Top Tips for Keeping Your Restaurant Kitchen Compliant

Last Updated: 

November 4, 2024

It doesn't matter how big or small your restaurant kitchen is, compliance is key. You want to ensure that you are able to keep on top of your compliance certifications because for every failure, you will lose income. You need your business to continue, and it pays to get food safety strategies underway as soon as possible. 

Not only do you want to ensure that your kitchen design is in place, you want to ensure that your staff are well trained so that you can be sure a surprise inspection garners the best results. You should also ensure that you partner with the best of those who can tune up your appliances. For example, Appliance Parts Pros has OEM cooktop parts that may not be available elsewhere for your commercial kitchen. You need your kitchen to be compliant and here are the top tips that will ensure it.

a busy kitchen at a restaurant business
Image source: Pexels

Key Takeaways on Compliance for Your Restaurant Kitchen

  1. Importance of Compliance: Regardless of kitchen size, maintaining compliance is crucial for business continuity and avoiding income loss due to failed inspections.
  2. Staff Training and Partnering: Ensure staff are well-trained and partner with reliable suppliers like Appliance Parts Pros for essential components, ensuring smooth operations.
  3. Lighting Compliance: Adhere to regulations for lighting installations, especially in food preparation areas, using shatterproof bulbs and diffuser lighting to maintain hygiene and visibility.
  4. Workflow Optimisation: Design kitchen layout to promote seamless operations, minimising risks of cross-contamination and ensuring food safety.
  5. Temperature Control: Properly set temperatures in refrigerators, freezers, and storage areas are vital to prevent bacterial growth and food spoilage, maintaining compliance.
  6. Hygienic Materials: Use hygienic materials for floors and ceilings that are easy to clean and seal surfaces to prevent mould and bacterial growth, ensuring hygiene standards.
  7. Certifications and Licences: Obtain necessary food safety certifications and licence before construction, and regularly audit the kitchen space to ensure compliance.
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1. Look at Your Lighting

Did you know that there are compliance regulations surrounding lighting installations? Areas where the food preparation is done has to be well lit so that you can tell whether there are any issues as they happen. If you’re handling raw food, you need the lighting to work, too, so the choice of lightbulb should be one that is shatterproof. You should also use diffuser lighting if possible so that you can keep dust and pests away from the food, too.

2. Think About the Workflow

You need your kitchen to run seamlessly and the layout of the commercial kitchen matters. That's why considering kitchen remodeling is essential to ensure the space is both functional and efficient. This isn’t just about efficiency though, but about food safety, too. If you make a plan for your kitchen layout, you remove the risk of cross-contamination and keep your customers safe.

3. Have You Set the Temperatures? 

Your refrigerators and freezers should be set at the right temperatures to prevent bacterial growth. If your appliances are not at the right temperatures, you’re going to find that food spoils quickly and not only will you lose income, but you’ll end up with a restaurant kitchen that is non-compliant. To prevent such issues, proper kitchen cabinet installation is essential for maintaining an organised and efficient space that adheres to safety standards. You have to make sure that your storage is the right temperature too, because your food in the pantry needs to avoid spoiling.

4. Materials should be hygienic

When you are fitting out your kitchen, floors and ceilings should be of the right material so that they’re easy to clean. Not only do you need these to be easy to clean, surfaces should be sealed to avoid mold and bacterial growth.

5. Get Your Licence

Food safety certifications and licences are a must when you are looking to keep your kitchen compliant. The first step in health application is in assessing the design. Before you finish any construction on your kitchen, make sure that you have a safety officer do an audit of the space. This will get you off on the right foot and ensure that you are getting the support you need.

You need your kitchen to pass every single assessment and inspection so that you don't end up losing out on your business.

Bonus Tip:  Implement Pest Control Measures

Pest control is vital in a commercial kitchen to ensure food safety and compliance. Identify potential pest entry points and place traps in areas prone to infestations, such as near doorways, storage areas, or behind appliances. Regularly check and maintain these traps to prevent mice, cockroaches, or other pests from contaminating food. Additionally, sealing cracks, maintaining cleanliness, and consulting with pest control can help protect your kitchen from unwanted guests.

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