--- title: "Bubble Tea, Boba & Juice Bar Shop Closing Checklist" canonical: "https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/bubble-tea-shop-closing-checklist/" --- > Source: https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/bubble-tea-shop-closing-checklist/ [Checklists](/checklists/) / [Bubble Tea, Boba & Juice Bar](/checklists/bubble-tea-juice/) / Closing, Waste & Cold Chain # Bubble Tea, Boba & Juice Bar Closing, Waste & Cold Chain Checklist A Bubble Tea, Boba & Juice Bar closing checklist has to protect three things overnight: **keeping food cold (cold chain) from delivery to the counter, the equipment, and the numbers that pay for tomorrow**. These 9 checks log fridge temperatures against 0–5°C (32–41°F), strip and sanitize every blender, juicer, shaker, sealer and dispensing tap, air the ice bin, and capture waste weights and stockouts before anyone goes home. The evidence is clear - keeping food cold (cold holding) fails 68.24% of fast-food-format inspections, 48% of sampled drinks carried coliform germs, and sites that measured their waste cut it 26% by weight in a year at a median 7:1 return. [Run this checklist - free](/run/bubble-tea-juice/?list=closing-waste) [Download PDF](/checklists/pdf/peakscale-bubble-tea-juice-checklists.pdf)[Download Excel](/checklists/excel/peakscale-bubble-tea-juice-checklists.xlsx) The checklist · 12 checks ### Close the cold chain **1\. Log fridge, under-counter and display temps three times a day, holding 0–5°C (32–41°F)** Keeping food cold is out of compliance in 68.24% of US FDA fast-food-format inspections - catching a failing unit tonight saves a full case of milk and fruit tomorrow. **2\. Act immediately if out of range: move stock, log the time, tell the manager, and do not sell anything held above 8°C (46°F)** Fresh-cut fruit held at 8°C (46°F) grew 1.37 log of Listeria in 8 days - a fridge that drifts warm is a growth curve, not just an inconvenience. ### Strip, sanitize, and leave nothing wet and closed **3\. Full strip-down sanitize of blenders, juicers, shakers, sealer and every dispensing tap** Testing of dispensed drinks found 48% positive for coliform bacteria - overnight is when a machine you skipped grows germs, and an outbreak at a single small shop has been modelled from USD 4,000 to USD 1.9 million. **4\. Empty, wash and dry pearl pots, syrup pumps and topping tubs; store them dry and covered** A wet container sealed shut overnight is the easiest possible way to lose tomorrow's first batch. **5\. Drain, wipe and air the ice bin on the posted schedule and record the deep-clean date** 93.3% of sampled ice carried some kind of bacteria - the bin needs the same care as a fridge, and no inspection rule will remind you. **6\. Wash hands and switch to clean cloths before handling cleaned equipment** Handwashing fails 65.64% of US FDA fast-food inspections - making clean equipment dirty again at close undoes the whole shift's work. ### Write down the numbers that pay for tomorrow **7\. Log pearl, jelly, cut-fruit and juice waste by weight and reason** Shops that measured waste by category cut it 26% by weight in 12 months and 58% over three years, with a typical 7:1 return - the log is what makes this happen. **8\. Note every stockout, sell-out and topping that ran dry, with the time it happened** A topping that runs dry at 4pm is a downgraded or lost drink - use that time to set tomorrow's par levels. **9\. Reorder produce, milk, pearls, syrups, and toppings that are below par, before the supplier cut-off** Missing the cut-off is a morning stockout on a signature drink; 76% of sites that invested in waste and stock discipline got their money back within the first year. ### Hygiene & Safety **10\. Sanitize counters, prep tables, and door handles, then let them air dry.** Sanitized surfaces stop germs from growing overnight. **11\. Remove all trash and clean the waste and dumpster area before you lock up.** Trash left out overnight attracts pests. **12\. Check the shop again for pests before you lock up, including doors and windows.** A clean, sealed shop overnight keeps pests from moving in. ## Frequently asked questions **What goes on a bubble tea shop closing checklist?** Nine things, in three groups. Keeping food cold (cold chain): log fridge, under-counter and display temperatures against 0–5°C (32–41°F) and act on anything out of range. Equipment: full strip-down sanitize of blenders, juicers, shakers, sealer and dispensing taps; empty, wash and dry pearl pots, syrup pumps and topping tubs and store them dry and covered; drain, wipe and air the ice bin; and wash hands before touching cleaned gear. Numbers: log pearl, jelly, cut-fruit and juice waste by weight and reason, note every stockout with the time it happened, and reorder low stock (par) before the supplier cut-off. **How often should a juice bar or bubble tea shop log fridge temperatures?** Three times a day - opening, mid-shift and closing - against a 0–5°C (32–41°F) range, with cut fruit held at 4°C (39°F) or below and nothing sold that has been held above 8°C (46°F). Keeping food cold (cold holding) is the check restaurants fail most in this type of shop: 290 of 425 fast food restaurants (68.24%) failed in the FDA 2013–2014 risk-factor study, against a 54.6% baseline in 2003. The range is tight because of bacteria growth, not paperwork - fresh-cut fruit showed no Listeria growth at a constant 4°C (39°F) over 8 days but grew to 1.37 log CFU/g at 8°C (46°F). **Is weighing waste worth it in a small drinks shop?** Yes, the published return is strong and fast. Across 114 restaurant sites in 12 countries, waste-cutting programmes delivered a median return of 7:1 over three years, cutting food waste 26% by weight in the first 12 months and 58% over three years, with a 61% cut in money lost. 76% of sites got their money back within the first year and 89% within two, saving more than 2 cents on every dollar of cost of goods sold on a total spend of USD 10,000–20,000 - about 0.4% of average yearly food sales. Measuring waste is what makes this work, which is why pearl, jelly, cut-fruit and juice waste get weighed by reason instead of guessed. ## More Bubble Tea, Boba & Juice Bar checklists [Goods-In & Receiving](/checklists/bubble-tea-juice-bar-receiving-checklist/)[Opening - Brew, Cook & Set Up to Sell](/checklists/bubble-tea-shop-opening-checklist/)[Tapioca Pearls, Jellies & Toppings](/checklists/tapioca-pearl-cook-and-hold-checklist/)[Fresh Produce, Juicing & Blending](/checklists/juice-bar-produce-and-blender-checklist/)[Service Line - Sugar, Ice, Seal & Speed](/checklists/bubble-tea-sugar-ice-and-seal-checklist/)[Weekly Checks](/checklists/bubble-tea-shop-weekly-checklist/) One free app has all of them: [open the Bubble Tea, Boba & Juice Bar Checklists app](/run/bubble-tea-juice/) - offline, no account, add it to your home screen. ## Sources Every statistic on this page comes from public inspection and food-safety data: - [FDA Report on the Occurrence of Foodborne Illness Risk Factors in Fast Food and Full-Service Restaurants, 2013–2014](https://www.fda.gov/media/117509/download) - [FDA 2003 baseline](https://www.fda.gov/media/157223/download) - [Foods](https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/20/3523) - [NYC Open Data DOHMH Restaurant Inspection Results](https://data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/43nn-pn8j.json) - [Journal of Water and Health 15(3):410](https://iwaponline.com/jwh/article/15/3/410/28453/Microbiological-quality-of-ice-and-ice-machines) - [Food Safety News on the Int. J. Food Microbiology soda-fountain study](https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/01/study-finds-bacteria-in-soda-machines/) - [RMUTSB Academic Journal, 'Microbiological quality of bubble tea beverages'](https://li01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/rmutsb-sci/article/view/251912) - [Int. J. Food Science & Technology 59(7):4716](https://academic.oup.com/ijfst/article/59/7/4716/7911537) - [Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety, 'Sugar and Energy Contents of Common Non-Indigenous Tea-Based Beverages in Hong Kong'](https://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_n_01_26_abstract.html) - [Food Protection Trends](https://www.foodprotection.org/files/food-protection-trends/Aug-12-Fishburn.pdf) - [Champions 12.3 / WRAP / WRI, 'The Business Case for Reducing Food Loss and Waste: Restaurants'](https://champions123.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/the-business-case-reducing-food-loss-and-waste-restaurants.pdf) - [Intouch Insight, 2025 Drive-Thru Study](https://www.intouchinsight.com/blog/drive-thru-trends) - [NACS, 'Starbucks Cuts Wait Time by Two Minutes'](https://www.convenience.org/stay-current/news/2025/april/30/6-starbucks-cuts-wait-time-by-two-minutes_fs) - [Consumer Reports, 'We Tested Bubble Tea for Lead. Here's What We Found.'](https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-contaminants/we-tested-bubble-tea-for-lead-here-is-what-we-found-a1681465194/) - [Taipei Times, 'Six tea products fail inspections for pesticides in Taipei'](https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2025/04/29/2003836012) - [Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health](https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2018/a-foodborne-illness-outbreak-could-cost-a-restaurant-millions-study-suggests) - [Canadian Journal of Public Health](https://link.springer.com/article/10.17269/s41997-021-00599-0) - [Int. J. Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12966-023-01422-4) - [Boston University SPH on the JAMA Health Forum study](https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2024/sugary-drink-tax-prompts-substantial-decline-in-purchases/) - [UK Food Standards Agency, 'Food Hygiene Rating Scheme Audit of Display and Business Survey: 2024'](https://science.food.gov.uk/article/138241-food-hygiene-rating-scheme-audit-of-display-and-business-survey-2024) - [Grand View Research, Bubble Tea Market Report](https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/bubble-tea-market)