--- title: "Donut Shop Checklists (Free)" canonical: "https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/donuts/" --- > Source: https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/donuts/ [Checklists](/checklists/) / Donut Shop # Donut Shop Checklists Seven free checklists - 64 checks in total - covering the failures that actually cost donut shops money: fry oil run past its limit, dirty glaze stations, a case that empties at the peak, cream fillings above 5°C (41°F), and the unsold tail at close. Every check is backed by inspection data, peer-reviewed frying research or published waste studies, cited in full. Where no published number exists, we say so and show you the log that generates it. [Open the free app](/run/donuts/) [Download PDF](/checklists/pdf/peakscale-donuts-checklists.pdf)[Download Excel](/checklists/excel/peakscale-donuts-checklists.xlsx) [**Opening - Fryer Up, Case Full** Oil tested before the first batch, expiry pull done, case filled to the morning peak. Set the bake plan before the doors open. · 13 checks](/checklists/donut-shop-opening-checklist/)[**Fry Oil Quality & Change Cycle** Measure oil breakdown, don't guess it. Oil past its limit costs you flavour, yield and - in most countries - legality. · 9 checks](/checklists/donut-fryer-oil-change-checklist/)[**Glaze, Icing & Topping Station** The most-cited inspection failure in NYC donut shops lives on this table. Clean surfaces, dedicated utensils, protected product. · 9 checks](/checklists/donut-glaze-topping-station-checklist/)[**Display Turnover & Day-part Restock** Full case when it's busy, low and neat by the end of the day. Restock to match how much sells through the day, rotate every time, log every sell-out. · 9 checks](/checklists/donut-display-case-restock-checklist/)[**Cream & Custard-Filled Control** Filled product carries the risk and the shortest life. Cold on arrival, cold on display, gone by close. · 9 checks](/checklists/cream-filled-donut-handling-checklist/)[**Closing - Unsold, Waste & Tomorrow's Bake** Recover what you can, capture the unsold number, and set tomorrow's batch plan before you lock up. · 12 checks](/checklists/donut-shop-closing-checklist/) ## The five rules that protect profit **1\. Test the oil, don't guess it** Colour and smell are not a measurement. A logged oil-breakdown reading decides the change, every day. **2\. Bake to match how much sells through the day, not the habit** Production follows the pattern of time of day and weekday demand you logged - never a fixed number copied from last month. **3\. Full at peak, low and neat by the end of the day** 100% case for the morning rush; tidy up and mark down through the afternoon so nothing sits looking picked over. **4\. Cold filling or no filling** Cream and custard lines stay 0–5°C (32–41°F), get filled in small batches, and never carry over to tomorrow. **5\. Log it or repeat it** Unsold units, sell-out hours and oil readings captured daily are what stop the same loss tomorrow. ## Sources Every statistic on this page comes from public inspection and food-safety data: - [Modified Test Kit for Detecting Polar Compounds in Reused Frying Oil, Foods](https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/9/1572) - [FSAI, Survey of the microbiological safety of ready-to-eat cakes, pastries and desserts](https://www.fsai.ie/getmedia/fa18aa77-da0b-41b0-9003-78226f4f28fa/7937-ready-to-eat-cakes-accessible-\(1\).pdf?ext=.pdf) - [NYC DOHMH Restaurant Inspection Results, dataset 43nn-pn8j](https://data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/43nn-pn8j.json) - [Dynamic Pricing and Organic Waste Bans, Marketing Science](https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/mksc.2020.0214) - [Bread and Bakery Sector Action Plan, Love Food Hate Waste NSW](https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-02/Bread-and-Bakery-Sector-Action-Plan_Full-Report-1.pdf) - [Polar compounds: a quantitative indicator for life cycle assessment during protracted semi-continuous deep fat frying, IJFST 56(8):3903](https://academic.oup.com/ijfst/article/56/8/3903/7806157) - [Toast Restaurant Trends Report, Q1 2024](https://pos.toasttab.com/news/most-popular-coffee-and-tea-drinks-toast-restaurant-trends-report) - [Machine-learning-based demand forecasting against food waste, J. Industrial Ecology 28(5)](https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/inecol/v28y2024i5p1117-1131.html) - [Microbial Contamination of Cream Filled Pastries Supplied in Confectioneries of Zanjan, Iran](https://jnfh.mums.ac.ir/article_11732.html) - [Filtrox, Frying Oil Quality Legislation](https://www.filtrox.com/blog/2023/10/16/frying-oil-quality-legislation/) - [FDA, Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Mini Pastries](https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-mini-pastries-january-2025) - [FDA, Survey Data on Acrylamide in Food: Total Diet Study Results](https://www.fda.gov/food/process-contaminants-food/survey-data-acrylamide-food-total-diet-study-results) - [Commission Regulation](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32017R2158) - [wheresmyshrink.com, Sales and Shrink by Department](http://wheresmyshrink.com/shrinkbydepartment.html)