Coffee Shop Opening Checklist: Daily Opening Duties

A practical opening sequence for getting the cafe, espresso bar, service supplies, and customer areas ready before the doors open.

Category: Coffee Shops
Subcategory: Cafe Operations

OpeningDailyCafe Operations

Checklist

11 items

Step 1: Unlock front door and turn on lights
Step 2: Start espresso machine
Step 3: Brew drip coffee
Step 4: Restock cups, lids, napkins, sleeves, and stirrers
Step 5: Stock milk, alternative milks, syrups, and toppings
Step 6: Check pastry/display case inventory
Step 7: Wipe counters and customer-facing surfaces
Step 8: Check bathrooms
Step 9: Count/start cash drawer if applicable
Step 10: Turn on music/signage
Step 11: Review special notes or assigned tasks for the day

Completed by:

Date:

Notes

Who should use this checklist?

Opening baristas, shift leads, and cafe managers can use this checklist to divide setup work clearly. Adjust cash-handling and equipment steps to match your shop’s policies and manufacturer instructions.

When should it be completed?

Start early enough to finish the equipment warm-up, first brew, stocking, and safety walk before the posted opening time. Complete it every day the shop opens, with a shift lead reviewing exceptions before service.

How to use the checklist

Assign espresso bar, front-of-house, and cash duties before the opening shift begins.
Complete equipment and food-safety steps according to store policy, not from memory.
Record low stock, equipment faults, or unfinished work for the manager instead of checking the item off.

Commonly missed tasks

Allowing enough warm-up time for the espresso machine
Checking alternative milk, cup, lid, and pastry stock before the first rush
Reviewing notes from the closing team before opening the doors

Continue planning this workflow

Explore the coffee shop operations resources, read the coffee shop opening and closing procedures, or see how coffee shop checklist software can turn the paper list into assigned recurring work.

Want this checklist to reset automatically and show who completed it?

Use AssignRight to assign, track, and repeat checklists without chasing updates across paper, texts, or spreadsheets.

Run this checklist in AssignRight

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