A clean kitchen is a happy kitchen.
A restaurant kitchen should be cleaned thoroughly on a daily basis and throughout dinner service. It is the responsibility of the kitchen manager or executive chef to delegate cleaning duties to each of the kitchen staff. A commercial kitchen that is not properly cleaned may result in grease fires, foodborne illness or the attraction of insect or mammalian pests. Former chef Josh Longley insists that kitchen staff use hot water when cleaning to adequately remove traces of grease. He adds that, just like you would wash a car, a restaurant kitchen should be cleaned from the highest surfaces to the lowest.
Instructions
1. Instruct each kitchen staff member to regularly clean her station throughout the shift. This involves cleaning cutting boards that have been in contact with meat with hot, soapy water, bringing dirty dishes to the dishwashing station and wiping the counter tops in her area.
2. Scrape the grill with a wire brush throughout the shift to remove any build-up. At the end of the night, turn the grill's heat up and thoroughly scrape it to remove any residue.
3. Empty all waste bins when they become full throughout the shift and place them in the appropriate pick-up bins outside. Before leaving the restaurant at the end of the night, empty the bins one final time.
4. Clean all overnight cold and dry food storage areas with hot soapy water or an appropriate all-purpose cleaner and then with hot water before placing leftover food inside of them. Throw out any food that will be bad the next day.
5. Remove the grease filters in the ventilation hood and run them through the commercial dishwasher once a night.
6. Scrub every surface from the walls and hood exterior surfaces to counters and storage areas underneath the line. Use hot, soapy water or an appropriate all-purpose cleaner. Scrub a second time with hot water.
7. Sweep the entire floor at the end of the night. Move every structure that is not fixed to the wall or floor to sweep up residue.
8. Mop the entire floor after sweeping, using water and an appropriate floor cleaner. Set up "Wet Floor" signs.
9. Empty grease traps once a week and dump the contents into the appropriate waste collection bin.
10. Hire a commercial cleaning company every three to six months to steam clean the kitchen and the entire exhaust system.
11. Remove all structures, including doors, heat lamps and any other item screwed in place, to clean otherwise hidden areas twice a year.
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