Whether you are working in an office; operating a restaurant; or manage a retail location, having a consistent set of opening & closing procedures helps minimize customer disruption (and disappointment) and creates a seamless approach to managing your business.  Much like a pre-flight checklist for pilots or an NFL team scripting their first fifteen plays of a game, opening & closing checklists take the “guesswork” out of what needs to be completed in advance of interacting with customers.

Having worked at both Little Caesars and Jimmy John’s, I can attest firsthand the detailed approach that both use to open and close a restaurant.  Every little detail is outlined on a checklist that needs to be signed off as complete during the opening and closing activities for the restaurant.  There are no stones left unturned.

By taking this approach, operators can assure themselves that they are putting their best foot forward every day with their customer base in addition to making the lives of their employees far more structured and organized.  Employees know precisely what needs to be accomplished every day as opposed to “winging” it.

While these procedures can be adapted for various types of businesses, such as retail stores, restaurants, or offices, here is a basic outline for opening and closing procedures.

Opening Procedures Outline

Arrival and Preparation:  Depending on the type of business, the arrival time can vary greatly.  In restaurants, significant food prep must occur prior to serving a customer so sometimes arrival times can be hours before they are open for business.  But it is not just daily prep that is required, a general assessment of the operation needs to take place to check HVAC systems, lighting, previous night closing procedures, etc.  Sometimes an unforeseen issue can potentially derail the best laid plans so getting there early enough to mitigate any potential implication is critical.

Daily Setup:  Assuming that everything appears to be in order the task of daily setup takes place.  Turning on all the equipment; restocking restrooms and all customer-facing supplies areas; inspecting and restocking inventory; ensuring that marketing and promotional signage is correct; prep all necessary items; and ensure that the entire facility is clean and ready.  It may sound mundane to go through this daily, but your customers may see your location for the first time and having items in disarray may dissuade them from ever returning.

Team Preparation:  Next up, gathering the team together to review daily goals, assignments, and any important updates.  Getting everyone aligned on the task ahead of them, is critical to get your house in order.  From uniforms to understanding today’s promotions to specific tasks to be completed for the day are all critical to making a positive impression and environment for your customers.  The restaurant industry has countless checklists for all items to be reviewed and executed to ensure nothing goes unattended.  Write. It. Down.

Final Checks and Open for Business:  Credit card machines; POS systems; phones; etc. all get a final check to ensure you are customer ready.  Double-check your opening checklist to verify that each item has been addressed.  There are no shortcuts here and now that the doors are open, your focus should be solely on customer service.  While there are certain tasks that should be completed in advance of the doors being unlocked, maintaining cleanliness and order should occur throughout the day.

Closing Procedures Outline

Closing Procedures:  Once the doors are locked, it is time to begin the closing procedures starting with reconciling any cash registers and preparing deposits.  The cash drawers need to be counted and compared with POS totals.  Assuming all of this reconciles, ensure that deposits are ready for the morning shift to take to the bank and secure these – along with a change fund – in the safe.  I recommend depositing in the morning for safety reasons.

Facility Clean Up:  I have a philosophy centered around “helping the next in line”.   The philosophy stems from executing all your duties in such a fashion that the next shift can seamlessly execute what is expected from them.  In other words, they are not walking in and having to finish what you failed to complete.  To that end, you should clean and sanitize all customer-facing areas; dispose of trash and restock supplies (if necessary); clean and organize any back-office or storage areas; and ensure all inventory is properly stored and secure.

Equipment Shutdown:  It is time to save some energy costs by turning off and secure all equipment (computers, lights, etc.) and unplug non-essential equipment to save energy.  Next up is security and ensuring that all doors, windows, and storage areas are locked and if applicable, setting the security system.  This should give you a chance to double-check your closing procedures to again, “help the next in line”.  Conduct a final walkthrough to ensure everything is in order.

End of Day Reporting:  Lastly, it is time to submit the daily paperwork and save end-of-day reports, if applicable.  This closes the day not only operationally but puts a nice, neat bow on the day from a financial perspective too.  Identify all issues that may have occurred over the day and what need to be addressed on the next day, i.e. maintenance. 

There is not a lot of magic to opening and closing procedures – but rather a disciplined, recordable approach to ensure that every “t” is crossed and every “i” is dotted.  The more that can be systematized, the less that is left to chance.   We should all be happy that a pilot goes through a pre-flight checklist every flight.

Want more ideas?  For more information on Gray Cat Learning Series, visit: https://www.graycatenterprises.com/gray-cat-learning-series