PREVRA Bar Opening Checklist: Start Every Shift Food-Safe and Inspection-Ready
A structured opening routine for bars and licensed premises that serve food. Covers glasswash calibration, ice hygiene, garnish prep, and cellar checks required under SFBB and HACCP.
Why bar opening checks matter for food safety and EHO inspections
Bars serving so much as a bag of crisps are food businesses under UK law and fall within the scope of SFBB requirements — and EHO inspections. Ice is legally classified as food. A contaminated ice machine or glasswasher running below 82°C can cause the same hygiene failure as a dirty kitchen.
Counter-intuitively, lemon and lime wedges are one of the highest-risk items behind a bar. Cut fruit stored at ambient temperature supports bacterial growth faster than most dairy products. Your opening checklist must cover garnish prep and chilled display.
Using this checklist in your daily bar routine
Assign the opening checklist to the shift supervisor or most senior bartender on duty. Each item should be signed off before first service, with any issues logged and escalated. Glasswasher temperatures must be recorded — most units need a final rinse at 82°C or above. Ice machine scoops, lids, and internal surfaces need visual inspection for mould, which thrives in the damp environment even when the machine is running correctly.
Digital SFBB means your bar team logs checks from any phone during setup. The system timestamps every entry and flags missed checks before service begins. Your EHO sees a complete, tamper-proof record.
Common bar opening mistakes to avoid
Relying on the glasswasher thermometer alone without verifying it with an independent probe at least weekly. A faulty thermostat can leave glassware unsterilised without any visible sign. Storing fruit garnishes in the ice well itself — this looks attractive but introduces contamination from hands, air, and the fruit itself directly into the ice. Skipping the cellar line-cleaning schedule because it was done last week — frequency depends on throughput, not a fixed calendar, and stale beer lines harbour biofilm that contaminates every pour.
Prevra · Early access
Prevra is building a digital SFBB app.
The app is not ready yet. See the planned features and contact us about early access.
See planned features