Manager & SOP Execution Guide
Restaurant Pre-Shift Checklist by Station
Sample opening and closing daypart controls for the front of house, bar, kitchen, pizza, salad, and dish pit.
A pre-shift checklist makes readiness visible before the rush. It gives every station a clear standard, catches shortages early, and leaves the next shift a usable handoff.
Every station: Review the manager log, 86s, reservations, events, staffing changes, and service focus. Confirm the station is clean, stocked, safe, organized, and equipped. At close, clean, stock, label, store, secure, and document exceptions.
Sample station controls
Host / Door
Opening
- ☐ Stock host stand, menus, pens, wait list, and reservation system.
- ☐ Review reservations, large parties, sections, and seating holds.
- ☐ Check entry, lobby, and guest restrooms.
Closing
- ☐ Close reservation notes and turn in lost-and-found items.
- ☐ Clean stand, menus, entry, and lobby.
- ☐ Report final seating or guest-recovery issues.
Servers
Opening
- ☐ Confirm section, side work, specials, 86s, allergens, and service focus.
- ☐ Stock service stations, condiments, silverware, beverages, and POS supplies.
- ☐ Inspect tables, chairs, floors, lighting, and assigned area.
Closing
- ☐ Complete side work and reset or secure assigned tables.
- ☐ Clean and stock service supplies and condiment areas.
- ☐ Complete cash-out and report voids, comps, and guest issues.
Bussers / Dining Room Support
Opening
- ☐ Stock bus stations, sanitizer, towels, tubs, trash liners, and tools.
- ☐ Check dining room, restrooms, floors, chairs, and common areas.
- ☐ Confirm water, ice, glass racks, and backup supplies.
Closing
- ☐ Buss, sweep, wipe, and reset assigned dining areas.
- ☐ Remove trash and clean bus tubs and tools.
- ☐ Clean and stock restrooms; report maintenance issues.
Bar / Service Bar
Opening
- ☐ Clean and stock wells, coolers, glassware, ice, mixers, garnish, and tools.
- ☐ Review features, 86s, responsible service, and event needs.
- ☐ Verify POS, printers, draft system, coolers, and opening count.
Closing
- ☐ Clean, sanitize, stock, and secure bar product.
- ☐ Clean ice wells, drains, mats, tools, glassware, and floors.
- ☐ Record spills, breakage, waste, counts, comps, and equipment concerns.
Main Kitchen Line
Opening
- ☐ Verify clean setup, working temperatures, pars, dates, and rotation.
- ☐ Review recipes, portions, plating, specials, 86s, and ticket goals.
- ☐ Stock utensils, pans, towels, sanitizer, gloves, and backup product.
Closing
- ☐ Cool, label, date, store, and rotate product correctly.
- ☐ Record waste, overproduction, 86 risk, and prep needs.
- ☐ Clean line, equipment, hoods, reach-ins, utensils, and floors.
Prep
Opening
- ☐ Review priority prep list, par levels, and tomorrow’s needs.
- ☐ Check quality, dates, rotation, and thawing or batching requirements.
- ☐ Set up recipes, scales, labels, containers, tools, and sanitation supplies.
Closing
- ☐ Label, date, store, and record completed prep.
- ☐ Note incomplete prep, low stock, and next-day priorities.
- ☐ Clean prep tables, sinks, equipment, containers, storage, and floors.
Expo / Window
Opening
- ☐ Prepare lamps, tickets, plates, utensils, sauces, garnish, and to-go supplies.
- ☐ Review plating, allergens, 86s, specials, and ticket-time goals.
- ☐ Confirm communication flow with line, servers, and manager.
Closing
- ☐ Clean expo shelves, lamps, printers, screens, and surfaces.
- ☐ Store or discard remaining service product correctly.
- ☐ Report remake patterns, long-ticket causes, and guest issues.
Pizza
Opening
- ☐ Verify oven readiness; stock dough, sauce, cheese, toppings, tools, and boxes.
- ☐ Check proofed dough, product dates, cooler temperature, portions, and builds.
- ☐ Review 86s, specials, ticket flow, and service pars.
Closing
- ☐ Store, date, cover, and rotate dough, toppings, cheese, and sauce.
- ☐ Record waste, remakes, low stock, and par needs.
- ☐ Clean oven exterior, rail, coolers, tables, tools, screens, and floor.
Salad
Opening
- ☐ Stock greens, produce, proteins, dressings, toppings, bowls, lids, and utensils.
- ☐ Verify freshness, dates, rotation, cold holding, and backup product.
- ☐ Review portions, recipes, modifiers, allergens, 86s, and specials.
Closing
- ☐ Inspect, label, cover, store, rotate, or discard product correctly.
- ☐ Record waste and low-stock or next-day prep needs.
- ☐ Clean rail, cooler, boards, knives, containers, utensils, and floor.
Dish Pit
Opening
- ☐ Assemble, fill, heat, and test the dish machine.
- ☐ Check chemicals, sanitizer, water temperature, drainage, racks, and tools.
- ☐ Confirm work flow and backup plate, pan, glass, and utensil capacity.
Closing
- ☐ Drain and clean machine, filters, racks, sinks, drains, walls, and floors.
- ☐ Store clean dishes, pans, utensils, and glassware correctly.
- ☐ Report breakage, equipment problems, chemical shortages, and dish shortages.
Make it a management control
Have station leads initial completion, but require managers to verify the exceptions that matter: food safety, equipment failure, cash and alcohol controls, staffing gaps, missing product, and unfinished corrective actions. A checkbox is not proof unless the condition behind it can be verified.
Use this with the Pre-Shift Meeting Checklist, Opening Checklist, Closing Checklist, and Shift Handoff Checklist.
Gravity Elite v1.0
Use the controlled working form
Download the complete Elite form pack or the editable operational workbook. Digital access remains free during Founding Year.