Shifts and cash
Restaurant Opening Checklist
Complete this form every service day before the first guest enters. Do not record the previous night's closing checks here; there is a separate form for closing. You can use the same form for separate lunch and dinner rounds. Complete the date and shift fields for each round so that two forms from the same day do not get mixed up.
When this round is skipped on a busy morning, missing napkins, an offline printer, or an order left open from the previous day often appears with the first order. During an inspection week or a new employee's first day, walk through the form with a manager so that nobody checks items from a desk. The form assigns the decision to open the doors to one person and one time. The same lines work for a cafe, restaurant, or delivery-focused venue. Add your display counter, bar, or courier handoff area as needed.
A cafe morning and a restaurant evening can use the same list, but the emphasis changes. A cafe may focus on the display and grinder, while a restaurant may focus on the hot line and table settings. A delivery-focused venue should also check its courier handoff area during this round. Adding two venue-specific lines does not weaken the general list. Keep each added line in the same place every day so the shift team can find it.
How to use this form
- The opening manager or chef should carry the form while making the round. Saying everything is complete from a desk does not replace actually checking cold storage, the printer, and the restroom.
- Mark yes or no on every line and add your initials. An unchecked line can return later as a cold storage, printer, or cash drawer problem, with no record of who checked it.
- Write unfinished work in the notes column and complete it before service. Leaving it until later means the same problem may reach the first guest.
- Record the opening cash drawer balance at the same amount shown on the cash form. If the two sheets show different figures, you cannot identify where an end-of-day variance began.
- Print a test ticket from the kitchen printer. Opening the doors before a ticket prints risks the first order never reaching the kitchen.
- Sign the form and keep it on file for at least one week. During an inspection or a staff dispute, this sheet shows who opened the venue that day.
How this maps to Ritapos
This form records the physical opening round, not the day's sales. Signing in with the correct employee account, checking the cash drawer balance, testing the kitchen printer, and reviewing open orders are the digital parts of the same job in Ritapos. Do not leave the owner's account open on the till tablet, because transactions made through that account do not identify the employee who performed them.
If the end-of-day time is wrong, the "today" report you see at opening may also include yesterday's revenue. Check the clock, time zone, and end-of-day setting together with the Business Settings lesson in the Academy. When you review both the paper round and the open order list on screen that morning, the opening is covered from both the hygiene and cash sides.
This form is an educational checklist. It does not change your local authority, food registration, or occupational health and safety obligations. Confirm local requirements in writing.
