Restaurants deal with food and these foods are served to the customers so, it is necessary to keep your kitchen area clean at all times. Cleaning your restaurant can be a difficult task, although it may seem like an easy thing to do. Especially, if your kitchen is huge, then it could really take some time to clean it. This is why you should keep a cleaning schedule.  Routine cleaning should be able to keep your kitchen and operation area safe and sanitised all the time.

Cleaning your restaurant can take up a few hours in a day or a week. But, of course, it is an important task to be able to provide high quality food to your customers. Your sanitation practices have a great impact on the health and safety of your customers. If your food is contaminated then this will result to unwanted taste on the food your serving, chemical build–up and cross contamination. Cleaning your restaurant should include the cleaning of kitchen storage equipment, drawers and walk–in spaces like coolers. Typically cleaning of storage equipment is scheduled once per week, during off-peak hours to avoid interruption of staff working in these areas.

Cleaning Your Restaurant

Cleaning of Storage areas must include: 

• Sweeping and mopping of the floors using antibacterial soap.
• Cleaning hard to reach areas to avoid pests in the kitchen.
• Deep scrubbing, wiping and drying of the cleaned surfaces of the kitchen.
• Properly training your kitchen staffs on how to properly clean your kitchen to avoid chemical contact in your food ingredients.

Of course, any dining establishment would be concerned on the time spent for cleaning the kitchen area.

Restaurant Kitchen items to clean throughout every cooking shift

•  Brush grill between cooking red meat, poultry and fish
• Wipe down the line and prep areas
• Switch cutting boards
• Change sanitizing water and cleaning rags
• Empty trash bins

Restaurant Kitchen items to clean after each cooking shift (breakfast, lunch, dinner)

• Clean the fryers
• Brush the grill
• Empty sanitizing buckets
• Put all cleaning rags in dirty laundry
• Put all aprons and chefs coats in laundry (not with cleaning rags)
• Wash and sanitize all surfaces (cutting boards, reach-in, line, prep tables)
• Empty steam table and clean
• Wash meat and cheese slicer after each use
• Cover all bins in reach-in cooler with plastic wrap
• Wash floor mats
• Sweep and mop the kitchen floor
• Sweep walk-in refrigerator
  

Daily Restaurant Kitchen Cleaning List

• Clean out grease traps
• Change foil linings of grill, range and flattops
• Wash the can opener
• Run hood filters through the dishwasher

Weekly Restaurant Kitchen Cleaning List – these duties can be rotated throughout the week

• Empty reach-in coolers and wash and sanitize them
• Delime sinks and faucets
• Clean coffee machine
• Clean the ovens. Be sure to follow the manufacturers instruction on this particular job.
• Sharpen knives (okay, not cleaning, per se, but needs to be done)
• Oil cast iron cookware
• Use drain cleaners on floor drains

Monthly Restaurant Kitchen Cleaning List

• Wash behind the hot line (oven, stove, fryers) to cut down on grease build up, which is a major fire hazard
• Clean freezers
• Empty and sanitize the ice machine
• Calibrate ovens
• Calibrate themometers
• Sharpen the meat and cheese slicer
• Wash walls and ceilings
• Wipe down the dry storage area
• Change any pest traps
• Restock your first aid kit
• Update your material safety data sheets, which outline how to safely use any chemicals in your restaurant.

Yearly Restaurant Kitchen Cleaning/Safety List

• Check fire suppression system
• Check fire extinguishes (this may need to be done twice a year, depending on where you live)
• Clean hoods twice a year. There are many professional companies that specialize in hood cleaning. I highly recommend you use one rather than doing the job yourself (very messy and time consuming).
• Clean pilot lights on gas kitchen equipment (Be sure to follow the manufacturers instruction).

Now, you can start cleaning your restaurant without being disturbed of the thought of extra labor and interruption. Camshelving can help you maintain a clean kitchen and serve high quality food to your guests.