Restaurants operate under strict food safety regulations, with Environmental Health inspections that can shut you down. Managing this on spreadsheets is risky.
Critical Records
- Temperature logs: Fridge, freezer, and food delivery temperatures recorded daily. A gap in records during an EH inspection raises immediate questions.
- Allergen information: Every dish needs documented allergen information, updated whenever recipes change. Natasha's Law made this a legal requirement.
- Cleaning schedules: Documented proof that cleaning has been done, not just planned.
- Staff food hygiene certificates: Level 2 Food Safety is the minimum. Level 3 for supervisors. All with renewal dates.
Why Spreadsheets Fail Here
A busy kitchen doesn't have time for spreadsheets. Records need to be quick to enter — ideally a few taps on a tablet mounted on the wall. A system that takes longer than 10 seconds to log a temperature reading will be ignored.
What a Good System Looks Like
- Quick entry: Tap, enter temperature, done. Touch-screen optimised for kitchen use.
- Automatic alerts: Temperature outside range? Alert the manager immediately.
- Allergen database: Ingredients linked to allergens. Change a recipe and allergen info updates automatically.
- Inspection-ready: Pull up a complete record for any date range in seconds.
Got a Spreadsheet That's Driving You Mad?
Send it over — I'll tell you what an app version would look like and what it'd cost. No obligation.