Closing Procedures

Closing is service. It is not an afterthought. The condition we leave the operation in is the condition the next crew finds it.

Service Close (at sellout or end of service window)

• Remove remaining product from service line — no food left unattended in open containers
• Begin labeling and storing remaining sides (label with item name and date)
• Pull remaining meat from smoker — weigh or estimate remaining yield and log it
• Begin cooling cooked items following safe cooling procedure (see sops/food-safety-and-sanitation.md)
• Square POS: close out all open tickets
• Run end-of-day report in Square — record gross sales, number of transactions, average ticket
• Cash drawer counted and reconciled against Square report — discrepancies documented immediately

Cleaning Sequence

Clean in this order — dirty to clean, high to low:

1. Smoker: Remove grates, brush clean, leave vents open to cool, remove ash (when fully cool)
2. Fry station: Turn off fryer — allow oil to cool before handling. Strain oil if reusing next session. Clean exterior surfaces.
3. Service counter: Remove all food, wipe with sanitizer solution, clean all serving utensils
4. Hot holding equipment: Empty, clean, and dry all holding pans
5. Food prep surfaces: Sanitize all cutting boards, prep tables, and knives
6. Floors: Sweep then mop — in that order
7. Trash: All trash bags removed and tied. Fresh bag in every receptacle.
8. Equipment inventory: Confirm all equipment is on-site, accounted for, and ready for next service

Closing Checklist — Final Walk

• All food properly stored or discarded (nothing left out)
• All surfaces cleaned and sanitized
• All equipment turned off (fryer, warming units, etc.)
• Trash removed
• Square closed and sales logged in Weekend Revenue Tracker
• Cash secured
• Shift log completed — sales, incidents, equipment issues, notes for next service
• Site left clean — Robert Is Here vendor space left in better condition than it was found