Free onboarding template · Food service

Kitchen staff induction checklist

A kitchen staff induction checklist covers what a new cook, chef or kitchen hand needs before they work a service: food safety and hygiene rules, allergens, safe use of knives and equipment, the cleaning schedule and their station. Inducting every new starter the same way keeps food safe and the line running.

Updated October 2026 · PDF, Word and CSV · Free to use, don’t resell

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Onboarding checklist template

Check this template against your local regulations and your own policies before you use it.

Employee
Role
Start date
Buddy or manager

Induction

From the signed offer to the end of the first month

Done	Task	Due
Before the first shift
	Check their food handler certificate, or book the training your local rules require	Before day 1
	Collect the contract, payroll details and emergency contacts	Before day 1
	Get their uniform, apron and non-slip shoes sorted	Before day 1
	Add them to the roster with an experienced cook on the same shift	Before day 1
First shift
	Tour the kitchen, stores, cool room, freezer and waste area	Day 1
	Show the exits, fire extinguishers, fire blanket and first aid kit	Day 1
	Explain hand washing, clean uniform, jewelry and hair rules	Day 1
	Explain the illness rule, that they must not work with food while sickEspecially with vomiting or diarrhea, and for the time your rules set after symptoms stop.	Day 1
	Show how to report an injury, a burn or a near miss	Day 1
First week
	Train on the allergen handling procedure and the allergen matrix	Week 1
	Train on safe knife use and each piece of equipment they’ll useIncluding slicers and fryers, and what they mustn’t use until trained.	Week 1
	Train on temperature checks and filling in the temperature log	Week 1
	Train on storage, labeling, dating and stock rotation	Week 1
	Train on the cleaning schedule for their station	Week 1
	Work their station alongside an experienced cook through a full service	Week 1
First month
	Have the head chef watch them run their station on their own	Month 1
	Check every induction task is complete and signed	Month 1
	Hold a 30-day check-in and agree their next skills	Month 1

Completed by
Checked by (manager)
Date
Notes

Common questions

What should a kitchen induction cover?

Food safety and hygiene rules, the illness rule, allergens, safe use of knives and equipment, temperature checks, storage and labeling, the cleaning schedule, emergencies and how to report an injury, then their own station.

Do kitchen staff need food safety training before they start?

Many places require food handlers to be trained or certified, sometimes within a set time of starting. For example, many US states require a food handler card, and Australian businesses must make sure food handlers have the skills and knowledge for their work. Check your local rules.

When can a new cook work a station on their own?

When the head chef has watched them run it through a service and signed it off, usually within the first month. Until then, put them on shift with an experienced cook.

How can a restaurant group induct kitchen staff the same way at every site?

Write each kitchen procedure once and train every new starter on the same version. In Wikidoc, a training program for the kitchen role enrolls new starters automatically, with a quiz on each procedure, and shows each site’s progress.

Kitchen staff induction checklist

Induction

How to use this template

Use it in Wikidoc

Document the key tasks

Build the program

Track every new hire

Related templates

Restaurant allergen handling procedure

Kitchen cleaning checklist

Food temperature log

Restaurant opening and closing checklist

Accounting client onboarding checklist

Childcare educator induction checklist

Common questions

What should a kitchen induction cover?

Do kitchen staff need food safety training before they start?

When can a new cook work a station on their own?

How can a restaurant group induct kitchen staff the same way at every site?

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