Opening a Restaurant in the UK: Compliance Checklist
Last updated: July 2026
Opening a restaurant in the UK, the compliance short version: register your food business with the local authority at least 28 days before you open, put a written HACCP-based food safety system in place, set up allergen information, temperature logs and staff training records, and expect an unannounced EHO visit within roughly your first month. That first inspection sets the food hygiene rating customers will see.
The stakes are worth knowing. The Food Standards Agency estimates 2.4 million cases of foodborne illness in the UK each year, costing society around £10.4 billion. It is why a brand new kitchen gets the same scrutiny as a twenty year old one.
Here is what to have in place before you serve your first cover.
1. Register the business (28 days before you open)
Register with your local council at least 28 days before trading. It is free, it cannot be refused, and operating without it is a criminal offence. Do this early: it is the trigger for your first inspection.
2. Write your food safety management system
Every UK food business needs a documented system based on HACCP principles, regardless of size. Most independents start with the FSA's Safer Food Better Business pack or a digital equivalent. Our free HACCP plan template covers the process steps and critical control points.
The inspector does not just want the document. They want evidence you are running it.
3. Set your temperature controls
Know these before day one, and record them from day one:
- Fridges: 5°C or below (8°C legal maximum)
- Freezers: -18°C or below
- Hot holding: 63°C or above
- Cooking and reheating: core 75°C for 30 seconds
- Record: fridges and freezers at least twice daily, per unit
Full detail in our UK food safety temperatures guide.
4. Sort allergens before the menu is printed
You need accurate allergen information for all 14 regulated allergens on every dish, and your team needs to answer confidently mid-service. Build the allergen matrix as you write the menu, not after. See the 14 UK allergens guide.
5. Train the team and record it
Food handlers need appropriate training (Level 2 food hygiene is the common baseline). Keep the certificates and dates somewhere you can produce them in seconds. "They've been trained" is not evidence.
6. The rest of the stack
- Alcohol: premises licence plus a designated premises supervisor holding a personal licence
- Fire: a written fire risk assessment is a legal requirement
- Pest control: get a contract in place before you open, not after the first sighting
- Waste: a registered commercial waste carrier
What software does a new restaurant actually need?
This is the question most new operators ask late, and it costs them their first rating. You can run all of the above on paper. It is legal. It is also slow, easy to skip on a busy Friday, and hard to prove months later when an inspector asks for March's fridge logs.
What you need is a way to capture the checks as your team does them:
- Opening and closing checklists that cannot be quietly skipped
- Fridge, freezer and hot holding logs with corrective actions built in
- Allergen information your staff can pull up mid-service
- Training records with expiry dates
- Reports you can hand an EHO in seconds
Aquaint does all of that in one mobile-first app, and replaces the WhatsApp group at the same time. Reports were built with Environmental Health Officers, which is how The Andersen Group reached a 5-star rating. It is £72/site/month, and 100+ brands use it with zero churn since launch.
If you are weighing options, our guide to the best hospitality compliance software in the UK compares the main tools honestly, including where competitors fit better.
Your first EHO inspection
Expect it unannounced, usually within your first month. They score three areas: food hygiene, structure, and confidence in management. New venues usually lose points on the third, not because the food is unsafe but because the records are thin. See the EHO inspection checklist, and what happens if you fail.
Start as you mean to go on
Book a free 15-minute demo and we'll show you the setup we'd use for a new site, so you're inspection-ready before you open rather than scrambling after.
FAQs
Do I need to register my restaurant before opening?
Yes. Register with your local authority at least 28 days before you start trading. It is free, it cannot be refused, and trading without it is an offence.
When will the EHO visit a new restaurant?
Usually within the first month or so of opening, and it is unannounced. That first visit sets your initial food hygiene rating.
Do I need a HACCP plan for a small restaurant?
Yes. Every UK food business needs a documented food safety management system based on HACCP principles, whatever its size. Smaller independents commonly use the FSA Safer Food Better Business pack or an equivalent digital system.
What software does a new restaurant need for compliance?
At minimum, a way to run and record daily checks: opening and closing checklists, fridge, freezer and hot holding logs, allergen information, and training records. Paper is legal but slow to prove. A mobile-first app like Aquaint records checks as the team does them and exports EHO-ready reports in seconds.
What temperatures do I need to record from day one?
Fridges at 5°C or below (8°C legal max), freezers at -18°C or below, hot holding at 63°C or above, and cooking or reheating to a core 75°C for 30 seconds. Record fridges and freezers at least twice daily per unit.
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