Seven free Ghost Kitchen & Dark Kitchen checklists covering the whole day - goods-in and packaging stock, opening with brand-separated stations and getting the menu live, packing orders and tamper sealing, handing off to the courier and the pickup-time promise (SLA), keeping food hot and keeping delivery temperature right, and closing with the refund, rating and menu-sync loop. 48 of the 58 checks are backed by published evidence: Intouch Insight's 600 mystery-shopped delivery orders, DoorDash's published rules on avoidable waits and order-error payment adjustments, FSA research on allergen information when selling from a distance, a Columbia University gluten-sensor study of 5,624 tests, an MDPI trial of 249 hot meals under simulated delivery, and inspection records from 61 multi-brand ghost-kitchen units. A few checks are not backed this way - the sealed-bag sitting-time limit, the seal-at-source temperature check, the one-order-at-a-time packing rule. We label these as our own numbers on the page instead of dressing them up as official standards. Where nothing solid is published - seal-failure rates, the point where delivery apps deactivate you, the real temperature at the customer's door - we say so plainly instead of repeating a vendor blog. The checklist works out the number for your own kitchen.
Goods-In, Packaging & Seal StockA delivery-only kitchen has two supply chains - food and packaging. Run out of either and orders stop leaving the building. · 7 checksOpening - Stations, Storefronts & Menu Go-LiveSeparate the brands, build the packing bench, and take every storefront live with a menu the line can actually cook. · 14 checksOrder Packing, Labels & Tamper SealThe one checklist that pays for the pack. Everything you fail to catch before the seal goes on becomes a refund, a error charge and a review. · 9 checksCourier Handoff & Pickup TimingCook to the courier, not to the clock. Every minute a sealed bag sits on the shelf is heat, rating and payout leaving the building. · 7 checksHot-Hold, Chill & Delivery Temp RetentionHold it in range, pack it to stay in range, and count what you threw away. Temperature is a complaint you can actually stop before it happens. · 8 checksClosing - Complaints, Ratings & Tomorrow's MenuWork today's refunds and ratings while they can still be disputed, reset every menu, and hand over a kitchen that opens clean. · 10 checksEvery statistic on this page comes from public inspection and food-safety data: