Restaurant regulations: Your complete checklist

Do you handle foodstuffs in your professional activity? Do you know what catering regulations must be respected to ensure not only the success of your establishment but also the safety and satisfaction of your customers? In the dynamic and competitive restaurant industry, understanding and applying regulatory standards is crucial. This is why we have prepared an exhaustive checklist, a real guide through the meanderings of restaurant regulations. Whether you run a café, a restaurant or a bakery, this item is designed to be your ally. Discover how to navigate with ease between legal obligations, from food hygiene standards to specific requirements in terms of safety, accessibility, layout or even signage.

Layout of spaces, choice of materials and equipment

Configuring spaces

It is essential to structure your spaces by following these guidelines:

• Make a clear distinction between dirty preparation areas (washing area, waste management) and clean areas (food preparation and storage).
• Design the space to simplify cleaning and maintenance.
• Avoid allowing the path to the waste room to pass through kitchen or service areas.
• Install separate washrooms for staff and customers.
• Toilets should not communicate directly with food preparation or storage areas.
• Store cleaning products separately, in a closet or a dedicated room.
• Place changing rooms a short distance from workstations.

Good to know: Do you employ more than 25 people who eat at work? In this case, you must necessarily provide catering space. This space must be equipped with tables, chairs, a drinking water point and a sufficient number of refrigerators.

Hardware

The equipment used by catering professionals must meet several criteria. Thus, they must:

• Have a grease trap.
• Use certified and compliant LERPAC or NF food hygiene equipment.
• Promote the use of stainless steel or enamel utensils and equipment.
• Opt for drying your hands with single-use paper to limit the risk of contamination (cloth napkins should be avoided).
• Adopt for trash cans with a lid and that open via a pedal.

Important : The use of raw wooden utensils and equipment is prohibited.

Equipment

Your establishment should be equipped as follows:

• Ventilation system that clearly distinguishes the air in clean areas from that in dirty areas.
• Toilets equipped with a bowl with flush system, a sink and soap.
• In the kitchen, provide separate sinks for washing hands and vegetables.
• Washbasins activated by a touchless system, such as motion sensors or foot controls.
• Devices for drying hands by forced air or single-use paper.
• Floor drain for water drainage.
• Adequate lighting in all areas.
• Cold room equipped with a thermometer and a temperature control.
• Locker rooms for employees, if specific clothing is required.

To note: Pest control measures should be implemented on a regular basis.

Rules of use

Follow these instructions for using the equipment:

• Clean work surfaces and utensils after each service and at the end of the day.
• Keep food items off the ground.
• Avoid putting personal items on work surfaces (e.g. telephones).
• Use tongs to serve bulk food to customers.

Temperature management and food preservation

Maintaining temperatures

• It is crucial to never interrupt the cold chain, which requires food to be stored between 0° and 3° C.
• Temperature monitoring in refrigerators and cold rooms should be constant.
• Likewise, respecting the hot chain is essential: cooked foods must quickly reach a temperature of 63° C. Then, maintaining this temperature is necessary throughout cooking.
• Food should be cooled as quickly as possible to 3°C before being refrigerated without delay.
• Raw ingredients and processed foods should be stored separately in separate refrigerators.

Packaging

• Sanitize all packaging materials beforehand.
• Store raw products in airtight containers.

Freezing rules

It is forbidden to:

• Refreeze a product that has already been thawed.
• Defrost products at room temperature (Defrosting must be done in the refrigerator).
• Freeze raw materials, restaurant leftovers, or pre-packaged products that should normally be stored at room temperature.

Good to know : It is allowed to freeze products directly from the slaughterhouse as well as fresh products from fishing.

Hygiene standards in catering: staff and food products

Food hygiene training required for commercial catering

In the field of commercial catering, training in food hygiene standards is a regulatory requirement. To do so, only a member of the establishment's staff is required to have completed this training. The duration of the training is set at a minimum of 14 hours, including at least 2 hours in person for each 7-hour segment, a necessity especially for practice on the equipment.As for the costs associated with this training, these vary from €200 to €500, depending on market rates. In addition, this training has no expiration date and does not require renewal.

Good to know: It is important to distinguish this training from that relating to HACCP, which comes from the “Hygiene Package”, a European regulation.

Types of establishments subject to this obligation

• Traditional catering: offering table service.
• Cafeterias and other self-service services: where customers serve themselves, often with trays.
• Fast food and take-out: offering food and drinks in counter service, to be consumed on site or to take away, including via delivery or sale in food trucks.

Professional degrees in cooking and catering generally include this training.

Exceptions to the training requirement:

• Hotels that only serve breakfast.
• Caterers and supermarket catering departments.
• Catering businesses offering ready-to-eat dishes.
• Hot spots in stores that have a few tables.
• Chefs working in private homes.
• Tables d'hotes that complement an accommodation offer, offer a unique quality menu with local products, serve at the family table and have a limited capacity.

A restaurant that does not meet these specific criteria must comply with food hygiene training.

To note : A professional with at least three years of experience in the food sector, as a manager or operator, may be exempt from this training.

HACCP training and the “Hygiene Package”

All professionals in contact with food must receive training or instructions specific to food hygiene, adapted to their activity. This requirement is often met by the HACCP training, in accordance with European legislation on food hygiene, known as the “Hygiene Package” .Intended for all actors in the agri-food chain, HACCP training can be offered by a specialized organization or directly by the employer, without any formal prescription as to its content or duration.To comply with best practices of hygiene in catering, it is recommended to refer to a guide to good hygiene practices (GBPH) specific to your sector, validated by the Ministry of Agriculture and developed by professionals in the sector.

Staff hygiene in the workplace

In addition to food safety, all personnel who handle food must follow certain hygiene principles. Staff must therefore:

• Wear clean clothing and a headdress.
• Use gloves when preparing or serving food and change them frequently.
• Wash your hands regularly, especially after a break, a visit to the bathroom, contact with waste or raw materials, and before handling dairy products.

What to do if an employee is sick? Employees suffering from contagious diseases (such as the flu or gastroenteritis) or with open wounds should not be in contact with foodstuffs.

Waste management

Catering establishments and food stores must follow general guidelines for the management of business waste. Several rules must be followed:

• Value unsold food. In fact, the destruction of these is prohibited. You will find the details of this regulation in the documentation specific to the management of unsold items.
• Separate food residues from the beginning as biowaste.
• Avoid the accumulation of food waste.
• Empty the trash cans at a high frequency and provide them with a lid that can be operated by a foot pedal.
• Clean the trash cans on a regular basis.
• Clearly separate waste storage space from other parts of the business.
• Prevent your staff from having to go through kitchen or service areas to access this space.
• When handling waste, wear appropriate equipment: safety boots, gloves, etc.

Good to know : Butchers are required to entrust the disposal of meat waste to a rendering service, while used oils must be collected by an authorized collector.

Safety and accessibility standards

Fire safety

In professional kitchens, safety is obviously essential. To do this, there is equipment required by the decree of 25 June 1980.It states that the management of a professional kitchen requires the adoption of the following precautions:

• Equip the kitchen with the right tools and devices to deal with fire risks, such as oil fires often caused by fryers.
• Maintain a minimum space of 50 cm between kitchen walls and cooking equipment, unless the walls are lined with non-flammable materials.
• Ensure that all kitchen equipment and tools are properly stabilized.
• Install an emergency stop mechanism to turn off the power to cooking appliances if necessary.

Ventilation and ventilation standards by type of kitchen

Ventilation and aeration requirements vary by kitchen type to ensure operational compliance.For open kitchens, that is to say visible to the public or located near the service room, professionals must:

• Use specific materials and equipment. For example: hoods, vapour capture systems and exhaust ducts.
• Clean the ventilation ducts at least once a year.
• Physically separate the kitchen from the service room using an M1 or M0 rated cantonment screen.

For the insulated kitchens, the criteria are similar to those for open kitchens. However, there is an additional requirement when it comes to walls. In fact, the isolation walls must be able to withstand fire for a minimum of 60 minutes. Beyond these restaurant standards, it is crucial for restaurant owners to ensure that the regular training of their staff on emergency procedures. This includes the use of emergency exits, fire alarm systems and fire extinguishers.

Accessibility standards in catering

According to the Law of 11 February 2005, aiming at equal rights and opportunities, as well as the participation and citizenship of persons with disabilities, each establishment open to the public (ERP) is required to comply with the following accessibility standards:

• Reserve 2% of parking spaces for people with mobility difficulties.
• Install visual warning strips.
• Make traffic routes accessible to people with disabilities.
• Have at least two seats in the reception area, adapted for people with disabilities, for establishments that can accommodate more than 50 people.
• Equip the toilets with specific dimensions that allow easy maneuvering (150 cm for a half-turn, with a lateral space of 1.30 x 0.80 m next to the bowl).

To validate and attest to the accessibility of their establishment, restaurant owners must request a certificate from the prefect of their department and the local accessibility commission. It is important to emphasize that a failure to comply with these obligations exposes establishments to a fine of 45,000 euros and to a possible administrative closure.

Posting rules for establishments

In addition to health and safety standards, establishments, especially those offering drinks for sale, must comply with specific display requirements.What are the mandatory displays?

• Business license : The restaurant license obtained by the establishment must be visible from the outside.
• Drinks Alcoholic : When alcoholic drinks are offered, it is imperative to display information concerning the protection of minors and provisions relating to the fight against public drunkenness.
• Origin of meats : Professionals must clearly indicate the origin of meat. This also includes where animals are born and raised.
• Prices and menus : Prices and menus must be clearly displayed and remain visible to customers throughout the duration of the service.
• Allergens : The display of ingredients that may cause allergies is also mandatory.