Restaurant SOP template

Write down every station across the kitchen, floor and till, who covers it on each shift, and who leads front of house and kitchen.

List the routines that happen every day or cause the most mistakes, such as opening, deliveries, cash-up and cleaning, and pick the first five to write.

List the steps each station completes before the doors open, and end with a ready-to-open check signed off by the shift lead.

Create the opening checklist as a recurring daily task with the shift lead as assignee, and review the first three days of completions.

Define how each delivery is checked against the order for quantity, condition and dates, and where exceptions are recorded with the supplier.

Describe how an order is taken, passed to the kitchen and delivered, and how allergy or dietary information is written on the order and confirmed by the kitchen.

State who may decide on a complaint, what they may offer, and how each case is recorded so patterns show up.

List what each station does at close, including shutting down equipment, the cash-up, the waste log and a last-person-out check.

Create the closing checklist as a daily recurring task and the deeper cleaning list as a weekly one, each with an owner.

Show each person the written routines for their own station, then pair them with a lead for one full shift and note who is signed off.

During a busy service, watch the team with the routines in hand and list every place where practice and the written steps differ.

Meet the leads once a month to review what changed, update the written routines, and remove old copies from the kitchen and floor.