Cleaning and sanitation

Dish Room Checklist: Dishes, Smallwares and Dish Machines

Who checks: Sous chef, shift manager or lead dishwasher
When: Daily in the middle of the shift and after the peak hour
Time: ~20 min · 28 items

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Location

Date and time

Inspector

Signature

The dish room rarely gets a manager's attention until problems start: spotted glasses, greasy plates in the dining room, running out of dishes during the rush and a broken machine. Yet everything guests eat and drink from passes through it, and poorly washed dishes lead straight to complaints and health risks.

Check the dish room while it is running, not after cleanup: that way you see how the machine is really loaded, where dirty dishes pile up and where clean ones go. Start with the machine display and chemicals, then look at the process, manual warewashing and storage. Record temperatures in the log if your procedures require it.

Dish machine

1
Wash temperature meets the machine specification Read the display during a cycle. The target is in the manufacturer's manual (for most machines around 55–70 °C / 130–160 °F). Critical Photo
☐ Yes☐ No
2
Rinse temperature meets the machine specification Check the display during the rinse phase. For high-temperature machines it is usually around 80–90 °C / 180–195 °F; see the manual for the exact value. Critical Photo
☐ Yes☐ No
3
Wash and rinse temperatures on the display, °C or °F Record both values separated by a slash, e.g. "60 / 84". Record a value
4
Detergent and rinse aid are feeding into the machine Containers are not empty, pickup tubes reach the bottom and are not swapped, dispensers are connected. The machine shows no low-chemical alarm.
☐ Yes☐ No
5
Scrap screens in the wash tank are clear of food debris Pull the screen: no buildup of rice, bones or napkins. They are typically cleaned at least at every tank change.
☐ Yes☐ No
6
Wash tank water has been changed on schedule Water is not cloudy, with no grease film or heavy foam. The time of the last change is recorded or known to the operator.
☐ Yes☐ No
7
Wash and rinse arm nozzles are not clogged Arms spin freely, holes are free of scale and food debris. If dishes in one corner of the rack come out worse, check the nozzles first.
☐ Yes☐ No

Scraping and racking

8
Food is scraped into a waste bin before loading Plates go into the machine with no food, bones or napkins. The drop-off window has a bin and scraper or a pre-rinse sprayer for this.
☐ Yes☐ No
9
Items are racked by type Glasses upside down in glass racks, flatware in flatware cylinders, plates in peg racks facing the spray arms.
☐ Yes☐ No
10
Racks are not overloaded Plates are spaced and not stacked on top of each other; glasses do not touch.
☐ Yes☐ No
11
The dirty dish drop-off is not overflowing Dirty dishes are not stacked on the floor or nearby surfaces; servers have room to set down a tray. Photo
☐ Yes☐ No

Wash results

12
Plates come out clean with no greasy film Take 5 plates from a freshly washed rack and run a finger across the surface: no greasiness or dried-on particles. Critical
☐ Yes☐ No
13
Glasses have no spots or lipstick marks Hold 5 glasses up to the light. If glasses are polished, it is done with a clean, dry cloth — not an apron. Photo
☐ Yes☐ No
14
Flatware has no spots or food between fork tines Check 10 pieces from the clean flatware cylinder.
☐ Yes☐ No
15
Chipped and cracked dishes are taken out of service No plates with chipped rims or cracked glasses among the clean dishes. Damaged items go into a separate bin for write-off.
☐ Yes☐ No

Manual warewashing of kitchen smallwares

16
Manual washing follows separate steps in separate sink compartments Compartments are labeled: wash with detergent, rinse, sanitize where required. Smallwares are not washed in one compartment "under the tap".
☐ Yes☐ No
17
Sanitizer solution is mixed according to the product instructions Concentration is checked with a test strip or mixed with a measuring container. Mixing time is noted if the solution has a limited life.
☐ Yes☐ No
18
Hotel pans and sauté pans have no burnt-on residue or grease outside Check 3–4 clean hotel pans: bottoms and corners are clean with no traces of the previous product.
☐ Yes☐ No
19
Scrub brushes and sponges are in good condition Brushes have no trapped food, sponges are not falling apart. Separate tools are used for dishes and for floors.
☐ Yes☐ No
20
Cutting boards dry on edge in a rack after washing Boards are not stacked wet. Boards with deep cuts and discoloration are set aside for replacement.
☐ Yes☐ No

Clean dish storage

21
Clean dishes are kept away from the dirty area The clean dish rack is separate from the drop-off window and waste bin; spray from the pre-rinse does not reach it.
☐ Yes☐ No
22
Clean dishes are stored on shelves or in cabinets, not on the floor The bottom shelf is raised off the floor, plate stacks are stable, glasses stand upside down in racks or on shelves. Photo
☐ Yes☐ No
23
Clean flatware is stored handles up Servers pick flatware from the cylinders by the handle without touching the eating surface.
☐ Yes☐ No

Chemicals and dishwasher safety

24
All detergents and sanitizers are in labeled containers Chemicals are in original containers or labeled spray bottles. No water or beverage bottles with chemicals inside. Critical
☐ Yes☐ No
25
The dishwasher wears gloves and a waterproof apron Gloves are intact; safety glasses are used when handling concentrates if the safety data sheet requires it.
☐ Yes☐ No
26
Chemical dilution instructions are posted at the dish station Instructions are clear to every team member regardless of language: product, dose per volume of water, contact time, first aid for skin contact.
☐ Yes☐ No
27
The dish room floor has no puddles and the floor drain works The drain grate is not clogged; anti-slip mats are down or the floor has a non-slip finish.
☐ Yes☐ No
28
The hood over the machine works and condensation does not drip from the ceiling When the machine opens, steam goes into the hood; no drips on the ceiling and walls and no mold in the corners.
☐ Yes☐ No

This template is a starting point. Check the limits and wording against your local regulations, your company standards and the equipment manufacturers' instructions.

jeCheck · https://jecheck.io/en/templates/restaurant-dishwashing

Common violations

An empty rinse aid or detergent container nobody noticed. The machine keeps running, but dishes come out spotted and poorly cleaned — often only discovered through a complaint from the dining room.
A water bottle filled with diluted chemicals. This is a real cause of poisoning among staff and guests, which is why chemicals must only be in labeled containers.
The wash tank is not changed all shift: water full of grease and food stops cleaning, and dishes just get wetted with dirty solution.
Chipped dishes go back into service because "we're short on plates". A chipped rim can injure a guest and is a hygiene problem in itself.
Clean glasses are polished with an apron or a table rag, undoing all of the machine's work.

Frequently asked questions

Check the specification of your machine: high-temperature models typically wash at around 55–70 °C (130–160 °F) and rinse at around 80–90 °C (180–195 °F); chemical-sanitizing machines run lower. If the machine does not reach temperature, have the booster heater and heating elements checked by a service technician.

Per the manufacturer's instructions and your procedures, but always when it is visibly dirty or foamy, and several times a shift in a busy kitchen. Clean the scrap screens at every water change.

If the machine is what makes dishes safe, it is worth recording temperatures and sanitizer concentration at least once a shift. It quickly reveals a failing booster heater and protects the restaurant during an inspection.

Employee test on this topic

Food hygiene and safety Dishwasher Test: Washing, Sanitizing and Chemicals Dishwasher (kitchen porter) test with answers and explanations: washing sequence, dish machine, sanitizing, chemical safety, drying and order. 17 questions · ~13 min

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