A kitchen prep list template can help your kitchen staff get ready for service. After all, there’s a lot of kitchen prep work that needs to get done. From washing and chopping up vegetables to grilling fish or meats, your kitchen staff are responsible for preparing, organizing, and storing ingredients so they are easily accessible during service and ready to be used. To help your staff stay organized and prepared to keep up with guest expectations, it’s time to download and start using this daily and weekly restaurant prep list template!
What is a Kitchen Prep List?
A restaurant prep list is a list of itemized ingredients and the amounts that must be prepared each day. Ideally, a different kitchen prep list should be used by your prep cooks at particular stations, like at your grill station, fry station, and saute station.
For example, let’s say your prep cook has listed cucumber as an item to be prepared at your restaurant’s salad station. Next, your prep cook will need to figure out how many slices of cucumber to cut and store inside a container depending on your restaurant portion sizes. This way, your prep cook can quickly and easily take cucumber slices from the container to add to salad dishes as soon as they’re needed.
Each day or week, your kitchen staff can fill out a blank kitchen prep list template to list what ingredients they have on hand and what they need to prepare in advance to meet guests’ demands during service. And to ensure you and your kitchen staff have enough of each ingredient every week, a restaurant order guide template is a great tool to use to stay organized.
How To Use a Kitchen Prep List Template
With a better understanding of the value of a kitchen prep list, now it’s vital to learn how your staff can use this handy tool to make sure your kitchen is always ready for service – regardless of whether your restaurant has a big or small menu. Here’s a quick breakdown of how your kitchen staff can fill out a blank kitchen prep list template.
Item
In the Item column of your free kitchen prep list template, your prep cooks can fill out an itemized list of ingredients that are prepared at their particular station. For example, a prep cook who is working at a grilling station could list items such as salmon filets, beef strip loins, and lamb chops.
Par
For the Par column, your prep cooks can list the quantity needed per item. Quantity can be measured in any form your restaurant uses, like by counting individual pieces, or by measuring weight in ounces, pounds, or quarts.
To Prep
Finally, it’s time to figure out what your prep cooks need to prepare to meet the par. This section is easy for them to fill out by taking what they have on hand and minusing the par. Knowing what needs to be prepared at every station in your restaurant is essential for keeping your kitchen operations running smoothly.
Benefits of Using Your Kitchen Prep List Template
After you’ve filled out your restaurant prep list, it’s time to measure your success. These are some benefits you might encounter from using a prep list template to keep your kitchen organized:
Faster Service
An organized kitchen prep list tells your kitchen staff what exact items they need to prepare in advance so that orders can be fired as soon as they are received. This also keeps order times to a minimum.
Boost Customer Satisfaction
No guest likes to find out that a particular item ran out after they ordered it. Using a kitchen prep list template ensures that your customers will be able to order any item from your menu and it can be prepared right away.
Save Food Prep Time
A restaurant prep list template helps your kitchen staff stay organized so they know exactly what ingredients they need to prepare from the minute they show up to work.
Reduce Food Waste
By ensuring that your prep cooks know the exact quantities of ingredients to prepare, you can prevent overpreparing and food spoilage.
If you want to help your kitchen staff stay organized and ensure they’re able to prepare ingredients quickly and efficiently, download this restaurant prep list template for free today! Inside, you’ll gain access to a daily and weekly kitchen prep list that your kitchen staff can use to speed up prep time, reduce food waste, and deliver great service at a level of speed and quality that guests expect!