?
A kitchen opening checklist should confirm that fridges, chilled displays and freezers are working, staff are fit for work in clean clothes, handwash basins have soap, hot water and paper towels, surfaces and equipment are clean, a clean probe thermometer is to hand, there are no signs of pests, out of date food has been removed and allergen information for the day's menu is up to date.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 5 October 2026 against Food Standards Agency: how to chill, freeze and defrost food safely, Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, Food Standards Agency: food hygiene for businesses, chilling and freezing and Food Standards Agency: allergen guidance for food businesses.
Try the kitchen checklist form live
Answer a few questions and watch it adapt. Your answers are not saved, and any photos you add are deleted within the hour.
This is the real form as your team would use it: questions appear as you answer, scores work themselves out and you can add photos and signatures. No sign-up needed.
Want to see one filled in? See a completed kitchen checklist report (PDF), made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit.
Fill it in on a phone or tablet
Your team completes the kitchen food safety checklist on site in the SiteSurvey app on iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets. The project name and address fill in for them, it works without signal, and it syncs when the device is back online with photos kept against the question they answer.
Customers and subcontractors do not need the app: send them a link and they can fill it in from any browser.
Every question in the kitchen checklist template
Opening and closing checks for a commercial kitchen: fridges, handwashing, cleanliness, pests, allergens, date labels, waste and close-down, with problems and sign-off. 4 sections and 42 questions. Follow-up questions and guidance appear only when an answer calls for them, so the person on site never sees the ones that do not apply.
Make it your own: every question is editable
This is a starting point, not a fixed form. Once it is in your SiteSurvey account you can reword any question, add or remove questions, sections and answer options, and add your own logo, so it fits the way your team works and the jobs you do.
Details you only enter once
Add this form to a project in SiteSurvey and it fills in what the project already knows, so nobody on site retypes it and every form on the job uses the same names. Anything filled in can still be changed.
- Project: the project name
- Business: the project's customer
- Kitchen or premises: the site, when the form is opened for a space or a product
- Address: the site address, from the space or the project
Details
Which kitchen, and which checks.
- ProjectShort answer
Filled in from the project in SiteSurvey.
Fills in from the project name - BusinessShort answerFills in from the project's customer
- Kitchen or premises*Short answerFills in from the site, when the form is opened for a space or a product
- AddressShort answerFills in from the site address, from the space or the project
- Date*Date
- Checked byShort answer
- Which checks?*Choose one
- Opening checks
- Closing checks
- Both: manager check
- Opening checks done atTimeShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Closing checks done atTimeShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Closing checks byShort answerShown only when the answers above make it relevant
Opening checks
Before any food is prepared.
- Fridges, chilled displays and freezers are working properlyChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- Fridge and freezer readings (unit and °C)Notes
Or say where the separate temperature log is kept.
- CheckThe Food Standards Agency recommends fridges between 0 and 5 °C and freezers at around -18 °C. In England it is an offence to keep food that needs chilling above 8 °C.Shown when “Fridges, chilled displays and freezers are working properly” is “No”
- Other equipment, such as ovens and hot holding, is workingChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- Staff are fit for work and wearing clean work clothesChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- Handwash basins have soap, hot water and paper towelsChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- Food preparation areas, surfaces and equipment are cleanChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- A clean probe thermometer and probe wipes are to handChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- There are no signs of pestsChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- WarningDo not prepare food in the affected area. Tell the manager and the pest contractor now, and record what was found on page 4.Shown when “There are no signs of pests” is “No”
- Use-by dates checked and out of date food removedChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- Allergen information for today's menu is up to date and staff know where it isChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- GuidanceFood businesses must tell customers if any food they provide contains any of the 14 allergens named in food law. If you cannot avoid cross-contamination in preparation, the Food Standards Agency says you should tell customers you cannot provide an allergen-free dish.Shown when “Allergen information for today's menu is up to date and staff know where it is” is “No”
- Cleaning chemicals are stored away from foodChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
Closing checks
Before the kitchen is left.
- All food is covered, labelled, dated and put away in the fridge or freezerChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- No food has been left outChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- Food on its use-by date has been thrown awayChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- The day's cleaning schedule is completeChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- Dirty cloths removed and clean ones ready for tomorrowChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- Waste removed and bins emptied and cleanedChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- Floors swept and cleanChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- Fridges and freezers are closed and workingChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- Cooking equipment is switched offChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- Doors and windows are closed against pestsChoose one
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
- Anything to defrost or prepare for tomorrowShort answer
Problems and sign-off
Write it down, even if it has been put right.
- Did you find any problems?Yes or No
- ProblemsRepeat for each problem. Each one asks:Shown when “Did you find any problems?” is Yes
- What was wrong?*Short answer
- What was done about it?Short answer
- StatusChoose one
- Put right
- Reported, not yet put right
- Who will put it right, by whenShort answerShown when “Status” is “Reported, not yet put right”
- PhotosPhotos
- NameShort answer
- SignatureSignature
- Checked by managerShort answer
- Manager signatureSignature
See it filled in
A completed kitchen checklist report, made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit: every answer, the photos, the guidance that applied and the sign-off, ready to send as a PDF.
Kitchen checklist FAQs
What is on the closing checklist?
All food covered, labelled, dated and put away, nothing left out, food on its use-by date thrown away, the day's cleaning schedule complete, dirty cloths removed, waste removed and bins cleaned, floors clean, fridges and freezers closed and working, cooking equipment off, and doors and windows closed against pests.
Can one form cover both opening and closing?
Yes. Choose opening checks, closing checks or both for a manager's check, and the form shows only the pages needed. Use a new record for each check so there is a dated history. In the SiteSurvey app it works offline and syncs when the device is back online, and the record goes out as a PDF or a share link.
What happens if there are signs of pests?
Answering no to the pest check shows a note: do not prepare food in the affected area, tell the manager and the pest contractor now, and record what was found on the problems page. Each problem records what was wrong, what was done, whether it is put right or still open with who will fix it and by when, and photos.
How does it deal with allergens?
The opening checks ask whether allergen information for the day's menu is up to date and staff know where it is. Food businesses must tell customers if any food they provide contains any of the 14 allergens named in food law. If you cannot avoid cross-contamination in preparation, the Food Standards Agency says you should tell customers you cannot provide an allergen-free dish.
Does it replace Safer food, better business?
No. It follows the same idea of opening and closing checks, in a form your team signs on a phone. Your food safety management system still needs the rest: safe methods, a cleaning schedule, training records and so on. The library also has a HACCP plan and a temperature log.
What fridge temperatures should the opening check look for?
The Food Standards Agency recommends fridges between 0 and 5 °C and freezers at around -18 °C. In England it is an offence under Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 to keep food that needs chilling above 8 °C. The opening check records each unit's reading, or where the separate temperature log is kept.
Related
Related templates
Templates that go with the kitchen checklist form
Daily temperature record for a kitchen: fridges and freezers, cooking and reheating, hot holding and cold display, cooling and deliveries, with corrective actions.
Daily, weekly or deep clean record: each area with the tasks done, anything missed and why, issues with photos, supplies to reorder and a supervisor check.
A grease trap service log recording asset condition, cleaning and removal work, waste handling references, restored operation and maintenance follow-up.
HACCP plan for a food business: each process step with its hazards and controls, critical control points with limits, monitoring and corrective action, checks and review.
Use this kitchen checklist form with your team
Add it from the form library in one click, change any question, and every completed form becomes a branded PDF report.
Start your trial →