# Café opening, closing and cleaning checklists (free template)

*Guides · Mays Team · May 26, 2026*

![The Café opening checklist in the Mays template editor, with Food safety, Espresso bar and Front of house groups and a Photo, Number or Checkbox answer on every task](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/blog__cafe-opening-closing-cleaning-checklist-template__cover.0c23fdb693.png)

Our guide to [checklists your staff will actually follow](https://www.mays.app/blog/opening-closing-checklists-staff-follow) covers how to write a task two people do the same way, with a short sample. This post is the full template: every list a small café runs in a day, with who does each task, what counts as proof, and the food-safety rules behind the temperature and cleaning lines.

It's written for a café open 7 am to 4 pm, with an espresso bar, batch brew, a pastry case and one hot breakfast item. Every task has a **Who** (a role, not a name) and a **Proof**: a **photo** where seeing is the proof, a **number** for every reading, and a **checkbox** for the rest.

*This is general information, not legal advice. Your inspector and your local rules have the final word. Updated September 24, 2026: the Food Code references were re-checked against the FDA's current copy.*

## What makes a café list different

Florida's Division of Hotels and Restaurants enforces the **2017 FDA Food Code** ([Rule 61C-1.001, F.A.C.](https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleNo.asp?id=61C-1.001)), so the section numbers below come from the [2017 Food Code](https://www.fda.gov/media/110822/download). Most café risk sits in five places:

- **Milk.** It's a time/temperature control for safety (TCS) food, kept in an under-counter fridge that's opened all day next to a hot machine. It has to stay at **41°F or below** (§3-501.16(A)(2)), so the milk fridge gets its own reading, not just the walk-in.
- **Opened milk.** Commercially made, ready-to-eat TCS food that's kept more than 24 hours after opening must be marked: the day it's opened counts as Day 1, it's gone after 7 days at 41°F, and the mark can't go past the maker's use-by date when that date is set for safety (§3-501.17(B)).
- **Milk pitchers and anything else that touches TCS food.** Utensils and equipment used with TCS food are cleaned at least **every 4 hours** through the day (§4-602.11(C)).
- **Grinders and the ice machine.** The Food Code names coffee bean grinders, ice makers, ice bins and beverage nozzles: clean them as often as the manufacturer says or, with no instructions, often enough that soil and mold can't build up (§4-602.11(E)(4)). Checking the date weekly keeps it off memory.
- **Scoops and cloths.** An ice scoop that's used only for ice is kept in a clean, protected spot (§3-304.12(E)), not left in the ice. Wet wiping cloths are held in sanitizer between uses (§3-304.14(B)).

## The template

### Opening checklist (visible 5:45 to 7:30 am)

| Group | Task | Who | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Food safety | Walk-in cooler at 41°F or below | Opener | Photo |
| Food safety | Milk fridge under the bar at 41°F or below | Opener | Number |
| Food safety | Pastry case at 41°F or below | Opener | Number |
| Food safety | Opened milk dated; past-date cartons thrown out | Barista | Checkbox |
| Food safety | Sanitizer buckets made and tested | Opener | Number |
| Food safety | Handwash sinks: soap, towels and sign | Opener | Checkbox |
| Espresso bar | Espresso machine at pressure, groups flushed | Barista | Checkbox |
| Espresso bar | Grinders filled; first shots dialed in and tasted | Barista | Checkbox |
| Espresso bar | Steam wands purged and wiped | Barista | Checkbox |
| Espresso bar | Batch brew brewed and timer set | Barista | Checkbox |
| Espresso bar | Ice bin full; scoop stored outside the ice | Barista | Checkbox |
| Front of house | Pastry case stocked, labeled, allergen cards out | Shift lead | Photo |
| Front of house | Cups, lids, sleeves and napkins stocked | Barista | Checkbox |
| Front of house | Drawer counted and starting cash entered | Shift lead | Number |
| Front of house | Tables, floor and entrance checked; door unlocked on time | Shift lead | Checkbox |

The opener photographs the walk-in thermometer's display, not the door. The pastry case photo is what a manager checks from home: full, labeled, allergen cards out.

### Mid-shift checks (around 11 am)

| Task | Who | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Milk fridge at 41°F or below | Shift lead | Number |
| Hot-held food at 135°F or above | Shift lead | Number |
| Milk pitchers washed (at least every 4 hours) | Barista | Checkbox |
| Sanitizer bucket changed and tested | Shift lead | Number |
| Restroom: soap, towels, paper, trash | Barista | Checkbox |
| Condiment bar wiped and restocked | Barista | Checkbox |

Want the fridge checked twice? Add a group per check time (*10 AM*, *1 PM*) with the same tasks.

### Closing checklist (visible from 3:15 pm)

| Group | Task | Who | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Espresso bar | Groups backflushed with cleaner; baskets soaked | Closing barista | Checkbox |
| Espresso bar | Steam wands soaked and wiped; tips clear | Closing barista | Checkbox |
| Espresso bar | Grinder hoppers emptied and brushed out | Closing barista | Checkbox |
| Espresso bar | Batch brewer, airpots and cold brew gear washed | Closing barista | Checkbox |
| Espresso bar | Drip trays and knock box emptied and washed | Closing barista | Checkbox |
| Food safety | Opened milk and cold brew dated and in the fridge | Closer | Checkbox |
| Food safety | Unsold pastries counted and logged | Closer | Number |
| Food safety | Walk-in and milk fridge at 41°F or below at close | Closer | Number |
| Food safety | Wiping cloths to laundry; sanitizer buckets emptied | Closer | Checkbox |
| Close | Counters, tables and chairs wiped and sanitized | Closer | Checkbox |
| Close | Floors swept and mopped | Closer | Checkbox |
| Close | Trash and recycling out, bins relined | Closer | Checkbox |
| Close | Drawer counted and total entered | Shift lead | Number |
| Close | Back door locked, alarm set | Shift lead | Photo |

### Weekly deep clean (Monday, carried through the week)

| Group | Task | Who | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Machines | Ice machine cleaning date checked against the maker's schedule | Shift lead | Checkbox |
| Machines | Grinder burrs cleaned per manufacturer | Barista | Checkbox |
| Machines | Shower screens and group gaskets cleaned and checked | Barista | Checkbox |
| Machines | Kettle and hot-water tower descaled | Barista | Checkbox |
| Machines | Water filter change date checked | Shift lead | Checkbox |
| Storage | Behind and under the fridges cleaned | Closer | Photo |
| Storage | Syrup pumps taken apart and washed | Barista | Checkbox |
| Storage | Dry storage shelves wiped, oldest stock in front | Closer | Checkbox |

### Temperature checks at a glance

| What | Limit | When | 2017 Food Code |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Walk-in, milk fridge, pastry case with dairy or cream items | 41°F or below | Open, mid-shift, close | §3-501.16(A)(2) |
| Hot-held food (breakfast sandwiches, soup) | 135°F or above | Mid-shift, and any time you could still fix it | §3-501.16(A)(1) |
| Reheating food for hot holding | 165°F for 15 seconds, within 2 hours | Every batch | §3-403.11(A), (D) |
| Cooling soup or oatmeal you cooked | 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then 41°F within 6 hours in total | At 2 hours and at the end | §3-501.14(A) |
| Opened milk | Marked, 7 days at most, day opened is Day 1 | Every opening | §3-501.17(B) |

The [temperature log guide](https://www.mays.app/blog/food-temperature-logs-new-cafe) covers what to write down when a reading is out of range, and how sensors cover the hours nobody is there.

## Adapt it to your café

- **No hot food?** Drop the hot-holding line and the reheating and cooling rows.
- **Nothing in the pastry case needs refrigeration?** Skip the case reading and keep the walk-in and milk fridge.
- **Your manuals win.** Backflush chemicals, burr cleaning, descaling and ice machine sanitizing follow the manufacturer's instructions. The Food Code points to the manufacturer for grinders and ice machines, too.
- **Bigger team?** Split the weekly list into two templates (Monday and Thursday) so no one shift gets all of it.
- **Size it to the time you schedule.** If the opener comes in 45 minutes before open, fifteen tasks is about the limit.

## Load it into Mays

Each list above is one template in Mays. The block below has all four in plain text: a `#` line is a template name, a `[bracketed]` line is a group, and every other line is one task.

1. Go to **Tasks → Templates** and click **Create Template**. Type the template name and click **Continue**.
2. Click **Add Task Group**, click the new group's name (**New Group**) and type the group name.
3. Copy one task line, paste it into **Add a task (press Enter)** and press **Enter**. Repeat for each line. The box takes one task at a time: pasting several lines at once puts them all into a single task.
4. Every task starts as **Checkbox**. Click it and pick **Photo** or **Number** to match the Proof column.
5. On the **Settings** tab, choose the **Frequency** (**Daily** for the opening, mid-shift and closing lists; **Weekly** with one day ticked for the deep clean, plus **Carry unfinished duties through the week**) and set the **Visibility Window**.
6. On the **Assignments** tab, click your location and choose who does it: **A role or department**, or **Specific people**. Click **Create Template**.

The image at the top of this post is the opening checklist, built exactly this way.

```
# Café opening checklist
[Food safety]
Walk-in cooler at 41°F or below
Milk fridge under the bar at 41°F or below
Pastry case at 41°F or below
Opened milk dated; past-date cartons thrown out
Sanitizer buckets made and tested
Handwash sinks: soap, towels and sign
[Espresso bar]
Espresso machine at pressure, groups flushed
Grinders filled; first shots dialed in and tasted
Steam wands purged and wiped
Batch brew brewed and timer set
Ice bin full; scoop stored outside the ice
[Front of house]
Pastry case stocked, labeled, allergen cards out
Cups, lids, sleeves and napkins stocked
Drawer counted and starting cash entered
Tables, floor and entrance checked; door unlocked on time

# Café mid-shift checks
[Checks]
Milk fridge at 41°F or below
Hot-held food at 135°F or above
Milk pitchers washed (at least every 4 hours)
Sanitizer bucket changed and tested
Restroom: soap, towels, paper, trash
Condiment bar wiped and restocked

# Café closing checklist
[Espresso bar]
Groups backflushed with cleaner; baskets soaked
Steam wands soaked and wiped; tips clear
Grinder hoppers emptied and brushed out
Batch brewer, airpots and cold brew gear washed
Drip trays and knock box emptied and washed
[Food safety]
Opened milk and cold brew dated and in the fridge
Unsold pastries counted and logged
Walk-in and milk fridge at 41°F or below at close
Wiping cloths to laundry; sanitizer buckets emptied
[Close]
Counters, tables and chairs wiped and sanitized
Floors swept and mopped
Trash and recycling out, bins relined
Drawer counted and total entered
Back door locked, alarm set

# Café weekly deep clean
[Machines]
Ice machine cleaning date checked against the maker's schedule
Grinder burrs cleaned per manufacturer
Shower screens and group gaskets cleaned and checked
Kettle and hot-water tower descaled
Water filter change date checked
[Storage]
Behind and under the fridges cleaned
Syrup pumps taken apart and washed
Dry storage shelves wiped, oldest stock in front
```

**Admins can skip the line-by-line paste.** On the **Task Templates** page, click **Import from Document**, then paste the whole block into the Mays AI chat or attach it as a .txt file. Mays AI drafts the templates; review them in the **Drafts** list and click **Approve & save**. It uses AI credits.

A new template starts producing tasks the next day. To run one today, go to **Tasks → Tasks**, click **Create Task** and choose **From Template**.

## Where Mays fits

- **Photos are taken in the app's camera,** so the walk-in photo is from this morning, not the camera roll. **AI photo verification** (an organization setting that uses AI credits) can flag a photo that doesn't show what the task asked for.
- **Number answers** keep every reading with the name and time of the person who entered it.
- **Managers reject a task with a reason,** and it goes back on the list to redo.
- The **dashboard** shows each location's checklists for today, with progress.

## Get your café's lists running

Copy the block, build the four templates, and your team sees the opening checklist tomorrow morning.

[**Start your free trial**](https://go.mays.app/register): 30 days, every module, no card needed. Or [book a walkthrough](https://www.mays.app/book?from=blog-cafe-opening-closing-cleaning-checklist-template) and we'll load your checklists with you.

## Related help articles

- Tasks & checklists: [Creating a checklist template](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/create-a-checklist-template) — Build an opening, closing or cleaning checklist once as a template — groups, tasks and answer types — and Mays turns it into your team's task list in the app.
- Tasks & checklists: [Scheduling and assigning checklists](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/schedule-and-assign-checklists) — Choose which days a checklist runs, the hours staff can see it, whether unfinished tasks carry over, and who does it — a role, a department, specific people or one person per task.
- Tasks & checklists: [Task answer types](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/task-response-types) — Every task has an answer type that decides how staff complete it. Tick a box, take a photo, enter a number or text, pick an option, record a location, count stock or fill in a form.
- Tasks & checklists: [Completing your tasks in the app](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/complete-tasks-on-mobile) — Your checklist lives in the Tasks tab of the Mays app. Tick checkboxes with one tap, take photos, enter numbers, add a note — and fix and resend a task your manager sent back.
- Tasks & checklists: [AI photo verification](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/ai-photo-verification) — Let AI check every photo your team submits on a task. It flags weak photos for the manager to review, or rejects them straight away once you trust it. Each check uses AI credits.
- AI & automation: [Set up faster with the AI setup assistant](https://www.mays.app/help/ai-automation/ai-setup-assistant) — Upload the checklists you already use, in PDF, Word, Excel or a photo, and Mays AI drafts your checklist templates, departments and roles for you to review and save.

Canonical: https://www.mays.app/blog/cafe-opening-closing-cleaning-checklist-template