--- title: "Ghost Kitchen & Dark Kitchen Checklists (Free)" canonical: "https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/ghost-kitchens/" --- > Source: https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/ghost-kitchens/ [Checklists](/checklists/) / Ghost Kitchen & Dark Kitchen # Ghost Kitchen & Dark Kitchen Checklists 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. [Open the free app](/run/ghost-kitchens/) [Download PDF](/checklists/pdf/peakscale-ghost-kitchens-checklists.pdf)[Download Excel](/checklists/excel/peakscale-ghost-kitchens-checklists.xlsx) [**Goods-In, Packaging & Seal Stock** A delivery-only kitchen has two supply chains - food and packaging. Run out of either and orders stop leaving the building. · 7 checks](/checklists/ghost-kitchen-goods-in-checklist/)[**Opening - Stations, Storefronts & Menu Go-Live** Separate the brands, build the packing bench, and take every storefront live with a menu the line can actually cook. · 14 checks](/checklists/ghost-kitchen-opening-checklist/)[**Order Packing, Labels & Tamper Seal** The 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 checks](/checklists/ghost-kitchen-order-packing-checklist/)[**Courier Handoff & Pickup Timing** Cook 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 checks](/checklists/ghost-kitchen-courier-handoff-checklist/)[**Hot-Hold, Chill & Delivery Temp Retention** Hold 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 checks](/checklists/ghost-kitchen-food-temperature-checklist/)[**Closing - Complaints, Ratings & Tomorrow's Menu** Work today's refunds and ratings while they can still be disputed, reset every menu, and hand over a kitchen that opens clean. · 10 checks](/checklists/ghost-kitchen-closing-checklist/) ## The five rules that protect profit **1\. Sealed or it doesn't leave** Every opening on every bag gets a tamper seal. No exceptions for rush orders - the unsealed bag is the one that comes back as a refund. **2\. Read it back before you seal it** The ticket is checked against the bag while the bag is still open. After the seal it is not a fix, it is a error charge. **3\. Cook to the courier, not to the clock** Start cooking based on the quoted prep time, so the food waits a few minutes for the courier - never the other way round. **4\. 86 it everywhere, immediately** An item that is out on the line but live on the app is a cancellation with your name on it. Sync every platform, every brand, in minutes. **5\. Every complaint is a prep note** Refunds, error adjustments and one-star reviews get read and categorised before the next shift prepares, or you buy the same error twice. ## Sources Every statistic on this page comes from public inspection and food-safety data: - [Intouch Insight 2025 Third-Party Delivery Study](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/intouch-insight-study-c-stores-narrow-the-gap-with-restaurants-for-key-metrics-in-third-party-delivery-study-302555812.html) - [Restaurant Dive on eduMe survey](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/study-diners-are-dependent-on-food-delivery-but-are-sensitive-to-order-inaccuracies/623372/) - [FSA - Allergen information for non-prepacked foods: key findings](https://science.food.gov.uk/article/142304-allergen-information-for-non-prepacked-foods-key-findings-from-consumers-and-food-service-workers) - [DoorDash Merchant Help - What are Order Error Adjustments?](https://help.doordash.com/en-us/merchants/article/what-are-order-error-adjustments) - [Intouch Insight - KPIs for online food delivery](https://www.intouchinsight.com/blog/kpis-for-online-food-delivery) - [Intouch Insight press release, 18 Sep 2024](https://www.intouchinsight.com/press-releases/doordash-leads-thirdparty-delivery) - [DoorDash Merchant Learning Center - How to reduce avoidable Dasher wait time](https://merchants.doordash.com/en-us/learning-center/avoidable-wait) - [Lebwohl et al., Am J Gastroenterology 2019](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190405170447.htm) - [Retail Brew on US Foods](https://www.retailbrew.com/stories/2023/02/15/many-delivery-drivers-admit-to-taking-food-from-orders-and-tamper-evident-packaging-could-keep-them-out-of-the-chicken-nuggets) - [Otter data release via Business Wire](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240311195405/en/Mexico-Restaurants-Lose-up-to-4-of-Their-Online-Orders-Due-to-Cancellations) - [Foods](https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2605) - [Restaurant Dive](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/reefs-ghost-kitchen-expansion-mired-in-permit-health-inspection-infractio/610853/) - [Nation's Restaurant News](https://www.nrn.com/delivery-takeout-solutions/uber-eats-has-already-removed-8000-virtual-restaurants-its-system-amid) - [Luca, Reviews, Reputation, and Revenue](https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/12-016_a7e4a5a2-03f9-490d-b093-8f951238dba2.pdf) - [Lincolnshire County Council trading standards](https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/news/article/132/indian-restaurant-fined-for-selling-allergen-free-curry-containing-peanuts) - [FSA - Consumer needs and food hygiene ratings online](https://science.food.gov.uk/article/123520-understanding-consumer-needs-in-relation-to-food-hygiene-ratings-in-an-online-food-ordering-environment) - [Sheffield Hallam University](https://www.shu.ac.uk/news/all-articles/latest-news/dark-kitchens-2) - [NC State study via Quality Assurance & Food Safety](https://www.qualityassurancemag.com/news/many-meal-kit-deliveries-contain-perishable-food-items-above-the-recommended-temperature/) - [FSA sampling survey via Food Safety News](https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2026/07/fsa-survey-reveals-authenticity-and-allergen-problems/) - [DoorDash merchant blog](https://merchants.doordash.com/en-us/blog/how-to-increase-restaurant-sales) - [University of Sheffield / NIHR research via PA](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/dark-kitchens-represent-15-uk-135019717.html) - ['Going dark or under the radar?', Food Control 2025, via Food Safety News](https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2025/02/study-assesses-food-safety-challenges-with-dark-kitchens/)