Plan the routine around your site
Split the pub opening checklist from the closing record. The opening shift needs to know what was left unfinished, which area is affected and who is following it up. Use location names the bar, kitchen and duty team share: main bar, lounge, terrace, washroom and authorised stores. Give the service-area round an agreed time rather than assuming an opening submission covers the whole evening. Keep till reconciliation and confidential security instructions in their approved systems. A premises question should describe an observable condition, not ask someone to certify the whole pub as safe.
Agree the assigned role, due window, expected record and escalation route with the people who do and review the work. Include an honest outcome for work that could not be completed, with a reason and a next action.
What to include in the checklist
These are planning examples. Adapt the questions and timing to your approved procedures and the person’s responsibilities.
| Routine | Work to define | Useful record |
|---|---|---|
| Previous close | Read outstanding jobs before assigning opening work. | Issue reference, current restriction and owner. |
| Bar and seating | Complete the agreed front-of-house readiness round. | Area, observation and preparation outcome. |
| Customer routes | Review accessible routes within the assigned scope. | Location of an obstruction and immediate action. |
| Shared facilities | Complete the approved cleaning and supplies routine. | Actual completion or an explained exception. |
| Equipment observations | Escalate visible condition findings without unauthorised repairs. | Equipment reference, observation and person informed. |
| Final handover | Separate completed tasks from work still waiting. | Next action, owner and review time. |
Do not put three shifts into one tick
A single “bar checked” answer hides the time and scope. Separate opening preparation, service rounds and closing work so the next team can see what the record represents.
Give the next shift enough context
At opening, a loose trim is found on a staff-area counter. The team records the bar position and a clear observation, keeps the affected position out of use under the pub procedure and informs the shift lead. The duty lead assigns the repair and carries the restriction into the evening handover. The later outcome is recorded beside the original finding.
Identify the area or asset, the observation, the actual result, the immediate action and who was informed. Attach useful evidence where safe and permitted. A photograph supports a finding without establishing its cause.
- Keep the original observation and time.
- Assign a specific next action and agree when it will be reviewed.
- Record the later outcome and authorised verification beside the finding.
Read the guide to writing a useful fault report for a closer look at the evidence record.
Review the work still needing attention
Review whether closing exceptions are actually read the next morning. Compare repeated area defects and incomplete cleaning rounds with the shift timetable. A late service round needs a different response from a maintenance job awaiting a contractor.
Review completion and outstanding actions together. A missing routine and a completed routine with a failure need different follow-up. The weekly manager review guide explains how to move from the summary to the source record.
For the wider workflow, explore opening & closing examples and planning and cleaning & readiness examples and planning.
Try the routine in CheckControl
Start with an existing routine, add its questions and instructions, and agree the assignment and due window. Staff can record answers and findings on their phones; managers can review the record and follow-up. Use the relevant PDF or Excel export for your authorised review. The public demo uses fictional people, findings and evidence.
Common questions
Can a pub keep opening and closing checks separate?
Yes. Use distinct routines and due windows, then link outstanding findings through the manager review. Closing completion should not remove a maintenance restriction from the next opening record.
What is the scope of this guide?
Keep licensing, age-verification, cash management, food-safety plans and specialist cellar or equipment procedures in the systems approved for those purposes. These examples organise operational records; they do not establish legal compliance.
Sources and scope
CheckControl wrote these record-design and handover examples. Use your organisation’s approved specialist procedures and the relevant authoritative guidance: FSA: Safer food, better business. Source checked 5 October 2026.
Keep licensing, age-verification, cash management, food-safety plans and specialist cellar or equipment procedures in the systems approved for those purposes. These examples organise operational records; they do not establish legal compliance.