Last Call & Close: the full procedure

Runs the bar from last call through a locked, reconciled, and reset-for-tomorrow close.

• Applies to: Closing bartender, closing manager
• Frequency: Daily, at close
• Scope: Covers last-call announcement, guest-out procedures, breakdown, cleaning, and securing the bar. Legal hours of sale and last-call timing defer to your liquor authority; cleaning detail defers to ServSafe and your sanitation SOP.

What you need

• Closing checklist (printed)
• Cleaning supplies and sanitizer
• POS end-of-day / Z-report function
• Till and drop safe
• Trash and recycling bins
• Keys / alarm code

The procedure, step by step

1. Call last call on time — Announce last call at the time set by your liquor authority's hours of sale. Stop serving alcohol at the legal cutoff with no exceptions.
2. Close out tabs — Walk the room, close every open tab, and confirm no card holds remain unreleased. Encourage safe rides for any impaired guests.
3. Clear guests and lock the door — See remaining guests out at closing time, lock the entry, and confirm restrooms and back rooms are empty.
4. Break down the bar — Empty and clean wells and rails, cover or store garnish, drain ice, and rinse mats and tools.
5. Clean to standard — Wash, sanitize, and rack glassware, wipe all surfaces, clean drains and sinks, and run the dish/glass cycle per the sanitation SOP.
6. Run end-of-day in POS — Generate the Z-report, reconcile sales by tender, and confirm totals against the till per the cash SOP.
7. Drop and secure cash — Count the drawer, make the deposit drop, and lock cash in the safe. Leave the float ready for open.
8. Final security pass — Turn off taps, equipment, and TVs, take out trash, set the alarm, and lock up per the security SOP. Sign the closing checklist.

Quality check before you finish

• Last call and service cutoff hit the legal hours of sale
• Every tab closed and all card holds released
• Building empty and locked before cleaning sign-off
• Glassware and surfaces cleaned and sanitized to standard
• Z-report reconciled against till with no unexplained variance
• Cash dropped and secured; float set for open
• Closing checklist fully signed; alarm set and doors locked

This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Bar & Pub business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.

Sources

• National Restaurant Association (https://restaurant.org)
• ServSafe (https://servsafe.com)
• ServSafe Alcohol (https://servsafe.com)