Food safety by business type
Food safety & HACCP for a Restaurant
A HACCP plan and food safety pack built for a working restaurant kitchen.
A restaurant runs a broad menu, multiple prep sections and a full brigade — which means more hazards, more people to train and more records to keep than most food businesses. Under EC Regulation 852/2004 you must have a documented food safety management system based on HACCP principles, and the FHRS 'Confidence in Management' pillar is judged largely on whether that paperwork is real and up to date. FiveRate builds a plan around how your kitchen actually operates, from delivery to service.
Free HACCP plan on the house. Full EHO-ready pack from £14.99/mo with a 7-day free trial.
The real risks
Top food safety hazards in a restaurant
Your HACCP plan has to be built around the hazards your restaurant actually carries — not a generic list. These are the ones that matter most.
Cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat
Raw meat, poultry and unwashed vegetables sharing boards, cloths or fridge shelves with salads, garnishes and cooked food is the classic restaurant failure. Colour-coded boards and knives, separate storage and a strict raw/ready-to-eat workflow are expected.
Undercooking on a busy pass
Poultry, burgers, rolled or stuffed joints and rare-cooked meats must reach a safe core temperature. Under service pressure it is easy to send food that has not hit 75°C for 30 seconds (or an equivalent time/temperature combination).
Slow cooling of batch-cooked food
Stocks, sauces, rice and braised dishes cooked in bulk sit in the danger zone for hours if left to cool on the side. Food should be cooled as quickly as possible — FSA guidance is within 90 minutes — then refrigerated.
Temperature abuse in prep fridges and displays
Overloaded prep rails, propped-open walk-ins and mise-en-place left out during a long service let cold food climb above the 8°C legal limit. Chilled food must be kept at or below 8°C.
Allergen cross-contact across a large menu
A menu with dozens of dishes and shared fryers, pans and utensils makes hidden allergens hard to control. A single mislabelled sauce or a shared fryer for battered fish and chips can cause a serious reaction.
Critical control points
The CCPs a restaurant has to get right
Critical control points are the steps where a hazard is prevented or reduced to a safe level — and where an inspector will expect to see monitoring and records.
Core temperature of 75°C for 30 seconds (or 70°C for 2 minutes / equivalent), probe-checked on the thickest item and recorded.
Food held for service kept at or above 63°C; anything below for more than two hours is used immediately or discarded.
Fridges and prep rails running so food stays at or below 8°C; twice-daily temperature checks logged.
Hot food cooled as quickly as possible (aim for within 90 minutes) then moved to refrigeration.
Where the marks are lost
What EHOs commonly mark restaurants down for
The food hygiene rating is scored on three things: hygienic food handling, the cleanliness of the premises, and confidence in management. Restaurants most often lose points on the last one — the paperwork.
- !A food safety management system that exists as a dusty template no one fills in — the fastest way to lose 'Confidence in Management' points.
- !No probe thermometer calibration records and no cooking/hot-holding temperatures being logged.
- !Allergen information that is out of date or contradicts what the kitchen actually cooks with.
- !Cleaning schedules that are signed off but clearly not being followed at high-risk points like the raw prep area.
Allergens
Allergen management for a restaurant
A restaurant must be able to give accurate allergen information for every dish on request under the 14-allergen rules. With a wide menu and frequent specials, the practical challenge is keeping an allergen matrix current every time a recipe or supplier changes — and making sure front-of-house can find the answer without guessing.
Under the 14-allergen rules (assimilated Regulation 1169/2011) and Natasha's Law, every UK food business must give accurate allergen information — the format depends on how the food is sold.
FAQ
Restaurant food safety questions
Does my restaurant legally need a HACCP plan?
Yes. Under EC Regulation 852/2004 every food business, including restaurants, must have a food safety management system based on HACCP principles. For most restaurants the FSA's Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB) pack is the recognised way to meet this.
What temperature should a restaurant cook chicken to?
Poultry should reach a safe core temperature — 75°C for 30 seconds is the common target, or an equivalent such as 70°C for 2 minutes. Probe the thickest part and record it so you have evidence for the inspector.
How does a restaurant get a 5 food hygiene rating?
Inspectors score three things: hygienic food handling, the cleanliness and condition of the premises, and confidence in management. Well-run kitchens often lose their 5 on the third — thin or missing records. A complete, genuinely-used HACCP pack directly targets that pillar.
How often should we update our restaurant food safety records?
Daily records (temperatures, cleaning, opening/closing checks) should be completed every day, and your HACCP plan should be reviewed at least every four weeks and whenever your menu, suppliers or equipment change.
Get inspection-ready
Build your restaurant's food safety records the easy way
FiveRate generates a HACCP plan tailored to a restaurant in minutes, then the full EHO-ready pack — HACCP, daily checklists, temperature logs, allergen matrix, cleaning schedule and inspection report — all written for your business.
Food safety by business type