Do Waiters Need a Food Hygiene Certificate?

Nobody needs to be told how important food hygiene is for restaurants, catering, and other places serving food. Yet implementing and maintaining food hygiene measures can be tricky. Processes can be whittled down over time, and equipment can fall into disrepair, creating a cascade of small lapses that put food safety at risk. 

One of the aspects of food safety that may fall by the wayside is the behaviour of waiters and other front-of-house staff. You might think that anyone outside of the kitchen has fairly minimal food safety responsibilities. Yet anyone employed by a restaurant or similar business is equally responsible for food safety—and needs to take their own measures to uphold it.

UK food hygiene laws

Food safety laws in the UK are enshrined under the Food Safety Act 1990. Like most aspects of UK health & safety law, the responsibilities outlined in law are fairly broad. The burden of responsibility for businesses is to take due diligence when preparing and serving food, doing whatever is reasonably practicable to keep people safe.

The Food Safety Authority (FSA) sets standards which help businesses meet their legal responsibilities for food safety, which are enforced through local council inspections. They summarise the requirements under the Food Safety Act 1990 as follows:

• Businesses should not include anything in food, remove anything from food or treat food in any way which will damage the health of people eating it;

• Food served or sold must be of the nature, substance or quality which customers would expect;

• The food must be labelled, advertised and presented in a way that is not false or misleading.

A variety of food safety measures are required to meet these standards. These include, but are in no way limited to:

• Storage at required temperatures;

• Cooking to required temperatures;

• Separation of raw and cooked food (e.g. not placing raw meat above cooked food);

• Use of separate surfaces and utensils for raw and cooked food;

• Adequate disinfection and cleaning protocols;

• Personal hygiene measures;

• Pest control;

• Clean plates, cutlery and equipment;

• Proper ventilation and climate control; and

• Control of mold and other environmental factors.

Food safety requirements for waiters

Wait staff (waiters and waitresses) are generally considered to be in Category A for food safety risks. This means that they have minimal food handling responsibilities, or only handle wrapped or low risk food.

While this confers a lower level of responsibility than other staff, waiters do need a food hygiene certificate. They will generally be required to undertake a Level 1 Food Safety course before starting, and Level 2 Hygiene Essentials course within the first few weeks.

One of the most important roles a waiter has when it comes to food safety is handling food allergies. Several notable food safety incidents have highlighted the critical importance of implementing processes for food allergies, with any form of contamination posing a threat to life. Asking about food allergies is vital for waiters, as is recording details correctly, informing customers of potential allergens, and relaying information to the kitchen staff.

Waiters also have an equal responsibility to cleanliness as other staff. Waiters should wash their hands regularly, as it’s possible they may come into contact with food while carrying it. The variety of roles played by waiters—often including taking payments, cleaning tables and mopping up spilled food or drinks—mean that cross contamination of food and surfaces is possible, and should be avoided through good hygiene practices.

How to improve restaurant food hygiene

Maintaining high standards of food hygiene isn't a one-and-done. Keeping a good standard of food hygiene relies not only on staff training, but also on good management, regular reviews, and investment in the right tools and infrastructure. There are several ways restaurants can raise their hygiene standards:

1. Staff training and certification
   

All staff (including waiters, chefs, and cleaners) should receive appropriate food hygiene training. While kitchen staff may need Level 2 or 3 Food Hygiene Certificates, waiters should at minimum complete a Level 1 course to understand contamination risks, allergens, hand washing procedures, and safe handling practices, with refresher training to be carried out periodically.

2. Clear processes and accountability
   

An important facet of food safety compliance is documenting the measures you take. This not only helps with consistency, but will also act as a form of evidence should the worst happen and a serious food safety incident occur. 

This means writing down procedures for every stage of food preparation and service, from receiving deliveries and storing ingredients to clearing tables. Make sure all food safety responsibilities are clearly allocated so everyone knows what’s expected of them, and  undertake regular audits and spot checks to ensure rules are being followed.

3. Thorough cleaning schedules
   

A cleaning rota will help you to ensure all areas are cleaned with the appropriate frequency. High-touch areas like door handles, card machines, and table surfaces are simple and effective vectors to address, and should be cleaned multiple times daily.

Back-of-house cleaning should include regular deep cleans, including tricky tasks like degreasing extractor fans and descaling dishwashers, as well as simpler measures like sanitising surfaces.

4. Allergen management
   

Rigorous allergen management protocols are absolutely essential for any food business. Menus should clearly state when the 14 allergens listed under the Food Safety Act are present, and may ideally go beyond this to mention other potential allergens. 

Wait staff should also be trained to ask about allergies when taking orders. Kitchen and front-of-house teams meanwhile should use a clear system (e.g. colour-coded order slips or POS flags) to identify allergy-specific meals, ensure clear communication between all parties, and prevent any cross-contamination.

5. Equipment and kitchen layout
   

Outdated or poorly maintained kitchen equipment can be a major hygiene hazard. While thorough cleaning will help, investing in new equipment is sometimes necessary or prudent in order to ensure a higher level of cleanliness, as well as to ensure food is reliably and thoroughly cooked.

Modern, intelligent kitchen appliances like the Rational iCombi Pro and iVario Pro feature precise temperature controls, monitoring loads and ensuring they are cooked properly and consistently across all racks. They also benefit from fully automatic cleaning cycles and cleaning alerts, helping with cleaning schedules and reducing the burden on staff.

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While waiters aren’t directly involved in food preparation, they do still need some food safety training. All staff in a restaurant, canteen or other setting are responsible for maintaining good food hygiene, and should be trained appropriately to the level of risk conferred by their role.

By putting strong policies in place, ensuring enforcement, and modernising kitchen infrastructure, businesses can not only protect customers by reducing food safety risks, but also make their businesses more efficient. Small measures to ensure good safety can have an outsized impact—building trust with customers, and ensuring the best quality food and service.