Are you tired of running your restaurant without a clear system in place? A restaurant checklist app might just be the game-changer you need! In this article, I list the five best options to opt for in 2023.
Running a restaurant is incredibly complex. Restaurant owners and managers have to juggle countless tasks — ordering supplies, managing staff schedules, controlling inventories, tracking orders and deliveries, and analyzing sales data are only some of their demanding duties.
Without the right tools and technology, it can be easy to overlook the most significant tasks and daily duties. One such handy tool is a restaurant checklist app, which provides an efficient way to stay organized throughout the day. A checklist app can help you with customizable to-do lists, task reminders, order-tracking capabilities, and inventory management tools.
With a restaurant app, you can schedule cleaning processes and health inspections, communicate with other team members on the go, and more. But not all apps are created equal. That’s why I’ve done extensive research to find the top five best restaurant checklist apps to consider in 2023.
If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.
Our Top Picks
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Best all-in-one restaurant checklist app
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Good for gaining an oversight of daily operations
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Good for staying ahead of regulations
How I Chose the Best Restaurant Checklist Apps
There are many restaurant checklist apps on the market. They usually include a variety of customizable checklists and forms, such as employee restaurant cleaning checklists and food safety inspection forms.
To narrow down my top picks, here’s what I looked for:
Important core features:
- Customizable Checklists: You should be able to adjust checklists to suit your restaurant’s specific needs remains at the top of the list.
- Integrated Employee Chat: This is a critical tool for real-time communication, collaboration, and problem-solving within your team, which directly impacts your business operations.
- Task Assignment: Clear distribution of tasks among staff members keeps operations running smoothly and ensures accountability.
I looked for usability features, like:
- User-friendly interface: A system that is easy for all employees to use will improve its overall effectiveness.
- Cloud-based and Mobile Access: As a business owner, you need to be able to access your system at any time from anywhere, which is why mobile and cloud-based access is so important.
- Customer support: This is important if you ever have any technical issues.
I also checked for more important features, including:
- Automatic notifications and reminders: This feature can help ensure that tasks are completed in a timely manner, which is crucial for maintaining consistent service standards.
- Reporting and analytics: Understanding your restaurant’s performance in various areas is essential for making data-driven decisions and implementing changes.
- Real-time updates: Keeping everyone updated in real time helps the team adjust quickly to changes and prevent minor issues from escalating.
The 5 Best Restaurant Checklist Apps of 2023
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Connecteam — Best all-in-one restaurant checklist app
Connecteam offers a one-stop restaurant management app that is both easy to use and affordable. This app is designed to help restaurants of all sizes digitize manual processes and streamline workflows.
Why I chose Connecteam: When it comes to distributing restaurant checklists to front and back of house staff, Connecteam helps ensure your employees get the job done. Staff will always be aware of what they’re side work is, stay on top of opening and closing procedures, and never miss a step when it comes to cleaning kitchen equipment.
But let’s take a closer look at how Connecteam can not only help you manage checklists, but improve your overall restaurant operations.
Ensure sideswork gets done
Between server side work, cleaning kitchen equipment, and stocking the bar, restaurants utilize a lot of checklists to ensure these procedural tasks get done.
Ensure checklists never get lost inside a dusty binder again by taking advantage of Connecteam’s digital forms and checklists. This tool allows you to easily digitize all vital tasks and attach shift-specific checklists to assigned staff from the employee schedule so they won’t miss them.
Workers can even check off tasks as they complete an item and alert managers when they’re finished. That way, you can be sure the sidework gets done each shift.
Automate and digitize your restaurant
Connecteam helps you digitize and automate checklist-based processes and reduce tedious manual tasks. This can free up time for your employees and enhance productivity. All forms and lists are instantly available on connected mobile devices and connected to a company knowledge base.
Whether your chef needs to create a deep cleaning and sanitizing checklist, schedule food safety checks, or submit health inspection forms, Connecteam helps you ensure efficiency, quality, and compliance.
Create forms easily with attachments
Creating inventory and food safety forms with this digital forms app is simple, efficient, and allows you to easily standardize these procedures.
You can also make your own shareable documents and update them whenever you need. Whether it’s new wine training, health regulations, or menu changes, store this important information in Connecteam’s company knowledge base so the information is always always accessible. .
You can attach PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, images, and other files. This allows you to keep clear records and align teams. For instance, you can attach images to recipes so your chefs know how to plate certain dishes.
Use tailor-made templates for restaurants
Connecteam provides tailor-made templates for reports, checklists, and other forms specifically designed for restaurants. This way, you can easily digitize procedures such as pre-inspection, safety, and inventory checklists without much pre-configuration. You can also create your own templates from scratch.
Create shift tasks and get notifications
Connecteam is also an employee task management app that allows you and your team to create and assign tasks. Because all tasks are available in one place, employees have a clear overview of responsibilities.
Additionally, you can share company updates, news, and announcements in just a few clicks. With Connecteam’s app, you can notify your entire workforce about restaurant and task completion updates in real time.
This helps you enhance customer satisfaction due to improved product and service quality.
What’s more, managers can see who has received and read a notification. This gives you more oversight over employees’ workflows and can improve productivity.
Ensure compliance
Connecteam’s restaurant checklist app helps you ensure compliance with all necessary procedures and standards. You can upload employee documents related to health and safety regulations and create associated task lists customized to your particular restaurant. You can even add e-signatures for compliance purposes.
Because you can assign notifications and deadlines to tasks, Connecteam ensures that nothing falls through the cracks. The app can provide a record of completed tasks, which you can use to demonstrate compliance during audits or health inspections.
Improve communication
Connecteam’s online team chat feature streamlines restaurant communication so you and your team can ask questions and collaboratively problem-solve time-sensitive issues. It can also improve customer service and guest experiences, for example, by enabling staff to communicate about special requests by customers.
And so much more…
Connecteam is a complete employee management app that allows you to manage your entire business from your phone. Managers can create schedules and training materials, upload and store documents, manage all HR operations, and even communicate with your team with in-app chat and a social media-style news feed.
The paid plan starts at just $29 per month for up to 30 users, and small businesses with fewer than 10 users can access the app completely free.
Employees spend less time wondering what they should do and where, and more time actually just doing it.
Key Features
Pros
Comprehensively automates and digitizes your restaurant processes
Creates and integrates forms easily
Provides accessible and up-to-date information to all employees
Capable of quick-entry review and secure data analysis
Cons
Limited customization options
Pricing
Free-for-life plan availablePremium plans start at $29/month for 30 users
14-day free trial, no credit card required
Start your free trial -
Hubl App — Good for gaining an oversight of daily operations
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Hubl is a hospitality checklist app. The app focuses on food safety due diligence by tracking food temperature recordings. It also offers calendar functionalities for tracking team responsibilities.
Why I chose Hubl: This app is straightforward and affordable. It’s ideal for smaller restaurants that want to start digitizing their procedures at a low cost.
However, as a relatively modest app, Hubl lacks some of the more advanced features you will find in other apps in this list, such as a team communication solution and a knowledge base to store recipes and important documents related to health and safety. For larger restaurants, Hubl may not ensure standardization, collaboration, and full compliance.
Learn more about Hubl AppKey Features
- Basic operational checklists, plus temperature checks and alerts
- Dashboard for oversight of tasks
- Calendar to view historic checks and corrective actions
- A cost-efficient solution
Pros
- A budget-friendly option
- Designed with food safety standards in mind
Cons
- Not suitable for larger restaurants
- Lacks key features like communications tools and a knowledge base
Pricing
Starts at $20/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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Trail — Good for staying ahead of regulations
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Trail is another checklist app designed for hospitality and leisure businesses. Trail focuses on guiding teams through daily operations, from opening tasks to food safety checks.
Why I chose Trail: Trail is a step up from Hubl in its scope of capabilities, as it also includes performance reviews and logs. Trail uses the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) system to ensure that your food checks are aligned with industry standards.
However, managers and leaders cannot view details of a task’s status, only whether it has been drafted, published, or archived. Additionally, because the company is based in the UK, live customer support is only available during UK business hours, except for emergencies.
Learn more about TrailKey Features
- Digital task checklists feed directly to performance logs and reporting
- Has a template library for tasks
- Aligned with HACCP standards
- Robust notification settings
Pros
- Allows custom checklists or access to templates
- Ensures food safety with HACCP checks
Cons
- Does not offer full visibility on task status
- Limited customer support hours
Pricing
Starts at $17/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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MeazureUp — Good for straightforward streamlining of restaurant operations
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
MeazureUp offers a restaurant checklist app for task and operational performance management across multiple locations. It also has templates for forms like a restaurant kitchen cleaning checklist.
Why I chose MeazureUp: Users can access the app from any device for real-time reporting on restaurant performance. MeazureUp also includes calendar functionalities where users can track task progress over time. It will also send automated email alerts when tasks are due or overdue.
While its checklist and task features work well, some features may cause issues. According to multiple online reviewers, deleting or modifying entries can be difficult and the app often lags. There is also no work chat feature in case staff members need to communicate about task details or updates.
Learn more about MeazureUpKey Features
- Customizable and configurable checklists
- Audit planning capabilities
- Tracks progress in real time
- User-friendly platform
Pros
- Easy to use and generate reports
- Good customer service
Cons
- Limited communications features
- Some features are buggy
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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FusionPrep
FusionPrep — Good as a basic restaurant and kitchen compliance checklist
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
FusionPrep is a kitchen solution that allows you to bring your recipes and documents into one place. It is focused on back-of-the-house operations, with checklists to manage inventory and recipes.
Why I chose FusionPrep: FusionPrep includes temperature logs, line checks, and other basic restaurant checklists and compliance schedules for food safety. It also stores training materials and allows for employee screening. FusionPrep feeds all its data into an insights dashboard so users can visualize restaurant performance.
That said, FusionPrep is quite limited in functionality. Specifically, it does not allow you to track tasks and receive notifications when they’re completed. While you can create your own documents and checklists, FusionPrep’s template library is very limited.
Learn more about FusionPrepKey Features
- Pre-defined corrective actions
- Centralized reporting and compliance dashboard
- Recipe and inventory management
- Training material management and employee screening
Pros
- Easy to use and configure
- Robust food safety and employee screening features for compliance standards
Cons
- Notifications very limited
- Lack of advanced functionality and templates
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
Compare the Best Restaurant Checklist Apps
| Topic |
Start for free
|
|
|
|
FusionPrep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews |
  |
N/A
|
|
|
N/A
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| Pricing |
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
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Starts at $20/month
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Starts at $17/month
|
Contact vendor for price
|
Contact vendor for price
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| Free Trial |
yes
14-day
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
| Free Plan |
yes
Free Up to 10 users
|
no
|
no
|
no
|
no
|
What Is a Restaurant Checklist App?
Restaurant checklist apps are mobile applications that help restaurant owners and managers manage and monitor tasks, inventories, orders, and deliveries. They may also function as staff scheduling apps and analyze sales data and other important information.
These apps may also let users create custom checklists for each task or area of the restaurant. Some apps also provide features such as reminders for upcoming tasks or alerts when certain items need restocking.
For instance, you can use a cleaning checklist template to ensure you’re completing essential tasks, such as placing pest traps, sanitizing floor mats, properly cleaning and sanitizing cooking equipment and appliances like coffee makers, emptying trash and recycling bins, and more. Advanced apps will even alert you about potential hazards such as cross-contamination when your team hasn’t completed core tasks.
How Does a Restaurant Checklist App Work?
A restaurant checklist app allows you to create, store and manage checklists for all the processes you need to run restaurants. The best ones include a library of pre-made checklists or the ability for users to create custom ones from scratch.
Once created, users can assign items on the list to certain staff members. When an employee has completed the task or passed it on to the next responsible person, the app typically marks the task’s change in status, with notes attached if necessary. More basic apps will simply mark the task as complete or incomplete.
If the restaurant checklist app has notifications and alerts features, it will send reminders to employees when tasks are assigned, due, late, or completed. This ensures that nothing falls through the cracks.
Some checklist apps also feature reporting capabilities so you can generate reports on how well your restaurant is running.
The Benefits of Restaurant Checklist Apps
Generally, you can expect the following benefits from a restaurant checklist app:
- Improved efficiency: A restaurant checklist app can help streamline your operations, reduce redundancies, and improve overall efficiency. With all daily tasks organized into well-structured checklists, you can easily assign and keep track of duties. Staff can store and access relevant supporting documentation, while restaurant owners and managers can better monitor standards and operations.
- Increased productivity: With a restaurant checklist app, managers can quickly determine the priority of tasks and assign roles to employees to enhance productivity, especially in situations of tight staffing and budgeting. These apps can also improve response time from various stakeholders like restaurant owners, managers, staff members, and suppliers by giving instant access to data.
- Better organization: Checklists provide an easy way to organize processes and ensure nothing falls through the cracks. They keep managers updated on the status of each restaurant location and employees on their duties. This also eliminates unnecessary and time-consuming back-and-forth communication between restaurant management and employees.
- Reduced costs: Restaurant checklists reduce costs by cutting down on wasted materials. For example, incorrect orders with suppliers or food expiration could result in significant losses. Checklist apps resolve this by helping employees follow all necessary procedures with the latest industry regulations in mind.
How Much Does a Restaurant Checklist App Cost?
The cost of a restaurant checklist app can vary depending on its features and capabilities. Most apps will offer basic plans that are free or low-cost. Others will provide advanced plans with extra features for a monthly subscription fee. Some may charge an upfront fee for access to their full-service suite. You can expect a good restaurant app to cost around $20 to $40 monthly.
Some providers chose not to disclose their pricing. If that’s the case, you need to contact them for information. Connecteam uses a transparent pricing structure and strives to provide value for as many clients as possible. The small business plan is free for up to 10 users and helps establishments on a limited budget to get a competitive edge in the industry.
>>Get started with Connecteam for free today!<<
FAQs
Is there an app to keep track of restaurants?
Many mobile apps like Connecteam help restaurant owners and managers keep track of tasks, staff schedules, inventories, orders, and deliveries. They allow users to create custom checklists for each area of the restaurant, such as proper cleaning, to ensure nothing gets overlooked.
Is there a free checklist app?
Yes, there are many free restaurant checklist apps available. They typically offer you to create custom checklists, track tasks, and manage schedules. However, if you need more advanced features or extra support, paid plans may be a better option for you. Connecteam offers a free trial and a free small business plan.
What is a task list for a restaurant?
Checklists are necessary for restaurants to guarantee that staff are completing all essential duties for business operations and compliance. They include lists of tasks to be done or verified based on industry standards and procedures, such as a restaurant cleaning schedule checklist.
The Bottom Line On Restaurant Checklist App
Restaurant checklist apps are powerful tools for streamlining the day-to-day operations of restaurants. With customizable to-do lists, task reminders, order-tracking capabilities, and inventory management tools, these apps can help restaurant owners and managers stay organized and compliant with regulations.
Connecteam is the most comprehensive restaurant checklist app solution available. It offers an all-in-one, easy-to-use platform for collaboration, onboarding, compliance, and more. Features include but are not limited to custom forms and checklists, a template library, work schedules, and work chat.
Try out Connecteam today by signing up for a free trial.