System Hub
Restaurant opening and closing checks in the UK
Opening and closing checks are the Safer Food, Better Business diary entries that confirm the kitchen is safe to open and left safe at close. Do them during the shift, with a name on the line — not from memory at 11pm. FSA’s electronic diary option still requires the same checks as the paper pack.
Last reviewed: . Written by Oriel Technology Ltd.
What are opening and closing checks?
Opening and closing checks are the daily SFBB diary pages that show the kitchen was fit to trade at the start of the shift and left safe at the end. They are not a separate hygiene system. They are the same pack your team already owes, with a timestamp instead of a clipboard.
Most gaps start at close. Opening checks, temps, and deliveries get written up from memory. That is the record that fails under questions.
What opening checks usually cover
The paper SFBB diary asks you to confirm the premises are ready before service. In a restaurant or café that typically means:
- Staff fit to work (no diarrhoea or vomiting)
- Fridges and freezers running, with a probe available
- No signs of pests
- Cleaning from the previous close is done
- Hot-holding equipment ready if you use it
Your pack may add site-specific items. The duty is to follow the methods you wrote, not a generic app checklist.
What closing checks usually cover
- Food covered and put away
- Hot-holding off
- Waste removed and surfaces cleaned
- Premises left secure
Closing checks filled in the next morning are the same habit as the 11pm diary. Temperature records sit alongside these pages, not instead of them.
Why the catch-up at close fails
Paper is legal. It collapses when the pack is filled in late, left in the office, or cannot be read. An officer who asks “who did opening checks on Thursday?” needs a name and a time, not a tick added after service.
Read will an EHO accept digital food safety records for the hand-over on the day.
How System Hub runs the same checks
Food Safety is the same SFBB opening and closing tasks on a phone during the shift. Alerts when a check is skipped. Manager sign-off. Searchable history. 14-day trial, no card, then £5/week per location via Stripe.