Pizza shop opening, closing and cleaning checklists (free template)

A pizza shop runs on three things that each need their own checks: dough that's made days ahead, ovens and a hood that work hard for twelve hours, and a make line where cheese and toppings sit in a rail through the rush. A general restaurant checklist covers none of them well.

This template is for a pizza shop with deck or conveyor ovens, a refrigerated make line, a walk-in and slices by the piece. Every task has a Who and a Proof: photo, number or checkbox. For how to write tasks people follow, see our checklist guide.

This is general information, not legal advice. Your inspector and your fire inspector have the final word. Updated September 24, 2026: the Food Code and DBPR references were re-checked.

What makes a pizza list different

Florida's DBPR enforces the 2017 FDA Food Code (Rule 61C-1.001, F.A.C.), and the sections below are from that edition.

• The make line is a cooler that's open all night. Cheese, meats and cut vegetables in the rail are held at 41°F or below (§3-501.16(A)(2)). Probe the cheese, not the air.
• Two toppings are easy to forget. Garlic-in-oil and cut tomatoes are TCS foods in the Food Code's definition, so they belong in the cold rail, not on the shelf above it.
• Time can replace temperature, with paperwork. Toppings can be controlled by time instead of temperature for up to 4 hours if they start at 41°F or below, the containers are marked with the discard time, they're thrown out at 4 hours, and you keep written procedures for the inspector (§3-501.19). DBPR lists "Time as a Public Health Control" as a high priority violation category (DBPR inspections page).
• Some opened packages don't need a date. Commercially made, ready-to-eat TCS food gets a date when it's opened and kept over 24 hours: 7 days at most, day opened is Day 1. Commercially packaged hard cheeses such as parmesan and romano, and shelf-stable dry sausages such as pepperoni, are exempt from that opened-date rule, and a mix keeps the date of its oldest ingredient (§3-501.17(B), (C), (G)).
• Cutters and ladles are on a 4-hour clock. Utensils used with TCS food are cleaned at least every 4 hours through the day (§4-602.11(C)).
• Dough is raw. The FDA's flour safety page says raw flour, dough and batter should never be tasted, because processing grain into flour doesn't kill harmful bacteria.
• Ovens and hood. Food-contact surfaces of cooking and baking equipment are cleaned at least every 24 hours (§4-602.12(A)), and exhaust ducts and filters are cleaned so they aren't a source of contamination (§6-501.14(A)). The hood's fire-suppression system is a fire-code matter: DBPR notes fire extinguishers and gas appliances on its reports "for reporting purposes only", so ask your fire inspector what schedule your hood needs.

The template

Opening checklist (visible 9:30 to 11:00 am)

Rush checks (around 6 pm)

Leave out the time-marked line if you don't use time as a control. Then every topping stays in the rail at 41°F.

Closing checklist (visible from 10:30 pm)

Weekly deep clean (Monday, carried through the week)

Temperature checks at a glance

For what to record when a reading is off, see the temperature log guide.

Adapt it to your shop

• Conveyor oven? Swap "deck brushed" for the belt and fingers, following the manual.
• Wood or coal fired? Ash removal and the chimney belong on your lists, on the schedule your fire inspector and the oven maker set.
• Delivery-heavy? Add a daily "delivery bags wiped inside" line to the rush checks.
• Dough made fresh every day? Replace the dated-trays line with a check that the proof is right before the first bake.

Load it into Mays

Each list is one template. In the block below, a # line is a template name, a [bracketed] line is a group, and every other line is one task.

1. Go to Tasks → Templates, click Create Template, type the name and click Continue.
2. Click Add Task Group, click New Group and rename it to the group name.
3. Paste one task line into Add a task (press Enter) and press Enter. Keep going line by line. The box adds one task per Enter; a paste of several lines becomes one long task.
4. Change the answer type by clicking Checkbox and choosing Photo or Number, following the Proof column.
5. On Settings, set the Frequency (Daily, or Weekly with one day ticked and Carry unfinished duties through the week for the deep clean) and the Visibility Window.
6. On Assignments, click your location, choose A role or department (pizza makers, closers) or Specific people, and click Create Template.

The image at the top of this post shows the opening checklist built from this block.

# Pizza shop opening checklist
[Dough]
Dough trays dated; oldest dough used first
Dough balls checked for proof, no crusting
Flour bin covered, scoop handle up
[Ovens and hood]
Ovens on and at baking temperature
Deck brushed or conveyor belt clear
Hood fans on, filters in place
[Make line]
Walk-in cooler at 41°F or below
Make-line rail at 41°F or below (probe the cheese)
Topping pans filled, lidded and dated
Garlic oil and cut tomatoes in the cold rail
Sanitizer buckets made and tested
Handwash sinks: soap, towels and sign
[Front]
Boxes folded, delivery bags clean
Drawer counted and starting cash entered

# Pizza shop rush checks
[Checks]
Make-line rail at 41°F or below
Slices in the warmer at 135°F or above
Time-marked toppings past 4 hours thrown out
Cutters, ladles and topping spoons washed (every 4 hours)
Sanitizer bucket changed and tested

# Pizza shop closing checklist
[Ovens and hood]
Oven decks brushed, crumb trays emptied
Ovens off or set back per manufacturer
Hood filters wiped down
[Make line and dough]
Topping pans covered, dated and in the walk-in
Rails, lids and cutting boards washed and sanitized
Cooked toppings cooling in shallow pans; 2-hour temp logged
Tomorrow's dough balled, dated and in the cooler
Walk-in at 41°F or below at close
[Close]
Floors under ovens and make line swept and mopped
Grease, trash and recycling out
Drawer counted and total entered
Gas off, doors locked, alarm set

# Pizza shop weekly deep clean
[Deep clean]
Hood filters degreased or run through the dish machine
Oven exteriors, doors and tops degreased
Deck stones scraped per manufacturer
Make-line cooler vents and gaskets cleaned
Mixer degreased; guard checked
Hood fire-suppression tag: last service date checked
Delivery bags washed

Admins can let Mays AI do the typing: click Import from Document on the Task Templates page, paste the block into the chat or attach it as a .txt file, review the drafts under Drafts and click Approve & save. It uses AI credits.

Templates start the next day. To run one tonight, go to Tasks → Tasks, click Create Task and choose From Template.

Where Mays fits

• Number answers turn the rail and warmer readings into a log with names and times.
• A photo of the hood filters and the dated topping pans, taken in the app's camera, shows the close was done without anyone staying late to check.
• AI photo verification (an organization setting that uses AI credits) can flag a photo that doesn't show what the task asked for, and managers can reject a task with a reason.
• Sensors in the walk-in cover the hours after close; the temperature log guide explains how.

Fire up your checklists

Build the four templates and your next rush starts with the rail at 41°F and the dough dated.

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