Restaurant food safety plan template: the eight parts and what to write in each
A restaurant food safety plan template needs eight parts: who is in charge, the menu grouped by how it is cooked, the hazards for each group, the limits and checks, the logs, what to do when a check fails, how staff are trained, and how you review it. This page gives each part with example wording you can adapt to your menu. A food safety plan is a wider document than a HACCP plan, and most restaurants need the first before they need the second.
It is written for owners and kitchen managers who have been cited, are opening, or have been asked by a landlord, a buyer or an inspector to "show your plan". If you need the stricter HACCP format, read the HACCP plan guide as well.
Food safety plan or HACCP plan: which do you need?
The two words are used loosely, so here is how this site uses them.
- A food safety plan (or food safety program) is the kitchen's written rules: who does what, the temperatures, the cleaning, the logs and the steps to take when something is wrong. The Food Code does not require one for every restaurant, but it requires a person in charge who knows the rules and shows it [1].
- A HACCP plan is a more formal piece of the same thing: hazard analysis, critical control points, limits, monitoring, corrective actions, verification and records. The Food Code requires one only for specialized processes such as reduced oxygen packaging, smoking or curing for preservation, and a few others [1].
Think of the food safety plan as the whole binder and the HACCP plan as the strict chapters inside it. A good template covers both ideas in one file. The specialized chapters are in the guides on vacuum sealing, sous vide and smoking and curing.
Part 1: Who is responsible
Name the owner, the person in charge on each shift, and the certified food protection manager (CFPM) if your state requires one. Add a line for who may change the plan.
| Role | Name | Duty |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | (name) | Approves the plan, buys equipment, signs the yearly review |
| Person in charge, opening | (name) | Does the opening checks, signs the log |
| Person in charge, closing | (name) | Does the closing checks, handles any discard |
| CFPM | (name, certificate number, expiry) | Trains staff, reviews logs weekly |
Part 2: The menu, grouped by process
Do not list every dish. Group the menu by how the food moves through the kitchen. Most restaurants have four to six groups.
| Process group | Example dishes | Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Cook and serve same day | Burgers, pan-seared chicken, fried fish | Receive, store cold, cook, hold or serve |
| Cook, cool, reheat | Soups, stews, rice, braised meats, sauces | Receive, cook, cool, store, reheat, serve |
| No-cook | Salads, sandwiches, cut fruit, slaw | Receive, store cold, prep, hold cold, serve |
| Raw or lightly cooked | Raw oysters, tartare, runny eggs, sushi | Receive, store, prep, serve with consumer advisory |
| Specialized | Sous vide, vacuum sealed, smoked, cured | Separate HACCP plan if needed |
The list tells the inspector that you know what the kitchen actually does. It also shows you which groups need the most attention: cook, cool, reheat is the group behind many outbreaks.
Part 3: Hazards for each group
For each group write what can go wrong. Three types are enough:
- Biological: bacteria, viruses, parasites. This is the one that makes people sick most often.
- Chemical: cleaners, sanitiser, allergens, pesticides.
- Physical: glass, metal, plastic.
The Food Code and the CDC list the main sources: Norovirus from ill workers, Salmonella from poultry and eggs, Clostridium perfringens from food cooled too slowly, Listeria from ready-to-eat foods kept cold for days, and the major allergens [1][2]. Write the hazards that apply to your groups in one line each.
Part 4: Limits and checks
This is the table inspectors want to read. One row per step that matters, with a number.
| Step | Limit | Check | How often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receiving cold food | 41°F or below; live shellfish 45°F air temp and 50°F internal at delivery [1] | Probe one item per delivery | Every delivery |
| Walk-in and prep coolers | 41°F or below | Unit thermometer and food probe | Opening, mid-shift, closing |
| Cooking poultry | 165°F for 15 seconds | Probe the thickest part | Each batch |
| Cooking ground meat | 155°F for 17 seconds | Probe | Each batch |
| Cooking whole pork, beef, fish, eggs for service | 145°F for 15 seconds | Probe | Each batch |
| Hot holding | 135°F or above (140°F in some cities) | Probe the food | Every 2 hours |
| Cooling | 135 to 70°F in 2 hours, then to 41°F in 4 more [1] | Probe at 2 and 6 hours | Each batch |
| Reheating for hot holding | 165°F within 2 hours | Probe | Each batch |
| Sanitiser | Per label: chlorine 50 to 100 ppm, quat per label | Test strip | Start of shift, each refill |
| Dishwasher | Per machine tag; hot water machines 180°F final rinse at the manifold | Read gauge or test strip | Each service |
| Sick workers | Exclude with vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever; restrict others [1] | Ask at shift start | Each shift |
Check your local code for the exact hot holding number: some places use 140°F, as the hot holding guide explains. The critical control points examples show these rows as HACCP limits.
Part 5: Logs
A plan without logs is a wish. List the logs, who fills them and where they live. Most kitchens need at least:
- Cooler and freezer temperatures (opening, middle, closing). See the temperature log sheet guide and cold holding.
- Hot holding checks every two hours.
- Cooking temperatures for poultry, ground meat and anything on a plan.
- Cooling logs for each batch of soup, rice, sauce or braise.
- Receiving log for deliveries, with a note of refusals.
- Cleaning and sanitiser log.
- Illness and exclusion log.
- Thermometer calibration log (ice point weekly).
Free sheets for the first four are on the logs page.
Part 6: Corrective actions
For each limit, write what staff do when a check fails. Use the same short form every time: stop, fix, decide about the food, write it down.
| Failure | Action |
|---|---|
| Cooler above 41°F | Probe food; move to a working unit; discard if over 4 hours cumulative above 41°F; call repair; sign the log |
| Chicken below 165°F | Return to heat, re-probe, serve only at 165°F |
| Hot food below 135°F | Reheat to 165°F once if under 4 hours; otherwise discard |
| Cooling missed the 2-hour mark | Reheat to 165°F and cool again with a better method, or discard |
| Sanitiser too weak | Remake, retest, re-wash anything cleaned in the weak batch |
| Employee ill | Send home; record; return only per local rule |
The 4-hour rule is the Food Code's limit for time as a public health control: food out of temperature for under four hours may be reheated or served in some cases and must be discarded after that [1].
Part 7: Training
List who was trained in what, and when. A short sheet: name, date, topics (handwashing, temperatures, cross-contamination, allergens, cleaning), initials. Keep food handler card numbers if your state requires them. New hires sign within the first week, the whole team yearly. Training that is written down is training that counts at inspection.
Part 8: Review
Set a date each year, and a trigger: a new menu item, a new piece of equipment, a citation, an illness complaint. At each review the owner and CFPM read the logs, check for repeating failures, update the table and sign. Write the date on the front page of the plan. If a limit failed three times in a month, that is the one to fix.
One page to put on the wall
The plan is for the binder. The wall gets one page: the five numbers (41°F, 135°F, 165°F, 70°F in 2 hours, 41°F in 6), the cooler log, the "what do I do" for the three most likely failures, and the name of the person in charge today. Staff read what is in front of them.
Common mistakes
- A plan copied from another restaurant, with dishes you do not serve.
- Limits without checks, or checks without logs.
- Logs filled out all at once at the end of the week. Inspectors can tell by the handwriting.
- Nobody named as responsible.
- No corrective action column: a high reading with nothing beside it reads as ignored.
Questions
Is there a free restaurant food safety plan template?
The eight parts above are one. Many health departments publish their own sample for small kitchens, so check yours first. Fill in your menu groups and numbers, then add logs.
Is a food safety plan required by law?
Not for every restaurant under the Food Code. You must follow the code, and a plan is how you show it. A HACCP plan is required for specialized processes [1]. Some states, schools and contracts ask for a written plan anyway.
How long should a food safety plan be?
Most small restaurants write four to ten pages plus logs. Longer than that, nobody reads it.
What is the difference between a food safety plan and SOPs?
SOPs are step-by-step instructions for one task, such as how to clean the slicer. The plan lists them, says when they apply and what to check.
Should the plan list allergens?
Yes. Add a line for each of the nine major allergens in the US and what you do to prevent cross-contact [1][2].
Can someone write it for me?
Yes, from your menu. Find your restaurant and see the free logs or ask about a plan written for you.
Sources
- FDA Food Code 2022, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Foodborne germs and illnesses, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Retail food risk factors, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
A short version for a small counter-service place is in the HACCP plan for a cafe or coffee shop guide.
Related: all food safety guides.