Kitchen checks and the kitchen screen

Kitchen checks are the recurring jobs that keep a kitchen safe: cooler temperatures, hot holding, sanitizer, receiving, closing. You set them up once, a spare tablet in the kitchen chimes when one is due, and your team signs off with a PIN. Everything lands on a record you can export.

Where kitchen checks live

Kitchen checks are part of the free companion scheduling app, not ShelfCount itself. In ShelfCount, click Scheduling in the menu, then Open the scheduler. It’s the same login, so there’s nothing new to sign up for. Inside the scheduling app, everything below is under Tasks.

Build a checklist

Go to Tasks → Checklists and add one. A checklist has:

• A name (“Cold storage temps”).
• Days of the week. Leave it empty and it runs every day.
• An optional due by time.
• An optional position, meaning the station it belongs to.
• Items, each one a checkbox, a number (with a unit and the expected range), or free text.

Make it a timed check

Add check times (up to 12 a day) and set must be done within N minutes (anywhere from 5 to 720). That turns the checklist into a timed check: it shows up on the kitchen screen before each time, chimes when it’s due, and is tracked as done, late, or missed.

Start from the five starter checks

Open Tasks → Kitchen screen. Tap to add the five starter checks: cold storage temps, hot holding, sanitizer and warewash, receiving, and closing food safety.

The same tab is where you create and copy the kitchen screen link, and it has in-app help too.

Put the kitchen screen on a tablet

The kitchen screen is a link you open in a browser on any spare tablet or phone. Copy it from Tasks → Kitchen screen, open it on the device, and leave it on the wall.

• Tap Turn on sound once each time the device is powered on.
• From the Sound menu, pick Chime, Bell or Alarm, and a repeat reminder every 2, 5 or 10 minutes.
• Keep the browser in front, and turn auto-lock off.
• To stop people wandering out of it, use Guided Access on an iPad or Fully Kiosk on Android and Fire tablets.

What staff do

1. A timed check opens 30 minutes before its time.
2. Tap Start.
3. Enter readings on the keypad and tick off the items.
4. Pick your name and enter your 4-digit PIN. A manager sets PINs under Setup → Employees.

An out-of-range reading is recorded, never blocked, because the real number is what you want on the record. It does need a short note on what you did about it (“moved product to the second cooler, called for service”).

Finishing after the window is allowed and marked Late. Anything not finished is marked Missed by an hourly job, and it stays on the record.

What managers see

• Tasks → Today shows the state of every slot: upcoming, done, late, or missed.
• Tasks → History shows completed, missed and late counts and every corrective action, with a CSV export of up to 92 days.

A note on compliance

Kitchen checks are a recordkeeping tool, not a compliance guarantee. They help you do the checks and show that you did. What your checks must cover and how often is set by your local health authority, so confirm it with them.

Common questions

Can I use my Toast, Square or Clover KDS?

No. Those tablets are locked to their own app and can’t open a web link. Use a separate tablet or phone.

The screen has no sound.

Tap Turn on sound once after every reboot or screen lock. Browsers won’t play audio until someone taps. Also check the device’s silent switch and volume.

Someone forgot their PIN.

A manager can reset it under Setup → Employees.

Do once-a-day checklists show on the kitchen screen?

Yes, as Any time today. They don’t chime, since they have no set time.