Kitchen Side Work Chart

Assigned Work for Cooks and Chefs

Does your kitchen team leave the next shift set up for success? Do they keep up with clean-as-you-go habits, or are they scrambling for missing items during peak times? Keep BOH organized and accountable with a kitchen side work chart that assigns clear tasks, timing, and standards for every station. Using a structured restaurant side work chart turns chaos into flow and makes your restaurant side work routine measurable and repeatable.

When you use this proven system, your kitchen runs more smoothly and your prep stays on pace. You’ll also keep staff accountable by assigning specific tasks that must be completed before, during, and after rush periods. A well-designed kitchen side work chart makes it easy to distribute duties evenly and verify completion with manager initials, just like a robust restaurant side work checklist should.

The organization and preparation of your kitchen are major drivers of food quality and ticket times. Use this form correctly and consistently to ensure each shift is set up for success—AM sets up PM, and PM sets up AM. Pair your restaurant side work plan with par sheets and prep guides so stations stay stocked and sanitary.

How Managers Use the Form

Managers should review any discrepancies with the kitchen staff at lineup so expectations are clear. Treat the restaurant side work chart as both a coaching tool and a paper trail. This provides visibility across shifts and helps you spot patterns, like recurring restock gaps or cleaning misses. When combined with your restaurant side work checklist, you’ll see faster closes, cleaner stations, and fewer fire drills during peak.

How to use the Kitchen Side Work Chart?

Assign the first page of the kitchen side work chart to the first, second, third, and fourth cooks in schedule order. Assign the second page to the closing cook with end-of-shift duties that align with your restaurant side work checklist. Standard tasks include restocking stations, rotating product, sanitizing contact surfaces, sweeping and mopping zones, and documenting temperatures—core elements of consistent restaurant side work.

You can edit this form to fit your restaurant’s needs. If you need assistance, email us at Workplacewizards@gmail.com or call (800) 753-0657 | Local (717) 774-3698. We can customize your restaurant side work chart and build a location-specific restaurant side work checklist that mirrors your menu and volume.

Another great resource is the Server Side Work Chart. Use the server chart to assign FOH duties so dining room, expo, and beverage stations stay guest-ready. When servers review their assignments at clock-in and complete them before clock-out, the restaurant side work loop is closed across FOH and BOH. Managers can then verify completion against both the server chart and the restaurant side work checklist for consistent standards every day.

Kitchen Side Work Chart

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Page 1

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Page 2

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Another great resource is:

The Server Side Work Chart – Use this server side-work chart to assign server’s specific duties to ensure that the shift is set up for success. When the servers arrive at work they review the server side work chart to determine what their side work is. The Server must complete the assigned work before they leave their shift. Ideally, they finish side work near the start of their shifts. The assigned server also needs to keep up with their side work all throughout the shift and before the end of the shift. The closing manager or closing server will check to see if the server closed down the assigned side work correctly.