The holidays push commercial kitchens into overdrive. Between seasonal menus, last-minute orders, back-to-back events, and crowded prep spaces, November and December can feel like a whirlwind. By January, your kitchen has seen everything and probably still has some things hiding under a fryer or in the back of a fridge drawer.
For many foodservice teams, early to mid-January is your first real chance to slow down, take a breath, and look around the kitchen with fresh eyes. It’s the moment when you can finally step back from the holiday rush and reset your space for the year ahead.
Think of it as your kitchen’s version of a New Year’s resolution: clean, safe, efficient, and ready for whatever comes next.
Below is your annual end-of-year commercial kitchen cleaning checklist to help you start the year with confidence. We’re sharing this now so you have time to review the checklist, plan ahead, and add any cleaning products or supplies you may need to your next BradyPLUS order before January rolls around.
This guide focuses on deep-cleaning tasks that tend to get pushed aside during the busy holiday season. These tasks support (not replace) your established daily and weekly cleaning routines, like wiping down prep surfaces, emptying the trash, changing fryer oil, or sanitizing slicers.
A deeper reset in January helps you start the year ahead of buildup, safety risks, and equipment strain.
This is where the magic (and the mess) happens.
December is rough on your equipment. January is the time to make it right.
Why it matters: Clean equipment lasts longer, cooks evenly, and reduces fire hazards. If you have an open-concept kitchen, finish your deep clean with an industrial-strength stainless steel polish to give guests a clean, polished view of your space.
Holiday leftovers, forgotten sauces, mystery containers—this is their time to go
A clean dish area keeps the entire kitchen running smoothly.
Grease splatter and food particles love to hide here.
These items get daily use and deserve thorough cleaning too.
You’ll be amazed at how much this impacts cleanliness overall.
January is a great time to reset safety systems.
Your kitchen survived the holiday madness; now give it the reset it deserves. A deep clean doesn’t just make things look nice. It protects your team, keeps your customers healthy, extends equipment life, and helps you start the new year strong.