--- title: "Burger Joint Checklists (Free)" canonical: "https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/burgers/" --- > Source: https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/burgers/ [Checklists](/checklists/) / Burger Joint # Burger Joint Checklists Seven free checklists covering the whole burger joint's day - goods-in, thaw and prep (mise en place), opening and line fire-up, grill and fryer cook temperatures, keeping food hot (hot holding) and assembly, and closing with waste and food cost. 50 of the 59 checks are tied to published evidence: FDA's fast-food risk-factor inspections (keeping food cold (cold holding) out of compliance 68.24% of the time, keeping food hot 23.95%, cooking 10.65%), CDC EHS-Net observations of 234 burgers and 385 restaurants, the only published field survey of fryer-oil breakdown level (TPM), and 2024–2025 US drive-thru benchmarking. The safety temperatures follow the US FDA Food Code and the cost and speed benchmarks are US figures, so hold to your local code and set your own targets where they differ. Where no data exists - how much food is wasted from keeping it hot too long, thaw-rule violations, how long an assembled burger can safely be held - we say so, and the checklist generates the number for you. [Open the free app](/run/burgers/) [Download PDF](/checklists/pdf/peakscale-burgers-checklists.pdf)[Download Excel](/checklists/excel/peakscale-burgers-checklists.xlsx) [**Goods-In & Receiving** The cook line can only be as safe and as cheap as what came through the back door. Probe it, count it, date it, and start tomorrow's thaw today. · 7 checks](/checklists/burger-receiving-checklist/)[**Thaw, Prep & Mise en Place** Every ticket time and every remake is decided here, before service starts. Thaw to the rule, batch to the time of day, label everything. · 9 checks](/checklists/burger-prep-and-mise-en-place-checklist/)[**Opening & Line Fire-Up** Grill up, fryer up, oil tested, probes calibrated, rail cold - before the first ticket, not after the first complaint. · 12 checks](/checklists/burger-opening-checklist/)[**Grill & Fryer - Cook to Temperature** The one check no shortcut survives: put a probe in it. Colour, juices and feel are opinions, not measurements. · 9 checks](/checklists/burger-cooking-temperature-checklist/)[**Hot Holding, Assembly & Speed of Service** Hot above 57°C, cold below 5°C, every batch on a timer, and every bag checked before it leaves the window. · 9 checks](/checklists/burger-hot-holding-and-assembly-checklist/)[**Closing, Waste & Food Cost** Log the discards, cost the day, set tomorrow's thaw. The numbers captured tonight are the order you fix in the morning. · 10 checks](/checklists/burger-closing-checklist/) ## The five rules that protect profit **1\. Probe it, don't judge it** Colour, juices and feel are opinions. 68°C (155°F) for ground beef, 74°C (165°F) for poultry, measured with a probe you calibrated this morning. **2\. Hot or cold, never in between** Cooked product at 57°C (135°F) or above, cold product at 0–5°C (32–41°F). Anything outside both is on a written clock or it is in the bin. **3\. Every batch has a timer** Held product dies on the clock, not on someone's memory. Tag it going in, discard at expiry, never re-time a batch by topping it up. **4\. Stock enough for your busiest hour (par)** Buns, patties and chicken run out at the hour they earn most. Set your stock level for the busiest hour, not the day's average. **5\. Log it or repeat it** Discards, remakes and items you ran out of (stockouts), logged tonight, become tomorrow's prep list and next week's order. What isn't counted repeats. ## 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, Report of the FDA Retail Food Program Database of Foodborne Illness Risk Factors](https://www.fda.gov/media/157223/download) - [CDC EHS-Net, Ground Beef Handling and Cooking Practices in Restaurants in Eight States](https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/48227/cdc_48227_DS1.pdf) - [FDA Food Code 2022, full document](https://www.fda.gov/files/food/published/FDA-FoodCode2022-FullDocument-01182023_0.pdf) - [Food Safety Magazine reporting CDC NORS contributing-factor analysis 2014-2022](https://www.food-safety.com/articles/10209-new-data-from-cdc-on-contributing-factors-of-foodborne-illness-outbreaks-in-20142022) - [CDC, Chicken Preparation](https://www.cdc.gov/restaurant-food-safety/php/practices/chicken-preparation.html) - [FSIS, Salmonella Categorization Process for Raw Chicken Parts and Comminuted Poultry Products](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/2020-12/FSIS%20Salmonella%20Categorization%20Process%20for%20Raw%20Chicken%20Parts%20and%20Comminuted%20Poultry%20Products%20.pdf) - [QSR Magazine with Intouch Insight, The 2025 QSR Drive-Thru Report](https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/the-2025-qsr-drive-thru-report/) - [QSR Magazine, The 2024 QSR Drive-Thru Report](https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/the-2024-qsr-drive-thru-report/) - [Intouch Insight, 2025 Drive-Thru Study: Key Insights from our Annual Report](https://www.intouchinsight.com/blog/drive-thru-trends) - [WRAP, Overview of Waste in the UK Hospitality and Food Service Sector](https://bfff.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/WRAP-Waste-in-the-UK-Hospitality-and-Food-Service-Sector-2012-Report.pdf) - [Mlcek et al., Assessment of Total Polar Materials in Frying Fats from Czech Restaurants, Italian Journal of Food Science](https://www.itjfs.com/index.php/ijfs/article/view/182) - [FDA factsheet, The Occurrence of Foodborne Illness Risk Factors in Fast-Food and Full-Service Restaurants 2017-2018](https://www.fda.gov/media/169391/download) - [National Restaurant Association, Restaurant operators kept food cost ratios in check in 2024](https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/restaurant-economic-insights/analysis-commentary/restaurant-operators-kept-food-cost-ratios-in-check-in-2024/) - [National Restaurant Association, Elevated labor costs had a significant impact on restaurant profitability in 2024](https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/restaurant-economic-insights/analysis-commentary/elevated-labor-costs-had-a-significant-impact-on-restaurant-profitability-in-2024/) - [Bartsch et al., Estimated Cost to a Restaurant of a Foodborne Illness Outbreak, Public Health Reports](https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2018/a-foodborne-illness-outbreak-could-cost-a-restaurant-millions-study-suggests)