# Restaurant cleaning schedule template: daily, weekly and monthly, by area

*Guides · Mays Team · October 7, 2026*

![The Edit Task window in Mays for the walk-in clean in the Monthly deep clean template, with a photo answer, high priority, a one-line description and six numbered instructions, from doing it before the delivery to loading the shelves back top to bottom](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/blog__restaurant-cleaning-schedule-template__cover.65dbba994e.png)

An opening or closing checklist covers one shift. A cleaning schedule covers the whole building over a month: the fryer that gets boiled out on Sunday, the walk-in shelves that come out every month, the hood filters, the ice machine. Without one, those jobs depend on whoever remembers.

This template is for a small full-service restaurant: a cook line, a prep and dish area, a walk-in, a dining room with a small bar, two restrooms. It's split **by area** (so each part of the building has an owner) and **by frequency** (so the daily list stays short). If you run a café, bakery, pizza shop, juice bar or food truck, start from the [opening, closing and cleaning lists by business type](https://www.mays.app/blog/cafe-opening-closing-cleaning-checklist-template) and use this post for the weekly, monthly and quarterly layers.

*This is general information, not legal advice. Your health inspector, fire marshal and equipment manuals have the final word.*

## What the Food Code says about how often

Section numbers below are from the [2022 FDA Food Code](https://www.fda.gov/food/fda-food-code/food-code-2022). States adopt the Food Code on their own timetable (Florida, for example, enforces the 2017 edition), and the FDA has since published a 2026 edition; we checked the rules quoted here against it and they haven't changed in substance. The Food Code mostly says *"as often as necessary"*, with a few hard limits:

- **Food-contact surfaces used with TCS food** (cutting boards, slicers, tongs, prep tables) are cleaned *"throughout the day at least every 4 hours"* (§4-602.11(C)).
- **Cooking and baking equipment:** food-contact surfaces *"shall be cleaned at least every 24 hours"*, and *"The cavities and door seals of microwave ovens shall be cleaned at least every 24 hours"* (§4-602.12).
- **Ice bins, ice makers, beverage nozzles, syrup lines, coffee grinders:** *"At a frequency specified by the manufacturer"*, or without instructions, often enough *"to preclude accumulation of soil or mold"* (§4-602.11(E)(4)).
- **Everything else on equipment** (the outside of the fryer, the shelves under the line): *"at a frequency necessary to preclude accumulation of soil residues"* (§4-602.13).
- **Floors, walls and ceilings:** *"PHYSICAL FACILITIES shall be cleaned as often as necessary to keep them clean"*, and apart from spills, cleaning is done *"during periods when the least amount of FOOD is exposed such as after closing"* (§6-501.12).
- **Hood filters and ducts:** *"Intake and exhaust air ducts shall be cleaned and filters changed so they are not a source of contamination by dust, dirt, and other materials"* (§6-501.14(A)).
- **Chemicals:** stored so they can't contaminate food, in an area *"that is not above FOOD, EQUIPMENT, UTENSILS, LINENS, and SINGLE-SERVICE or SINGLE-USE ARTICLES"* (§7-201.11(B)).

And from OSHA's hazard communication rules: *"All employers with hazardous chemicals in their workplaces must have labels and safety data sheets for their exposed workers, and train them to handle the chemicals appropriately"* ([OSHA, Hazard Communication](https://www.osha.gov/hazcom)). Degreasers, oven cleaner and drain cleaner are the usual ones in a kitchen; the chemical training and the dish station's own closing list are in [hiring a dishwasher or porter](https://www.mays.app/blog/hiring-a-dishwasher-porter-safety-training-closing-checklist).

The "as often as necessary" parts are where a written schedule earns its keep: it turns a judgment call into a date.

## The template

**Who** is a role, not a name. **Proof** is a **photo** where seeing is the proof, a **number** where there's a reading, and a **checkbox** for the rest.

### Daily

| Area | Task | Who | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Line | Flat-top scraped, seasoned; grill grates brushed | Line cook | Checkbox |
| Line | Fryer oil filtered; baskets washed | Line cook | Checkbox |
| Line | Microwave cavity and door seal cleaned | Line cook | Checkbox |
| Line | Line shelves, rails and reach-in handles wiped and sanitized | Line cook | Checkbox |
| Prep and dish | Cutting boards, slicer and prep tables washed, rinsed, sanitized | Prep cook | Checkbox |
| Prep and dish | Dish machine drained, curtains and screens cleaned | Dishwasher | Photo |
| Prep and dish | Final rinse temperature or sanitizer reading at close | Dishwasher | Number |
| Prep and dish | Floor drains cleared; floor swept and mopped | Dishwasher | Checkbox |
| Walk-in and storage | Spills wiped; nothing on the floor | Closing cook | Checkbox |
| Dining room and bar | Tables, chairs and booths wiped; high chairs sanitized | Server | Checkbox |
| Dining room and bar | Bar mats, speed rails and drain boards washed | Bartender | Checkbox |
| Dining room and bar | Soda gun nozzles soaked and wiped | Bartender | Checkbox |
| Restrooms | Toilets, sinks, mirrors; soap, towels and paper restocked | Closer | Photo |
| Outside | Trash and recycling out; dumpster lid closed | Closer | Checkbox |

### Weekly

| Area | Task | Who | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Line | Fryer boiled out with the maker's cleaner | Line cook | Checkbox |
| Line | Oven interiors cleaned | Line cook | Checkbox |
| Line | Hood filters run through the dish machine or soaked | Closing cook | Photo |
| Prep and dish | Reach-in gaskets cleaned; under and behind the reach-ins | Prep cook | Checkbox |
| Walk-in and storage | Dry storage shelves wiped; oldest stock in front | Prep cook | Checkbox |
| Dining room and bar | Beer and soda line cleaning date checked against the schedule | Bartender | Checkbox |
| Dining room and bar | Baseboards, window sills and menu covers | Server | Checkbox |
| Restrooms | Walls, partitions and floor scrubbed | Closer | Checkbox |
| Outside | Entrance and patio power-washed or scrubbed | Closer | Photo |

### Monthly

| Area | Task | Who | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Line | Behind and under the line: equipment pulled out, floor and walls | Kitchen manager | Photo |
| Walk-in and storage | Walk-in emptied shelf by shelf; shelves, walls and floor washed | Prep cook | Photo |
| Walk-in and storage | Walk-in and freezer door gaskets and fan guards cleaned | Prep cook | Checkbox |
| Prep and dish | Ice machine cleaning date checked against the maker's schedule | Kitchen manager | Checkbox |
| Dining room and bar | Light fixtures, vents and ceiling fans dusted | Server | Checkbox |
| All areas | Chemicals: every bottle labeled, nothing above food, SDS binder current | Manager | Checkbox |
| All areas | Pest check: droppings, gaps, door sweeps; pest log reviewed | Manager | Checkbox |

### Quarterly

| Area | Task | Who | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Line | Hood and duct cleaning date checked; next service booked | Owner | Checkbox |
| Line | Gas line connections and fire suppression tag dates checked | Owner | Photo |
| Walk-in and storage | Condenser coils cleaned (or service booked) | Owner | Checkbox |
| All areas | Ceiling tiles, walls and corners above eye level | Kitchen manager | Checkbox |

A few notes on the timing:

- **The 4-hour rule doesn't fit a daily list.** Put "cutting boards and prep tables washed and sanitized" on the opening, mid-shift and closing lists, not here.
- **Your manuals win.** Fryer boil-outs, ice machine sanitizing and beer line cleaning follow the manufacturer. Hood and duct cleaning by a contractor follows your fire marshal's schedule.
- **The pest check is not a pest control contract.** The Food Code asks you to keep pests out by *"Routinely inspecting the PREMISES for evidence of pests"* (§6-501.111(B)); a licensed company handles treatment.

## Adapt it to your restaurant

- **No bar?** Drop the bar rows and give the dining room's monthly jobs to the closing server.
- **Small team?** Spread the weekly list over two days (Monday and Thursday) so no single close gets all of it.
- **Open seven days?** Put the monthly walk-in clean on your slowest day, and schedule it as part of that shift, not after it.

## Load it into Mays

Each frequency is one template. In Mays:

1. Go to **Tasks → Templates** and click **Create Template**. Name it, for example *Kitchen daily clean*, and click **Continue**.
2. Click **Add Task Group** and rename the group to an area (*Line*, *Prep and dish*). Type each task into **Add a task (press Enter)** and press **Enter**.
3. Click each task's answer type (it starts as **Checkbox**) and pick **Photo** or **Number** to match the Proof column. For the big jobs, like the monthly walk-in clean, hover over the task, click the pencil and write the steps under **Instructions** in the **Edit Task** window; they show on the task in the app. Changes there stick once you click **Save Changes** (or **Create Template**).
4. On the **Settings** tab, pick the **Frequency**:
   - **Daily** for the daily list.
   - **Weekly**, with the days ticked under **Select days:**.
   - **Monthly**, with the dates ticked (several are allowed). A month without a 29th, 30th or 31st skips that date, so use the 1st to the 28th.
   - **Quarterly**, with a date and a **Starting quarter** (for example **Jan / Apr / Jul / Oct**).
5. Tick **Carry unfinished duties through the week** for the weekly and monthly lists. An unfinished task stays on the list, and anyone can still complete it, until Sunday. Carry-over ends with the week, not the month, so a monthly job dated the 1st has the most slack when the 1st falls early in the week.
6. On the **Assignments** tab, pick the location, then **A role or department** (your kitchen or front-of-house department) so it's one shared list per location. Click **Create Template**.

```
# Kitchen daily clean
[Line]
Flat-top scraped, seasoned; grill grates brushed
Fryer oil filtered; baskets washed
Microwave cavity and door seal cleaned
Line shelves, rails and reach-in handles wiped and sanitized
[Prep and dish]
Cutting boards, slicer and prep tables washed, rinsed, sanitized
Dish machine drained, curtains and screens cleaned
Final rinse temperature or sanitizer reading at close
Floor drains cleared; floor swept and mopped
[Walk-in and storage]
Spills wiped; nothing on the floor

# Monthly deep clean
[Line]
Behind and under the line: equipment pulled out, floor and walls
[Walk-in and storage]
Walk-in emptied shelf by shelf; shelves, walls and floor washed
Walk-in and freezer door gaskets and fan guards cleaned
[Prep and dish]
Ice machine cleaning date checked against the maker's schedule
[All areas]
Chemicals: every bottle labeled, nothing above food, SDS binder current
Pest check: droppings, gaps, door sweeps; pest log reviewed
```

The box takes one task at a time: pasting several lines at once puts them all into a single task. Admins can instead click **Import from Document** on the **Task Templates** page and give the whole block to Mays AI, which drafts the templates for review (it uses AI credits).

## Where Mays fits

- **The schedule runs itself.** Each template appears on the team's task list on the days it's due, at each location you picked. A new template, or a change, shows from the next day.
- **Photos come from the app's camera,** so the photo of the clean walk-in is from today, not the camera roll.
- **Managers reject a task with a reason** when the photo shows a dirty corner, and it goes back on the list.
- **One shared list per location:** anyone in the chosen department can pick up a task, and the dashboard shows each location's progress for today.

For writing tasks people do the same way, see [checklists your staff will actually follow](https://www.mays.app/blog/opening-closing-checklists-staff-follow). To check the result the way an inspector would, use the [self-inspection checklist](https://www.mays.app/blog/health-inspection-prep-new-restaurant-florida).

## Put the schedule on the calendar

Build the four templates once, and the monthly walk-in clean shows up on the right day without anyone keeping a calendar.

[**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-restaurant-cleaning-schedule-template) and we'll load your cleaning schedule 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: [Reviewing and rejecting completed tasks](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/review-and-reject-tasks) — Check what your team completed — photos, numbers, notes — on the web Tasks page or in the app, and send a task back with a reason when it isn't done right.
- Team & roles: [Departments](https://www.mays.app/help/team-roles/departments) — Group people into departments such as Front of House and Kitchen, then use them to give checklists to the right people, filter the dashboard and compare labor costs.
- 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/restaurant-cleaning-schedule-template