--- title: "Frozen Yogurt Shop Closing Checklist" canonical: "https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/frozen-yogurt-shop-closing-checklist/" --- > Source: https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/frozen-yogurt-shop-closing-checklist/ [Checklists](/checklists/) / [Frozen Yogurt Shop](/checklists/frozen-yogurt/) / Closing - Record, Clean Up & Protect # Frozen Yogurt Shop Closing Checklist Closing a frozen yogurt shop is 9 checks. Capture the numbers. Decide every hopper deliberately. Leave the machine in the state that makes tomorrow's open a ten-minute job. The hopper decision matters most. Run the approved heat-treat cycle, or dump and tear down. Never leave it and see. **80% of surveyed operators leave mix in the machine overnight**, and only heat-treat equipment is built for it. Every check is backed by a cited source, including the NSW Food Authority survey and FDA frozen-dessert inspection data. [Run this checklist - free](/run/frozen-yogurt/?list=closing) [Download PDF](/checklists/pdf/peakscale-frozen-yogurt-checklists.pdf)[Download Excel](/checklists/excel/peakscale-frozen-yogurt-checklists.xlsx) The checklist · 12 checks ### Record the data that drives tomorrow **1\. Enter today's waste, sell-outs, and machine-downtime minutes into the log** Tomorrow's mix batches and topping fills depend on this data. Close the loop every night, or you will repeat the same loss. **2\. Write down how much of each flavor was drawn. Flag any flavor that is below your minimum sales level for rotation.** A flavor nobody draws still takes up a barrel, a mix carton, and a spot on the menu. Rotate it out while customers still expect something new. **3\. Reorder mix and toppings that are below par before the order cut-off time** If you miss the cut-off, tomorrow opens with a dead tap. That is the one failure that actually makes customers walk out. ### Clean up and start the cycle **4\. Make a clear decision for each hopper: run the approved heat-treatment cycle, or dump it and tear it down. Never just ‘leave it and see’.** Leaving mix in overnight is the most common practice in this business, and it is only safe on a machine built and running the right cycle for it. **5\. Take apart, wash, sanitize, and air-dry all hand-cleaned parts and the draw area** Parts stacked away wet, or a sticky draw handle, undo the whole cleaning cycle before the first cup tomorrow. **6\. Empty, wash, sanitize, and air-dry the topping bins, lids, and utensils. Store them dry and upside down.** Bins that are washed but stored damp grow back what the sanitizer just killed. Drying is part of the cleaning, not something you do after. ### Protect stock overnight **7\. Seal and date toppings that can spoil, and put them back in the chiller at no more than 5°C (41°F)** The cheapest waste to avoid is a tub you already opened and already paid for. **8\. Confirm every machine is left in the correct overnight mode. Never switch it off.** A machine switched off overnight ruins the mix inside it and can take hours to cool back down. That means a late opening and a lost morning. **9\. Reconcile the cash, and check the difference between weight sold and what you expected** Comparing weight sold against mix used is your fastest way to catch scale (tare) errors, overrun drift, and giving away free product. ### Hygiene & Safety **10\. Take all trash out to the outside bin before you lock up.** Trash left inside overnight attracts pests. **11\. Look for signs of pests near bins, corners, and storage areas.** A quick look catches a pest problem before it grows. **12\. Clean and sanitize the dining room tables and restrooms before you leave.** A clean dining room protects your health rating and your reputation. ## Frequently asked questions **What should you do with leftover frozen yogurt mix at close?** Decide each hopper deliberately: run the approved heat-treatment cycle on a machine built for it, or dump the mix and tear the barrel down. 80% of businesses in the NSW Food Authority survey (77 of 97) left unused mix in the machine overnight. This is only safe on heat-treat equipment. Taylor says its heat-treat machines keep hoppers below 41°F (5°C) in Auto and Standby with a daily heating and cooling cycle. They need to be taken apart once every fourteen days. **Should a frozen yogurt machine be switched off overnight?** No. Leave every machine in the correct overnight mode. Use Auto or Standby on heat-treat equipment. Never switch it off. A machine switched off ruins the mix in it. It can take hours to pull back down. That means a late open and a lost morning. Machines being broken is already a real cost in this category. U.S. PIRG reports 12 to 15% of McDonald's ice cream machines are regularly out of service nationwide. **What should a frozen yogurt shop log at closing?** Waste by reason, sell-outs, machine downtime minutes and volume drawn per flavour. The flavour volumes decide which flavours you rotate out. Technomic found 68% of consumers said new or exciting products were a deciding factor in where to eat in 2025, up from 62% in 2022. More than 25% actively look for new or unique flavours regularly. The waste and downtime figures set tomorrow's mix batching and topping fill levels. ## More Frozen Yogurt Shop checklists [Mix & Toppings Delivery Check](/checklists/frozen-yogurt-mix-receiving-checklist/)[Opening - Machine Ready, Bar Ready](/checklists/frozen-yogurt-shop-opening-checklist/)[Soft-Serve Machine - Cleaning, Heat Treatment & Overrun](/checklists/frozen-yogurt-machine-cleaning-checklist/)[Topping Bar & Self-Serve Hygiene](/checklists/frozen-yogurt-topping-bar-hygiene-checklist/)[Weighing Accuracy, Temperatures & Waste](/checklists/frozen-yogurt-scale-and-temperature-checklist/)[Weekly Checks](/checklists/frozen-yogurt-weekly-checklist/) One free app has all of them: [open the Frozen Yogurt Shop Checklists app](/run/frozen-yogurt/) - offline, no account, add it to your home screen. ## Sources Every statistic on this page comes from public inspection and food-safety data: - [NSW Food Authority - Soft serve & frozen yoghurt survey](https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/_Documents/scienceandtechnical/soft_serve_and_frozen_yoghurt.pdf) - [Maricopa County ESD, Food Code 4-602.11 guidance](https://maricopa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/39748/freal-Machines-PDF-Archived?bidId=) - [Taylor Ultimate Services - Taylor Heat Treatment](https://taylorus.com/our-products/taylor-heat-treatment/) - [WAC Chapter 16-144, Processing Frozen Desserts](https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/law/WACArchive/2020/pdf/WAC%20%2016%20%20TITLE/WAC%20%2016%20-144%20%20CHAPTER/WAC%20%2016%20-144%20%20COMBINEDCHAPTER.pdf) - [Massachusetts DPH - Frozen Desserts licensing policy](https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/10/26/license-frozen-desserts.pdf) - [FDA - FY16/17 Inspection and Environmental Sampling of Ice Cream Production Facilities](https://www.fda.gov/food/sampling-protect-food-supply/fy1617-inspection-and-environmental-sampling-ice-cream-production-facilities-listeria-monocytogenes) - [Food Safety Magazine - Outbreaks and Recalls Associated With Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Products](https://www.food-safety.com/articles/9578-outbreaks-of-foodborne-illnesses-and-recalls-associated-with-ice-cream-and-frozen-dessert-products) - [U.S. PIRG - McDonald's ice cream machines remain broken](https://pirg.org/articles/mcdonalds-ice-cream-machines-remain-broken/) - [Restaurant Magazine on the MachineQ 2026 equipment downtime report](https://www.restaurantmagazine.com/restaurant-equipment-downtime-cost-machineq-2026-report/) - [Taylor Company - Soft Serve Overrun: The Air-to-Profit Connection](https://www.taylor-company.com/what-is-soft-serve-overrun-and-why-does-it-matter/) - [eCFR - 21 CFR 135.110 Ice cream and frozen custard](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-135/subpart-B/section-135.110) - [CDFA Division of Measurement Standards - Quantity Control notice QC 13-04](https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/dms/notices/qc/2013/QC-13-04.pdf) - [Green LR et al., Food worker hand washing practices: an observation study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17066921/) - [Restaurant Dive - LTOs and value are key to solving restaurant traffic downturn: Technomic](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/Technomic-nra-2025-featured-session-ltos-traffic-chilis-taco-bell/748553/) - [Restaurant Dive - Restaurant LTOs are booming thanks to health, novelty and value](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/gas-prices-glp-1s-restaurant-lto-innovations/820445/) - [International Frozen Yogurt Association - 2022 Froyo Chain Location Count](https://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/news/2022-froyo-chain-location-count/) - [Restaurant Business Online - The second frozen yogurt craze continues its long decline](https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/second-frozen-yogurt-craze-continues-its-long-decline) - [ReFED / U.S. Food Waste Pact Data Report 2025](https://foodwastepact.refed.org/uploads/pact-data-report-2025-final-1.pdf)