Restaurant and Food Service KPI: Checklist Template

1. Food Cost & Yield Controls (COGS) 6 items

Are kitchen prep teams strictly utilizing calibrated digital scales and portion-control scoops for high-cost proteins? Yes / No 10 pts
Is a formal, daily waste log kept next to the prep station with all dropped or expired items recorded by weight? Yes / No 10 pts
Is strict First-In, First-Out (FIFO) rotation visible across all walk-ins, utilizing corporate-approved color-coded day dots? Yes / No 10 pts
Are inventory cycle counts for top-10 high-cost ingredients completed, cross-checked, and logged before opening? Yes / No 9 pts
Are all inbound vendor deliveries checked piece-by-piece against the invoice for shorts or damage before signing? Yes / No 9 pts
COGS & Margin Protection: Rating
- High-Yield Precision 10 pts
- Minor Portioning/Logging Lags 5 pts
- Uncontrolled Waste/High Variance 0 pts

Are the Kitchen Display System (KDS) prep-timer screens functional and displaying accurate green/yellow/red speed thresholds? Yes / No 10 pts
Are average drive-thru or front-counter ticket fulfillment times tracking within the corporate window (e.g., <90 seconds)? Yes / No 10 pts
Is the assembly line completely prepped and "stocked for success" with backup pans before peak rush hours? Yes / No 9 pts
Are order-accuracy double-checks executed by the expeditor or bagger before handing food to guests or delivery drivers? Yes / No 10 pts
Are online/delivery app orders staged in a dedicated, systematically organized pickup zone to eliminate counter friction? Yes / No 8 pts
Throughput Efficiency: Rating
- High-Velocity Flow 10 pts
- Service Lags/Prep Bottlenecks 5 pts
- Fragmented/Chaotic Rush 0 pts

Is the store's sales-per-labor-hour (SPLH) or labor-cost percentage matching or beating the daily budget? Yes / No 10 pts
Is an updated aces-in-their-places deployment matrix posted, assigning top staff to bottleneck positions during peak rushes? Yes / No 9 pts
Are employee shift punches, breaks, and hour adjustments finalized daily in the workforce management platform? Yes / No 9 pts
Is cross-training executed so floor staff can transition instantly between cash registers and the assembly line when lines form? Yes / No 9 pts
Are side-work and deep-cleaning schedules completed during low-volume periods to prevent end-of-shift payroll bleeding? Yes / No 8 pts
Labor Force Productivity: Rating
- Optimized Scheduling 10 pts
- Minor Task Allocation Gaps 5 pts
- Uncontrolled Payroll Spend 0 pts

Did observed order-takers or cashiers deliver a mandatory brand-specific greeting to customers? Yes / No 9 pts
Did staff explicitly execute a promotional upsell or suggest a high-margin combo upgrade during checkout? Yes / No 10 pts
Are digital menu boards, window clings, and POS promotional screens synchronized with the active marketing window? Yes / No 9 pts
Is the impulse purchase zone (beverages, snacks, gift cards) fully stocked and front-faced at the counter? Yes / No 8 pts
Are local mobile app or loyalty rewards scans executed on over 25% of total transactions to build customer lifetime value? Yes / No 9 pts
Sales Culture Quality: Rating
- Active Upsell Culture 10 pts
- Passive/Transactional Focus 5 pts
- Order-Taking Only 0 pts

Are line-holding cabinet timers active and utilized to prevent serving degraded or dried-out product? Yes / No 10 pts
Are critical holding temperatures (hot food >140°F, cold food <41°F) verified and logged every 4 hours? Yes / No 10 pts
Are commercial handwashing stations fully operational, stocked with hot water, soap, and single-use towels? Yes / No 10 pts
Are quaternary ammonium or chlorine sanitizer buckets at the correct chemical PPM strength, verified via test strips? Yes / No 10 pts
Are guest-facing areas (dining tables, beverage bars, restrooms) audited and swept clean on an hourly schedule? Yes / No 9 pts
Operational Integrity: Rating
- Audit Perfect Standards 10 pts
- Minor Logging/Tidiness Gaps 5 pts
- Critical Compliance Risk 0 pts
Final summary Comments