HACCP Plan Template for Hospitality: The Guide EHOs Actually Want to See

The Environmental Health Officer is walking through your kitchen.

They ask for your HACCP plan.

You pull out a 20-page document that hasn't been updated since 2019. Pages stick together. Notes in the margins. Someone's crossed out "curry" and written "Thai pasta" in pen.

They don't look happy.

What Happens When You Don't Have a Proper HACCP Plan

It's not optional. Your local authority expects to see one - it's a legal requirement under food safety law.

Restaurants without a documented, current HACCP plan get flagged. Sometimes closed.

But here's what actually happens at most venues:

• You have an old template (from your supplier, printed in 2015)
• It doesn't match your actual menu (you changed your recipe, forgot to update the plan)
• No one's monitoring it (fridge temps aren't being logged, no proof of controls)
• It lives in a filing cabinet (staff don't know it exists)
• It's paper (impossible to update across multiple sites)

When the EHO asks what your critical control point is for hot holding, and your manager goes blank, that's a problem.

The HACCP Framework (Demystified)

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. Sounds corporate. It's actually common sense applied systematically.

The basic idea: Identify where things can go wrong in your kitchen. Put controls in place. Monitor them. Document it.

That's it.

Some hospitality teams don't have a HACCP plan because they think it's only for factories. Wrong. It's just as applicable to a 20-cover café as it is to a 200-seat brasserie.

The missing piece? A template built for hospitality.

Your New HACCP Plan Template

We've built a free, downloadable HACCP Plan Template designed specifically for restaurants, bars, pubs, cafes, and takeaways. It's not generic food manufacturing waffle. It's yours.

What's inside:

1. Business Details & HACCP Team

• Your site info, key staff, review dates
• Who's responsible for what

2. Scope Definition

• What products you handle
• What you do (cook, reheat, hold, serve, etc.)

3. 9 Process Steps (with full hazard tables for each):

• Delivery & Receiving - Supplier checks, contamination risks
• Storage - Dry, cold, ambient — controls for each
• Preparation - Cross-contamination, allergens
• Cooking - Temperature reaches safe levels
• Hot Holding - Maintaining temperature, time limits
• Cooling - Rapid cooling to prevent pathogenic growth
• Cold Storage - Fridge/freezer management, shelf life
• Reheating - Reaching safe temperatures
• Serving - Final checks, allergen communication

4. Hazard Analysis Tables (for every step)

• What can go wrong (biological, chemical, physical hazards)
• Your control measures
• Which are Critical Control Points (CCPs)
• Critical limits (e.g., "hot hold at 63°C minimum")
• Monitoring frequency (hourly? daily?)
• Corrective actions (what you do when things drift)

5. Validation, Verification & Review

• How you check your plan actually works
• Annual review checklist

6. Digital Integration Notes

• How to track everything in Aquaint (temperature logs, task assignments, compliance records)

Bonus: Tailored guidance for warehouse operations, manufacturing, and gym facilities.

Why This Template Changes Everything

You've probably got a HACCP plan somewhere. Everyone does.

But is it current? Is it being monitored? Would an EHO trust it?

This template gives you:

• Specificity - Not generic. Built for how restaurants actually work
• Completeness - All 9 steps covered. No gaps for EHOs to exploit
• Traceability - A monitoring schedule so you've got proof controls are working
• Scalability - If you operate multiple sites, one plan structure scales across all of them
• Allergen Focus - Allergen handling gets its own section (most plans miss this until someone gets ill)

The Paper vs Digital Problem

Here's where most places stumble: they download a template, fill it in, print it, stick it in a folder.

Then no one monitors it.

HACCP only works if it's live. Your fridge temperature logs need to happen every shift, not whenever someone remembers. Your corrective actions need to be tracked. Changes need to be documented.

On paper, this is a nightmare. In Aquaint, it's automatic.

• Temperature logs - Staff record fridge, freezer, and hot-hold temps daily (or hourly, depending on your plan)
• Non-conformances - When something drifts out of spec, the system flags it
• Corrective actions - Team members are assigned actions, tracked to completion
• Audit trail - Complete record for inspections. No more "we probably did this"
• Multiplayer updates - Changes to procedures sync across all your sites instantly

You fill in the template. You digitise the monitoring. You prove to the EHO that you're actually managing food safety, not just thinking about it.

Download Your Free HACCP Template

No signup required for all access. Just enter your your email at the end of this page.

Customise it for your menu. Digitise it, work through it with your team. It's yours.

Real Talk

HACCP isn't about jumping through regulatory hoops (though that helps). It's about protecting your customers and your business.

When someone gets food poisoning after eating at your venue, the EHO's first question is: "Show me your HACCP plan and your monitoring records."

If you've got this template and you're actually monitoring it? You're fine.

If you're still shuffling papers and hoping? You're vulnerable.

The template is free. The only cost is taking it seriously.

Next Steps

1. Download the template
2. Bring your team together - Review your processes against the 9 steps
3. Fill it in - Be specific about your controls and critical limits
4. Implement monitoring - Decide who checks what, when, and how
5. Track it digitally - Move from paper to a system that scales

Questions about HACCP or the template? Email us at info@aquaint.co.uk or find us on Instagram & LinkedIn.