A practical restaurant opening checklist
Openings rarely fail on the big decisions. They fail on the details that were left until the last week. Use this list to spread the work over the months before you open.
The checklist below applies to a dine-in restaurant, a café or a delivery-only cloud kitchen. Requirements for licences, tax and food safety differ between countries and often between cities, so this list tells you what to confirm, not what the rules are. Check every legal item with your local authorities or a qualified local adviser.
Concept and numbers
- Write the concept in two sentences: who it is for, what they order, and the expected price per person.
- Estimate opening costs: fit-out, equipment, deposits, first stock, licences, pre-opening wages and marketing.
- Keep a cash reserve for the months after opening, when sales are still building.
- Build a simple monthly budget with expected sales, food cost, labour, rent and other fixed costs.
- Calculate prime cost (cost of goods sold plus labour) as a share of expected sales and decide your target range.
- Work out the monthly sales needed to cover all costs, and the number of orders per day that represents.
For the budget, Restaurant365 suggests that a successful restaurant's prime cost is approximately 60% of food and beverage sales, around 60 to 65% for full-service and 55 to 60% for quick-service. Use this as a reference when checking whether your planned prices and staffing fit together.
Legal and administrative (confirm locally)
- Business registration and the trade licence for food service.
- Tax registration and the invoicing requirements that apply to you, including any e-invoicing rules.
- Food-safety licence or permit and any required inspections before opening.
- Health certificates or food-handler training required for staff.
- Fire safety, signage, outdoor seating and alcohol permits where relevant.
- Employment contracts, work permits and social insurance registration for staff.
- Insurance: property, equipment, liability and any mandatory cover.
- Lease reviewed by a lawyer, including the permitted use and fit-out period.
Location, kitchen and equipment
- Kitchen layout follows the flow of food: receiving, storage, preparation, cooking, plating or packing, dispatch.
- Separate areas or equipment for raw and cooked foods.
- Ventilation, gas, drainage and grease trap installed and inspected.
- Enough refrigeration and freezer space for your delivery cycle, with thermometers in every unit.
- Handwashing stations with soap and drying near preparation areas.
- Equipment tested under load, with supplier service contacts listed in the kitchen.
- For cloud kitchens: a clear pickup point for couriers away from the cooking line.
Food safety
- Written cleaning schedule for each area and piece of equipment.
- Storage rules: labelling, dating and first-in, first-out rotation.
- Temperature log for fridges, freezers and hot holding, checked at set times each day.
- Cooking and reheating guidance for high-risk items.
- Approved suppliers for raw materials and a safe water source.
- Allergen information for each dish, available to staff and guests.
- Pest control contract in place before food arrives on site.
The World Health Organization's Five Keys to Safer Food manual is a useful basis for staff training: keep clean; separate raw and cooked; cook thoroughly; keep food at safe temperatures; use safe water and raw materials. Your local regulations will add specific requirements on top.
Menu, recipes and costing
- Final menu tested by the team who will cook it, at the speed of a busy service.
- Written recipe for every dish with weights for each component.
- Yield tests for main proteins and produce, so costing uses edible-portion prices.
- Portion cost and food cost % for each item, separately for dine-in and delivery packaging.
- Prices checked against competitors and your target food cost.
- A delivery menu limited to dishes that travel well.
Suppliers and stock
- At least two suppliers for key ingredients, with agreed prices, delivery days and payment terms.
- Par levels for each item based on expected sales and delivery frequency.
- Receiving procedure: check weight, temperature and quality against the invoice before signing.
- Opening stock count recorded so the first month's food cost can be measured.
- Waste log in place from the first day.
Team
- Organisation chart and a clear responsibility for opening, closing and cash.
- Rota planned against expected busy hours, not just opening hours.
- Training on recipes, food safety, the POS, payment methods and complaint handling.
- Written opening and closing checklists for each station.
- Rules for discounts, voids and staff meals, and who can approve them.
Systems and cash
- POS set up with the full menu, modifiers, taxes and printers or kitchen screens tested.
- Payment terminals and online payment tested with real transactions and refunds.
- Cash float amounts set, and a procedure to close each cashier session against counted cash.
- Accounts and reports agreed with your accountant before the first sale.
- Delivery platforms and your own online ordering tested end to end, including a real order delivered to a test address.
Before and after opening day
- Soft opening for invited guests or with a limited menu to test kitchen timing and service.
- Collect feedback and fix the three most frequent problems before the public opening.
- Google Business Profile and delivery app listings complete, with correct hours, menu and photos.
- Daily review for the first two weeks: sales, waste, cash differences and guest complaints.
- First full stock count and food cost calculation at the end of week four.
- First monthly profit and loss compared with the budget, with changes agreed for month two.
If you use Zad. Plus, recipes that deduct stock with each sale and cashier sessions closed against counted cash can be set up before the soft opening, so the first month's numbers are usable.