Opening & Closing Checklist
A daily opening and closing checklist covering the temperature, hygiene, and safety checks that keep a kitchen running and inspection-ready.
The Opening & Closing Checklist is a free PDF + Editable Spreadsheet for UK food businesses with one record sheet: opening checks (fridge and freezer temperatures, probe ready, hand-wash stocked, hot water on), pre-service hygiene checks (surfaces, equipment, date labels), closing checks (waste out, surfaces cleaned, equipment off). Download it, print it or fill it in, and keep it with your food safety records; Paddl keeps the same records on a phone with timestamps and reminders.
The first and last hour of the day are where standards slip if nobody is watching, so a checklist keeps them tight. This free opening and closing checklist walks the team through the temperature, hygiene, and safety checks that should happen before service starts and after it ends, with a line for the manager on duty to sign it off.
Paddl does this automatically
Instead of filling in paper templates, Paddl generates opening & closing checklists automatically with AI - complete with digital signatures, mobile access, automatic reminders, and audit-ready records for EHO inspections.
Why you need this
What's included
How to use this template
Work top to bottom at open
Run through the opening list before any food is prepped, starting with fridge and freezer temperatures.
Initial each task
Initial each check as it is done rather than ticking the whole list at the end.
Run the closing list
At the end of service work through the closing checks, including waste, cleaning, and turning equipment off.
Sign off and file
The manager on duty checks the sheet, signs it, and files it as the daily due diligence record.
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Opening and closing checks, signed on the app
- Opening and closing routines by shift and role
- Completion with a timestamp, signature and photo where needed
- Missed checks flagged before service starts
- Shift handover notes carried to the next team
Check, open or close, done, initials, notes: this is a routine in Paddl. Staff tick each item on their phone at the start and end of the day, the manager sees what was missed before service, and the record is there for the EHO.
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Skip the paperwork entirely
Paddl digitises everything in this template - and more. AI-generated plans, mobile completion, automatic alerts, and audit-ready records. No printing, no filing, no gaps.