Restaurant Hygiene Checklist for 5-Star Review: The Ultimate Guide

Food Hygiene Ratings: The Basics

Food hygiene rating schemes serve as a guide for businesses and customers to help them make more informed decisions. Also known as the scores on the doors, they represent the restaurant hygiene standards set by your local authority. 

Consequently, an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) can unexpectedly visit your premises to check you are compliant. Then, they will award you a final hygiene rating.

Hygiene Rating Range Between 0 and 5

Food hygiene ratings range from 0 (worst) to 5 (best), indicating whether it is safe to eat on your premises. With a score of 0, you must take urgent action to address the identified food safety concerns. In reality, you will be asked to suspend services until everything is settled. Also, expect more inspections in the next 28 days.

A score of one or two will be regarded a failure. Similarly, rapid action is necessary or your business may be forced to close. Again, act quickly because your firm will most likely be reinspected every 6 to 12 months until it is deemed safe.

Ultimately, a score between 3 and 5 is considered a pass.

Breakdown of Scores to Better Understand a 5-Star Food Hygiene Rating

Confused by your food hygiene rating report? We know it's a little tricky! While you want the highest possible ultimate score, you also want the lowest mark possible on each criterion. The three requirements for your food hygiene report are:

• Hygiene: Describes the processes used to prepare, cook, chill, and store your food, along with the precautions taken to avoid contamination. This facet demonstrates the hygienic measures your food business takes before, during, and following operations.

• Structure: Refers to the state of the premises in terms of layout, lighting, ventilation, cleanliness, etc. It is assessed according to the materials that went into creating these structures as well. Corrugated materials, for example, retain dust and are more difficult to clean than smooth, soft surfaces.

• Confidence: in management is the aspect that shows how you manage and record what you do. This criterion includes the implementation of food hygiene practices in your business and the level of commitment you apply.

Rating from 0 to 5

• Food Hygiene Rating 0- This indicates that the restaurant has received a score of more than 50 points from an inspector for problems they discovered that might endanger the health and safety of customers. When a rating is zero, immediate improvement is required.

• Food Hygiene Rating 1- Based on problems with staff training, record-keeping, and food cleanliness, an inspector gave the restaurant a score of 45–50 points; significant changes are required.

• Food Hygiene Rating 2-  A score ranging from 35 to 40 has been assigned, signifying concerns with food handling procedures or facilities. While not urgent, improvements are still required.

• Food Hygiene Rating 3- With a score of between 25 and 30, the restaurant's standards are deemed to be usually satisfactory. Even if there is still space for improvement, none of the problems currently pose a threat to the public's health.

• Food Hygiene Rating 4- The restaurant received a score of 15 to 20 points, and the inspector rated the hygiene as good. Even while there could be some room for improvement, it will only be minor, and it will help the restaurant receive a flawless rating.

• A Food Hygiene Rating of 5- Restaurants receiving a score of less than 15 are given this rating, indicating that their food hygiene standards are outstanding and that no additional action is necessary.

Why do You Need a Restaurant Hygiene Checklist?

A restaurant hygiene checklist is an effective tool for reinforcing proper hygiene practices and ensuring compliance with restaurant hygiene standards.

Regular food safety inspections can help you avoid accidents, defend yourself from legal action, and prepare for EHO inspections.

Digitizing your checklist with an app like Xenia provides additional benefits. A digital restaurant hygiene checklist not only reinforces your processes, but also helps you keep secure records throughout time and may be stored in the same location as other checklists, reports, and digital forms. You will have complete confidence in your business's long-term commitment to food safety.

Front-of-house Cleaning Checklist

While the front of the house is important, the commercial kitchen is frequently the center of attention during restaurant cleaning procedures. Customers' perceptions of your restaurant are shaped by this, as it is the only aspect of your establishment that they see. It may seem logical for most establishments to divide the cleaning process into daily, weekly, and monthly responsibilities. This guarantees that high-contact areas are always clean and makes deep cleaning days easy by preventing dirt buildup.

Make sure you have the following common cleaning materials available before you begin:

• Sanitizing gloves
• Cleaner for surfaces
• Spray disinfectant
• Cloths for cleaning
• Sponges
• Paper towels
• Glass cleaner
• Broom
• Vacuum
• Mop
• Container
• Cleaner of floors
• Cleaning brush
• Trash bags
• Degreasing agent

Daily Front-of-house Restaurant Cleaning Checklist

As needed, complete the following tasks during each shift:

• Clean and disinfect counters, tables, and chairs.
• Sanitize and clean the restrooms.
• Vacuum or sweep the floors.
• Clean the condiments.

When the day is over, take these actions:

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• Clear and disinfect counters, tables, and chairs
• Sanitize and clean the restrooms
• Clean the recycling containers
• Sanitize and clean door handles and railing
• Disinfect and clean the menus
• Mop and sweep hard flooring
• Clean carpets and rugs with a vacuum
• Remove fingerprints, smudges, and streaks from windows
• Restock single-use items
• If necessary, wipe down walls
• Remove the trash
• Remove the recycling

Weekly Front-of-house Restaurant Cleaning Checklist

• Sanitize and clean the doors
• Clean the windows
• Clean the mirrors
• Dust light fixtures
• Dust the decor and signs
• Deep-clean sinks and toilets
• If necessary, dust the alcohol bottles behind the bar

Monthly front-of-house Restaurant Cleaning Checklist

• Thoroughly clean every bathroom
• Dust and clean the light fixtures
• Dust and clean the ceiling fans
• Thoroughly vacuum every carpet

Back-of-house Cleaning Checklist

Commercial kitchen cleaning calls for continuous attention; to avoid major messes in this hectic setting, cleaning should be done frequently throughout the day. By doing this, you'll lower the chance of cross-contamination and food-borne illnesses while also improving food safety. Additionally, regular cleaning can increase restaurant kitchen safety, safeguarding both your staff and your company.

Similar to cleaning the front of the house, there are certain things you ought to perform each day. You can do others once a week or once a month. Invest in these essential cleaning supplies to enable your workers to clean effectively:

• Cloth for cleaning
• Steel wool cleaning brush
• Mop
• Broom
• Gloves for cleaning
• Grease remover spray
• Spray disinfectant
• Cleaner for surfaces
• Solution for commercial floor cleaning
• Detergent for commercial dishwashers
• Hand sanitizer

Daily Restaurant Kitchen Cleaning Checklist

• Regularly wash hands.
• Clean surfaces before switching between foods or dishes.
• Sanitize food-prep areas after handling raw meat.
• Wipe up any messes immediately.
• Clean and dry spills on the floor to prevent slips.
• Scrape the griddle to remove food residue.
• Brush down the grill after use.
• Move utensils and dishes to the dishwashing area after each task.
• Safely package ingredients for storage, labeling them with the date.
• Run the dishwasher regularly to maintain a steady supply of clean dishes.

End of Shift/Day Tasks

• Thoroughly clean and sanitize all counters and food-prep areas.
• Disinfect cutting boards.
• Degrease and wipe down appliances.
• Clean the exterior surface of the ice machine.
• Sanitize sinks.
• Deep clean the grill, griddle, range, and fryer.
• Empty and clean drip trays.
• Filter and maintain fryer oil.
• Sanitize handles and knobs.
• Send all dishes, pots, and utensils through the dishwasher.
• Store clean items properly.
• Send uniforms, aprons, and towels to the laundry.
• Clean floor mats.
• Sanitize beverage dispenser heads.
• Take out the garbage.
• Sweep and mop the floors thoroughly.

Weekly Restaurant Kitchen Cleaning Checklist

• Review inventory and discard expired items.
• Delime sinks, faucets, and coffee makers.
• Clean and sanitize coolers and refrigerators.
• Deep clean ovens.
• Boil out and maintain the fryer.
• Change out the oil in deep fryers.
• Wipe down vent hoods.
• Pour drain cleaner in floor and sink drains.

Monthly Restaurant Kitchen Cleaning Checklist

• Thoroughly clean vent hoods and fans.
• Clean behind large appliances.
• Sanitize the interior of the ice machine.
• Empty and clean grease traps.
• Wash walls and ceilings.
• Deep clean floors.
• Sanitize inside refrigerators and freezers. 

These restaurant hygiene checklists are designed to ensure that your kitchen stays clean, safe, and compliant with health regulations.

How to Get a 5 Star Food Hygiene Rating

The following advice can help you get a five-star rating for food hygiene:

1. Write a Thorough HACCP Plan

A HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) strategy is a methodical way to detect and manage possible hazards in food production. It is the cornerstone of every system for managing food safety.

Important activities including performing a hazard analysis, identifying critical control points (CCPs)—the points in the process where hazards can be controlled or prevented—and putting remedial actions in place are all outlined in an HACCP plan.

It is crucial to acknowledge that an HACCP plan has to be customized to your unique food production procedure, facility, and merchandise. A professional with experience in food safety should assist with writing it.

2. Provide Excellent Staff Training

Training in proper food hygiene is mandatory for all employees, including those in the kitchen and front of house. Training in food preparation, handling, and storage is part of this. Ensure that all of your employees know how important it is to keep food safe and that they follow the right processes each and every day.

3. Keep Your Kitchen Spotless

Keeping a clean kitchen is necessary to keep your food hygiene rating high. Make sure all surfaces, appliances, and utensils in your kitchen are kept clean and that you clean them regularly. This covers all surfaces, including the walls, ceilings, and floors, as well as any appliances like dishwashers, refrigerators, and ovens.

Checklists for daily cleaning might assist your employees keep organized and make sure they don't overlook anything.

4. Store Food Properly

Food safety must be maintained by proper food storage. Ensure that all food is kept at the proper temperature and that cooked and raw ingredients are kept apart. This entails labeling food properly with the manufacturing and best-before dates, rotating stock, and keeping it in the appropriate containers.

5. Follow Food Safety Regulations

It is crucial to adhere to all food safety laws and directives. This includes ensuring that all equipment is kept in good working order and maintaining precise records of the preparation and storage of food.

Maintaining current and accurate records offers several advantages. It keeps your workforce motivated and involved in upholding high restaurant hygiene standards, and the health inspector will think highly of it as well. They will have an easier time living with you and you will be one step closer to receiving a five-star food hygiene rating if you can promptly provide comprehensive records of your food safety procedures.

6. Regularly Review and Improve

Examine and refine your food safety protocols on a regular basis. As rules and guidelines pertaining to food safety change, make sure you are staying informed. This involves conducting routine inspections and audits of your food safety protocols.

7. Use Software like Xenia

Food safety software that is integrated into contemporary restaurant systems simplifies the process of implementing and recording food safety measures.

Technology can make the upkeep of stringent health and restaurant hygiene standards less tedious with features like digital cleaning checklists, automatic temperature monitoring, and simple access to documents.

Your team's ability to do daily cleaning activities and locate the necessary documentation when the health inspector calls can be greatly facilitated by these technologies.

Xenia isn't just another software; it's a complete solution for restaurant hygiene checklists.

Restaurant managers and owners can elevate their hygiene management to a whole new level with Xenia.

Xenia's extensive library of templates includes checklists for every aspect of a restaurant, making it simple to ensure everything is compliant with restaurant hygiene standards and presentable.

Whether you are a restaurant owner with one location or multiple, you have countless tasks to manage. Cleaning might seem like just another item on your to-do list, but it has a significant impact on the overall customer experience. With Xenia's templates and checklists, you can streamline your cleaning processes and focus on what truly matters.

Since no two restaurants are alike, why should your cleaning schedule be either? Xenia provides a full range of front- and back-of-house cleaning solutions to assist you take care of all your cleaning requirements. Deep cleaning of floors, cooking equipment, menus, and tables, among other things. 

The platform makes it simple to log and analyze activities related to cleaning, food safety compliance, opening and closing procedures, training, and equipment maintenance. Determine what needs to be improved, or just make sure your employees are doing what you expect of them.

By streamlining daily tasks and ensuring nothing is overlooked, Xenia helps you deliver the kind of flawless service and ambiance that lead to rave reviews and top ratings.

Key Features

• ‍Scheduled Work with Thorough Work Orders: You won't ever miss an opening or closing check thanks to centralized work scheduling. Notifications that are sent automatically make sure that nothing is missed, so you can concentrate on building the business instead of managing it.

• Smart Food Temperature Monitoring: Gather information from food probes, freezers, and refrigerators to track vital food temperatures and get alerts instantly when something deviates from or exceeds the ideal temperature range.

• Digital Checklists and Standard Operating Procedures: Together, Xenia's restaurant hygiene checklist builder and template library give you all you need to get going in minutes rather than days. Digital checks can be carried out in a number of ways, such as conditional logic, media attachments, publicly accessible URLs, and various step types. SOPs can be stored for later use or used as a teaching tool.‍

• Real-time Updates and Collaboration: Receive prompt feedback and reminders about assignments that are acceptable, overdue, or completed. Maintain communication with your coworkers despite being far apart.

• Preventive Maintenance: It's critical for operators who maintain their equipment—such as freezers, fryers, and refrigerators—to maintain precise records of the work completed and when. This is a great way to monitor your contractors even if you outsource the work.‍

• Corrective Actions: HACCP and GFSI digital food safety compliance checklists can be filled out on a phone or tablet and stored in the cloud for later use. Xenia will make the process of recertifying easier the next time around.‍

Book a Demo Today

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Xenia’s Library of Hygiene and Cleaning Checklists

• Fast Food Cleaning Checklist
• Food Safety Checklist
• Food Premises Inspection Checklist
• Health Inspection Checklist
• Restaurant Deep Cleaning Checklist
• Restaurant Health Inspection Checklist
• Restaurant Kitchen Cleaning - Daily
• Restaurant Kitchen Cleaning - Weekly
• Food And Kitchen Safety And Sanitation Checklist
• Cleaning Checklist For Restaurant Janitorial Services

Final Thoughts

Managing food safety across single or multiple outlets can quickly become overwhelming without the proper tools. To achieve a 5-star food hygiene rating, it's crucial to have a comprehensive view of all food safety processes. 

So, how can you ensure everything is under control? Let a restaurant hygiene checklist software be your eyes and ears! By visualizing daily safety tasks within a single platform and providing real-time insights, you can ensure that nothing is overlooked.