Cleanliness in a cafe rests on three levels: daily cleaning during the shift and after closing, weekly cleaning that goes deeper and covers equipment and walls, and a monthly deep clean with degreasing of the kitchen and range hood. Below you will find a checklist by zone and a task table that you can print and hang in the kitchen.
- Tables, bathrooms and kitchen work surfaces are cleaned throughout the shift, not just after closing.
- A kitchen deep clean that includes degreasing the range hood, walls and equipment is needed at least once a month.
- Color coding of cloths, buckets and cutting boards keeps dirt from the bathroom or from raw meat from getting into the ready-to-eat food area.
- Chemicals are stored in a separate closed cabinet, in their original containers, and chlorine-based products are never mixed with acids or ammonia.
- For many establishments a mixed approach works best: staff handle day-to-day cleaning, and a cleaning company handles night and deep cleaning under a contract.
Cafe zones: what to clean and how
Each zone has its own risks: in the dining room, appearance matters; in the kitchen, grease and food safety; in the bathroom, hygiene. That is why it is easier to build a checklist by zone than as one general to-do list.
Dining room
Tables are wiped after every guest, including tabletop edges, menus, salt shakers and napkin holders. Chairs, both seats and backs, are cleaned at the end of the day, and high chairs after every use. Crumbs and spilled drinks are cleaned up right away, and the floor is mopped after closing. Upholstered sofas and armchairs in the dining room pick up stains quickly and need upholstery cleaning every 3–6 months.
Bar
The bar counter, sink and work surfaces are cleaned throughout the shift. The coffee machine, portafilters and milk frother are flushed according to the manufacturer's instructions, usually at the end of each day. Bar refrigerators, shelves with bottles and syrups, and the ice machine are cleaned on a schedule to prevent drips and sticky rings.
Kitchen
Work surfaces are washed after every operation, not "when there is time." Stoves, griddles, the combi oven, sinks and the floor are cleaned at the end of the shift. The range hood canopy and grease filters need special attention: with heavy frying, grease builds up on them faster than it seems.
Guest bathrooms
During peak hours the bathroom is checked every 1–2 hours: toilet, sink, mirror, floor, soap, paper and towels. A check sheet on the door with time marks keeps staff on track and shows guests that cleanliness is monitored here.
Storage and back room
Food is stored on shelving, not on the floor, following the "first in, first out" principle. Once a week the floor is mopped and the shelves are wiped, and once a month the shelving is emptied completely and washed.
Entrance
Doors, glass with fingerprints, handles, the porch and the trash can are tidied every morning before opening. In Aktau the wind blows sand to the doorstep, so a dirt-trapping mat at the entrance noticeably reduces the cleaning needed in the dining room. Storefront glass and windows are washed on the outside once a week, and more often in the windy season.
What to clean daily, weekly and monthly?
| Zone | Daily | Weekly | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining room | Tables, chairs, floor, menus, windowsills | Light fixtures, baseboards, furniture legs, doors | Walls, ventilation grilles, air conditioners, professional cleaning of textiles on schedule |
| Bar | Counter, sink, coffee machine, refrigerators on the outside | Refrigerators inside, shelves, ice machine | Move equipment away, wash the walls and floor behind it |
| Kitchen | Surfaces, stoves, sinks, floor, trash bins | Range hood grease filters, walk-in coolers, walls by the stoves | Deep cleaning with degreasing of the range hood canopy, walls, ceiling and equipment |
| Bathrooms | Plumbing fixtures, mirrors, floor: several times per shift | Tile, partitions, doors | Tile grout, ventilation, deep cleaning with disinfection |
| Storage | Tidying, trash | Floor, shelves | Emptying and washing the shelving |
| Entrance | Doors, glass, porch, mat | Storefront windows on the outside | Facade at the entrance, sign |
Tile grout on the kitchen floor and in the bathrooms darkens from grease and moisture before the tile itself does, and an ordinary mop will not clean it. For this there is separate tile grout cleaning, from 1,000 ₸/m² for floors, with a minimum order of 10,000 ₸.
How do you degrease a kitchen and range hood?
Kitchen grease is a mix of oil, burnt-on residue and dust that polymerizes over time and turns into a sticky crust. Regular detergent does not remove it; you need an alkaline degreaser.
- Turn off the equipment and let it cool to warm: on a hot surface the product dries and leaves marks.
- Remove the range hood grease filters and soak them in a hot degreaser solution, or run them through a dishwasher if the manufacturer allows it.
- Apply the product to the canopy, walls and equipment from top to bottom and leave it for the time stated on the label.
- Remove the softened grease with a sponge or plastic scraper, then rinse off the residue with clean water and wipe dry.
Treat aluminum filters and parts only with a product approved for aluminum: strong alkali darkens them. The inside of the exhaust system ducts is cleaned by specialized contractors. For more about grease on a range hood, see the article how to clean grease off a range hood.
Why use color coding for cleaning tools?
One cloth for the toilet and the table is a direct route to cross-contamination. Color coding solves this without long explanations: an employee sees the color and knows where that tool can be used. A common scheme for cleaning tools:
- red: toilets and urinals;
- yellow: sinks and other surfaces in bathrooms;
- blue: dining room, tables, windowsills, doors;
- green: kitchen and bar, food-handling areas.
Cutting boards and knives have their own palette: for example, red for raw meat, blue for fish, yellow for poultry, green for vegetables and fruit. The exact scheme can differ; the main thing is to pick one, print a poster and hang it in the back room and the kitchen.
How should you store cleaning products?
- A separate closed cabinet or shelf away from food, dishes and packaging, and never above them.
- Original containers with the label only. A product poured into a water or juice bottle is a common cause of accidents.
- Dispensers and measuring containers instead of "by eye": overuse does not make things cleaner, and product residue on surfaces then has to be rinsed off.
- Never mix chlorine-based products with acids and ammonia: this releases toxic gas.
- Gloves are required, and the room is ventilated after treatment.
- One person is responsible for issuing and purchasing chemicals.
Cleaning after closing: the order of steps
- Put food away, close and label containers.
- Turn off the kitchen equipment and start degreasing while it is still warm.
- Take out the trash, wash and disinfect the bins.
- Dining room: chairs on tables, vacuum or sweep the floor, then mop from the far wall toward the exit.
- Bar: flush the coffee machine, then the sink, the counter and the refrigerators on the outside.
- Bathrooms: use their own red and yellow tools.
- Kitchen floor last, so you do not walk over what is already clean.
- Go through the checklist, sign it and, if needed, send a photo to the manager.
In-house staff or outsourcing?
| Criterion | In-house staff | Cleaning company |
|---|---|---|
| Pros | Always on site during the shift, knows the establishment, reacts quickly to spills and to the bathrooms | Professional equipment and chemicals, deep cleaning at night without downtime, replacing staff and training are the contractor's concern, a contract and closing documents |
| Cons | Salaries and taxes, sick leave and vacations, buying chemicals and tools, training and supervision | Needs a clear scope of work and acceptance of the work; the contractor is usually not on site during the day |
For many establishments a mixed scheme works: waiters and dishwashing staff handle the cleaning during the shift, and a contractor takes the night and deep cleaning. We covered how to check a contractor in the article how to choose a cleaning company.
Cleaning Lab serves more than 100 commercial establishments, including the coffee shops RAF, Urbo, Köktem, Traveler's Coffee, Zephyr and Wave Coffee, the restaurants Daredzhani and Shafran, and the restobar Leet. We clean after closing, at night or before opening, and work under a contract with cashless payment, an invoice and work completion certificates. Cafe and restaurant cleaning costs from 20,000 ₸ for a coffee shop or cafe up to 50 m² and from 35,000 ₸ for 50–150 m²; a kitchen deep clean with degreasing is from 40,000 ₸, and daily cleaning under a contract is calculated individually. Terms for businesses are collected on the page for corporate clients.