Front-of-house food safety checks people forget
By the Daybook teamPublished 20 October 2026Last checked 20 October 2026
Covers: England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with notes for Scotland
The short answer
The kitchen gets the attention, but front of house handles food too: counter and bar fridges, cakes on display, milk for coffee, ice, garnishes and allergen questions. Give front of house its own checks and its own fridge readings.
The checks that slip
- Counter, bar and under-counter fridges: AM and PM readings
- Milk for coffee: in date, kept cold, jugs washed
- Cake display: time out of the fridge, labels, tongs
- Ice machine and scoop: clean, scoop stored outside the ice
- Garnishes and cut fruit: covered, chilled, in date
- Hand washing between taking money and handling food
- Allergen questions: everyone knows where the information is
- Till close at the end of the day
Why it gets missed
Front-of-house staff often don’t think of themselves as food handlers, and paper diaries live in the kitchen. Give them their own list, in their own space.
In Daybook
Kitchen and front of house each have their own list and their own equipment, with whole-site checks shared. Baristas see the counter fridges and the cake checks, not the kitchen’s hot-hold.
Free template
Cake display and rotation log (PDF)
Sources
- GOV.UK: chilling and freezing food
- Food Standards Agency: allergen information for non-prepacked foods
- GOV.UK: cross-contamination
Rules can change and differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Check with your local authority food safety team if you’re unsure. Daybook helps you keep records. It does not give legal advice or certify training.
Keep this record on your phone
Opening and closing checklists, signed and dated.
Daybook is the food safety diary for UK kitchens. Staff sign each check on their own iPhone; the office reads the week and makes an inspection record for any dates.