Build a practical pre-service bar checklist

Start with the service you are about to run

A generic “stock checked” tick says little about tonight’s menu. Read the current recipes against what guests can choose and check the complete serve, from ingredient to glass.

Use what you know about bookings and comparable services to plan preparation. When demand is uncertain, agree who reviews the position during the shift.

This checklist covers cocktail-service readiness. Use it alongside the venue’s existing safety and compliance procedures.

A printable opening checklist

One-page landscape worksheet. Print and write; not a digitally fillable form. Use your normal paper size and print at actual size.

Download A4 PDFDownload US Letter PDF

Write the service/date and shift lead above the table. Use one of three states: ready, action needed or unavailable. Write a person’s name against responsibility and an actual time or trigger for the recheck.

1. Current recipes and recent changes available to the team
2. Usable ingredients checked against every menu drink
3. Prepared components and garnishes ready under venue procedures
4. Required glasses and ice ready; replenishment arranged
5. Measures, tools and equipment ready at the station
6. Guest menu and ingredient information reflect today’s serves
7. Order receipt, preparation and handover responsibilities agreed
8. Bar and floor teams briefed; open actions handed over

Use “ready” only when the check is complete. “Action needed” needs a next step, not just a tick. “Unavailable” must lead to a menu and team decision before orders begin.

For a digital menu, open the guest view. Check printed menus and the information used by colleagues taking orders too. Walk through how an order reaches the person making it and how completion is communicated.

Turn an unresolved check into a service decision

Example opening scenario: the house berry syrup is not ready, and it is used in both a gin cocktail and an alcohol-free spritz. Both drinks need attention, even if one is ordered less often.

1. House berry syrup

   Action needed

   Responsible person

   Preparation lead

   Action

   Confirm whether preparation can be completed before opening.

   Recheck

   Before the opening briefing.

2. Berry gin cocktail and alcohol-free berry spritz

   Unavailable pending syrup

   Responsible person

   Shift lead

   Action

   Pause both choices on guest menus; tell the bar and floor teams.

   Recheck

   When the preparation lead reports the syrup ready.

3. Complete serves and guest menu

   Action needed

   Responsible person

   Shift lead

   Action

   Recheck both recipes and all components; restore only when each can be served as agreed.

   Recheck

   Confirm the guest view and brief the team after restoration.

On your working checklist, write the actual person responsible for each action.

Give the briefing something clear to resolve

Focus on changes, unavailable choices, outstanding preparation and who handles questions. Ask a colleague to explain the main change back in their own words; a different interpretation is easier to fix before the first order.

If an action cannot be completed, make the consequence explicit. The menu needs to reflect that decision. A colleague joining later should find the same current information rather than rely on several separate conversations.

Close the opening review, then keep service updates separate

Before opening, confirm which actions are closed and which remain with a named owner. After service, note recurring gaps and adjust the next checklist. An item that repeatedly says “check stock” may need a more precise description of the shared ingredient that keeps running short.

This is the opening review. For a shortage arising while guests are ordering, use Keep your cocktail menu aligned with what’s available. For the underlying recipe record, use Standardise cocktail recipes across your bar team.