For Utah coffee shops
Sell coffee. We'll show you how to clean everything.
Pick a machine. Follow the pictures. Be ready when the inspector walks in.
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7:40 am
The line is out the door.
Who cleaned the steam wand?
- The machines
The espresso machine, the grinder, the milk fridge, the pastry case. Each one has to be clean, and each one has a rule.
- The guessing
You can't be behind the bar every shift. Did the opener take the milk fridge temperature? You don't know, and the inspector can walk in any day.
- The point
You opened to pour great coffee, not to chase clipboards.
Watch a sample cafe's 7:40 am first, so you decide with the screens in front of you.
The answer
Step-by-step cleaning guides
for every machine in your coffee shop.
Espresso machine, grinder, milk pitcher: each has its own guide, with a picture on each step. You clean it the right way and miss nothing the inspector looks for.
Find it
Type espresso, grinder or milk pitcher. The app finds it, even with a typo.
Follow the pictures
One step per screen. Run water through the group. Run the steam wand into the drip tray. Tap Done after each.
Out of espresso cleaner? One tap
Tap I'm out. It goes on your order list, with one tap to it on Amazon, and you keep your place. Told the app your machine's brand? Then it is the cleaner the maker names.
Open the espresso machine's steps on a sample cafe, so you see the pictures before you sign up.
The rules
What does the inspector
actually check?
The milk fridge, the sanitizer bucket, the espresso machine's backflow valve. Here are the rules behind them, coffee first.
Backflow protection
Air gaps or approved devices at every point of use; dual check valve ahead of coffee machines; testable devices tested yearly.
Food Code 5-202.13, 5-203.14, 5-203.15 (Utah amendments); Utah Admin. Code R309-105-12(5) (tested at least yearly by a certified tester); Food Code 5-205.13 (keep the records)
Hot and cold holding
Hot 135°F or above and cold 41°F or below, except a whole roast cooked on the roast chart (130°F or above, not on a food truck), raw shell eggs (the air around them 45°F or below) and food marked under time control (Food Code 3-501.19, 4 hours, not on a food truck). Food carried to an event is probed at loading and on arrival.
Food Code 3-501.16, 3-501.19; R392-102-12(6)
What are the hot and cold holding temperatures?Cleaning and sanitizing
Wash, rinse, sanitize, air-dry. Chlorine 50–99 ppm 10 s; quat per label 30 s; hot water 171°F 30 s. Test kit on site.
Food Code 4-301.12, 4-302.14, 4-501.112, 4-501.114, 4-703.11, 4-901.11; R392-102-8(17), R392-102-10
What is the difference between cleaning and sanitizing?
What else can the inspector check? 5 more rules
Date marking and disposal
Ready-to-eat TCS food held over 24 hours is labeled and used within 7 days at 41°F (day of prep = day 1); home kitchens: same day or 72 hours.
Food Code 3-501.17, 3-501.18; R392-102-12(7)–(9)
How long can food stay in a restaurant fridge?Allergens and cross-contact
Tell customers in writing which of the 9 major allergens are ingredients in each unpackaged food; label allergens; prevent cross-contact with separate utensils and pitchers, fresh gloves, and washing (sanitizer doesn't remove allergens).
Food Code 1-201.10(B), 3-602.12(C); FALCPA; FASTER Act
What goes on a food label in a restaurant?Employee health: report, exclude, restrict
Food workers report vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever, pus-filled sores, Big 6 diagnoses and exposures; the person in charge excludes or restricts.
Food Code 2-201.11, 2-201.12, 2-201.13; R392-102-15(4)
When does a sick food worker have to stay home?Utah food handler permit
Food handlers finish an approved course within 14 days of starting and get a county permit within 30 days. Valid 3 years.
Utah Code 26B-7-413; R392-103; R392-102-4(14)
Do you need a food handler permit in Utah?Does your county differ? 3 of Utah's 13 health departments do
Utah law: course by day 14, permit by day 30, valid statewide. Southwest Utah: their page says get the permit before handling food. Southwest Utah food page
Utah law: a permit from any Utah health department is valid statewide. Summit County: check with them (their Code says they "may" accept another county's card). Summit County Code of Health §1-6-5(A)(3)
Utah law: course by day 14, permit by day 30, valid statewide. Weber-Morgan: their regulation says have the permit before you start work. Weber-Morgan Food Service Sanitation Regulation §6.20 (2-103.12(B))
Accurate thermometers
Food thermometers accurate to ±2°F; calibrate by ice point (32°F); not boiling water in Utah.
Food Code 4-203.11, 4-302.12; R392-102-8(15)–(16)
How do you calibrate a food thermometer?
See one of these rules on the screen your barista sees, so you know it is one line, not a wall.
The plan
How does the new barista
get it on day two?
Pick Coffee shop
The app starts you with espresso drinks, lattes, cold brew and pastries. You edit the list.
Text each barista a link
She opens it in her phone's browser, answers the health questions and sees the milk fridge as her next thing. No phone? The shop tablet and a 4-digit PIN.
Every reading is saved
Each one has the time and her name. The binder is one PDF.
Setup happens once and takes minutes, so your first barista is on it tomorrow.
Not open yet?
What does my shop need
to open?
Not ready to start? Get the free permit checklist for a Utah coffee shop.
Free: the Utah inspection-ready checklist
Every rule an inspector can check, in plain words, with where it comes from. Print it. Tick what you have.
- Cafés, restaurants and other permitted kitchens (PDF)
- Food trucks and carts (PDF)
- Home kitchens (MEHK) (PDF)
- Church and community kitchens (members only) (PDF)
Pick your place, type your email, and the PDF downloads.
What if nobody wrote it down?
A warm milk fridge nobody wrote down
is a gap the inspector can see.
An inspector asks to see your temperature log. The barista who opened typed the milk fridge temperature at 6:50 am. It is there with her name, and the binder is one PDF.
Why not just take the points off?
A few points cost little.
An easier shift is worth more.
A few points will not close you, so that is not the reason. The reason is tomorrow morning.
- An easier shift
Your opener sees one next thing: the thermometer, the milk fridge, the strip. The espresso machine's cleaning steps come with pictures. Out of cleaner? One tap puts it on the order list. The date labels count the 7 days, so the cold brew is used before it is found. Less scramble at open and close. A new barista knows what to do on day two.
- Credit for your team
For the barista, this is not policing. It is one next thing with the rule beside it, and her name on good work: every reading, every
Caught early
. A reading counts the same whether it passes or not. When the inspector walks in, the opener hands over the binder and goes back to the bar. - Proof, not promises
An inspection is a snapshot, one to three times a year. Your records show how you run every day. Each milk fridge reading has the time and the barista's name, a photo where it helps, and corrections struck through, never deleted. The binder is one PDF with its own fingerprint. That is proof you can show, not a promise. In Salt Lake County the score is public too.
About five quick taps a day, on the phone your barista already carries. Count them on a sample cafe.
So what does calm look like?
Pour coffee.
The log keeps itself.
Tomorrow, the first barista opens the link, dips the thermometer in ice water, types the milk fridge temperature and tests the sanitizer strip. By close, Today shows what is still open.
25 days of real mornings is enough, so you can see if it holds.
Questions
Before you
start.
Does it show me how to clean the espresso machine?
Yes. Search for it in the app. Each step has a picture. Run water through the group. Run the steam wand into the drip tray. Backflush with water, then with cleaner at close. Each step says where it comes from. A manager can add your own way too.
Which cleaner do I buy for my espresso machine?
Tell the app the brand and model. For Breville, La Marzocco, Rocket, ECM, Profitec, Lelit, Rancilio, LUCCA and Fellow machines, the guide names the cleaner the maker says to use. It shows the maker's own words and finds it on Amazon in one tap. The same goes for grinders from Mahlkonig, Baratza, Eureka, Fellow and Moccamaster. Any other brand gets the plain espresso machine cleaner. No price is shown, and nothing is marked up.
Do we have to log espresso temperatures?
No. Hot coffee served right away needs no temperature log. Milk and cold brew stay at 41°F or colder, so the fridge is what gets written down.
Does the espresso machine need backflow protection?
Utah's Food Code amendments call for a dual check valve ahead of coffee machines, and testable devices are tested every year. CleanCleaver keeps the yearly test on your list.
Will my baristas actually do it?
Nothing to install: each one opens a link in her phone's browser. Today shows one next thing, like the milk fridge temperature, with the rule beside it. A reading counts the same whether it passes or not, so there is no reason to fudge a number. Points are for on-time work and never go down.
A new barista starts Monday. What does she do before her first drink?
She checks in with the health questions. Then she does the short lessons and sign-offs your setup lists, before her first food task. A food handler card on file shortens that list. Utah asks for the course within 14 days and the permit within 30 (Utah Code 26B-7-413).
Can baristas log without their own phone?
Yes, on the shop tablet. Tap your name, then enter a 4-digit PIN.
Why does it say checks are left when I did the thermometer?
Three things hold Open for food: the thermometer, the fridge and freezer, and the sanitizer. Today shows which one is left.
What does a coffee shop pay?
It depends on how many people are on your staff list: Solo (1–2) is $8, Small (3–6) is $24, Team (7–12) is $40 and Kitchen (13 or more) is $69 a month, per location. The 25 free days start when you add a card on Stripe's page. Cancel before they end and you pay nothing. 25 days free. Cancel anytime.
Isn't losing a few points cheaper than all this?
Probably, if points were the only thing. A few points will not close you. Closing is for an imminent health hazard, like a sewage backup or an outbreak (FDA Food Code 8-404.11). So the reason is the shift, not the inspector. The opener sees one next thing, each machine's cleaning steps have pictures, supplies are one tap away. The date labels count the days, so less food is found too late. Your team gets the credit, with a name on every reading. An inspection is a snapshot, one to three times a year. Your records show every day, with times and names, and the binder is one PDF with its own fingerprint. That is proof you can show, not a promise. About five quick taps a day. The Solo plan is $8 a month.
Your binder is ready when the inspector is.
Pick your place. Start with one shift.
Start your 25 days free See it work
25 days free. Cancel anytime.
Questions? Call or text (415) 640-1667