Opening and closing duties for a one-person shift: a checklist for working alone
Plenty of small cafés run some hours with one person: the first hour before the commuters arrive, a quiet afternoon, the last hour before close. It works, as long as that person has a list written for one pair of hands and a way to get help.
A normal opening checklist assumes two people: one sets up the bar while the other counts the till. Hand that list to someone working alone and they'll skip half of it, or open late. This guide gives you a version written for one person, plus the rules that change when nobody can cover for you.
Who can work a shift alone
Not everyone should, even if they're willing. Before you schedule someone alone, check:
- They can run every station they'll need: register, bar, pastry case, and whatever food you serve at that hour.
- They can act as the person in charge. The Food Code says the permit holder "shall be the PERSON IN CHARGE or shall designate a PERSON IN CHARGE and shall ensure that a PERSON IN CHARGE is present at the FOOD ESTABLISHMENT during all hours of operation" (FDA Food Code 2022, §2-101.11(A)). When one person is on, that's them. Check what your health department expects of a person in charge, including any certification.
- They've opened or closed with someone else first, at least a few times, using the same list.
- They know the emergency plan: where the shutoffs are, who to call, and when to close. See our emergency action plan template.
- They're old enough for that shift under federal and state rules on hours for minors.
The opening list, in order
Order matters more when you're alone. Do the things that take time to warm up first, and the cash last, with the door still locked.
When | Task | Proof |
|---|---|---|
Arrive | Come in through the agreed door, lock it behind you, turn off the alarm | Clock in |
Arrive | Text the manager: "In and locked" | Text sent |
First 5 min | Turn on the espresso machine, grinders, ovens and any hot-holding equipment | |
First 10 min | Wash hands, check cooler and freezer temperatures, write them down | Temperature log |
First 20 min | Set up the bar: milk, ice, cups, lids, syrups | Photo of the bar |
First 30 min | Receive and check the pastry delivery, fill the case | Photo of the case |
First 40 min | Dial in the espresso, pull a test shot | Shot time written down |
Before opening | Count the till, lock the cash drawer | Till count |
Before opening | Walk the floor: restroom stocked, tables clean, nothing blocking exits | |
Opening time | Unlock the door, turn on the sign |
Time a real opening. If the list takes 70 minutes and the shift starts 45 minutes before opening, fix the list or the start time. Our coffee bar opening and closing checklist has the bar tasks in more detail.
Handwashing when you're on the register and the food
Working alone means going from cash to cups to pastries all day. The Food Code lists when to wash, including "After engaging in other activities that contaminate the hands" (§2-301.14(I)), and says food employees "may not contact exposed, READY-TO-EAT FOOD with their bare hands and shall use suitable UTENSILS such as deli tissue, spatulas, tongs, single-use gloves, or dispensing EQUIPMENT" (§3-301.11(B)).
For one person, that means:
- Tongs or tissue for every pastry, every time, so handling money and serving food don't meet.
- A hand sink you can reach without walking round the counter, stocked at opening.
- Wash after the restroom check, the trash and any cleaning, before going back to cups or food.
Our handwashing procedure has a printable version.
Breaks when nobody can relieve you
This is where solo shifts most often go wrong on pay. Federal rules treat short breaks and meal breaks differently:
- Short breaks are paid. "Rest periods of short duration, running from 5 minutes to about 20 minutes, are common in industry." and "They must be counted as hours worked." (29 CFR 785.18)
- A meal break is unpaid only if it's really a break. "The employee must be completely relieved from duty for the purposes of eating regular meals." And: "The employee is not relieved if he is required to perform any duties, whether active or inactive, while eating." (29 CFR 785.19(a))
So a solo worker eating a sandwich behind the counter while watching the door is working, and that time is paid. If you want an unpaid meal break, someone else has to be on, or the shop has to close for it. Many states also have their own break rules, which can be stricter. Our post on breaks, overtime and payroll mistakes covers the rest.
The closing list, in order
Closing alone is about two things: getting the cleaning done before you're tired, and not being alone with the cash and an open door.
When | Task | Proof |
|---|---|---|
Last hour | Start breaking down what you won't need: second grinder, pastry case if it's empty | |
Last 30 min | Clean and soak what you can while still open | |
Closing time | Lock the door, turn off the sign | |
After close | Backflush and clean the espresso machine, clean the steam wand | Photo of the group heads |
After close | Pastry case: record what's left, wrap or throw out, wipe down | Waste written down |
After close | Cooler and freezer temperatures, doors closed | Temperature log |
After close | Floors, restroom, trash bagged | |
After close | Count the till and do the cash drop, out of sight of the windows | Till count |
Leave | Alarm on, doors checked, text the manager: "Out and locked" | Text sent |
Take the trash out before dark, or leave it inside until the morning. Don't take it out alone to a dark alley at closing just to finish the list. Our cash handling and till reconciliation post has the till count steps.
Safety: two texts and a phone in your pocket
- Check in at open and close, with a fixed message to a fixed person. If the "in and locked" text doesn't arrive 15 minutes after the shift starts, that person calls.
- A charged phone on the worker, not on the shelf in the back.
- Doors locked before and after hours. Nobody comes in early, including friends and delivery drivers, unless the delivery is expected and checked at the door.
- Cash out of sight. Count and drop it away from the windows, and keep the drawer low.
- They can close if they need to. Write it down: if a guest is threatening, if they're sick, if something breaks that makes it unsafe, they lock up and call. No one should wonder whether they're allowed.
When something does happen, write it up the same day. Our incident report form has a template.
Your one-person shift checklist
- [ ] Only people trained on every station, who have opened or closed with someone first
- [ ] They can act as the person in charge, as your health department expects
- [ ] An opening list in order, timed on a real morning
- [ ] A closing list in order, with cash last and out of sight
- [ ] Tongs or tissue for food, a stocked hand sink within reach
- [ ] Breaks on solo shifts treated as paid unless someone relieves them
- [ ] "In and locked" and "out and locked" texts to a named person
- [ ] Written permission to close and call when something isn't safe
Where Mays fits
- One checklist for opening, one for closing. Build each as a template and set its Visibility Window, such as 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM, so it's on the list only when it's needed. See Creating a checklist template and Scheduling and assigning checklists.
- Photos instead of trust. Give the bar and case tasks a Photo answer. With AI photo verification on, a weak photo is flagged for the location's escalation manager. See AI photo verification.
- A call when the opener doesn't show. The late clock-in rules phone the opening crew when nobody has clocked in after the grace period, then call the escalation manager. Mays adds them paused, so an admin has to turn them on. See Late clock-in phone calls.
- Breaks recorded as they are. A plain Start break of 20 minutes or more is recorded as an unpaid meal break. For solo shifts, add a custom break marked Paid on the location's Labor & compliance card, or tell the team not to start a break while they're still minding the shop. See Taking breaks and Labor & compliance.
- A warm cooler gets noticed. With a Govee thermometer, a unit that stays out of range creates a task for whoever is on shift. See Temperature thresholds and alerts.
What Mays doesn't do: there's no lone-worker check-in or panic button, so keep the "in and locked" and "out and locked" texts.
One person, one list
A one-person shift is fine when the list is written for one person, the breaks are paid for what they are, and someone notices if the morning text doesn't come.
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