What are CCPs in a cafe?
CCPs are critical control points - steps where losing control could make food unsafe. In cafes, CCPs often include cold holding, hot holding, reheating, cooling (if you do it), and sanitizer concentration.
HACCP for Cafes - A Simple Start-to-Finish Setup
HACCP plan for Cafe
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. In plain terms, it's a way to spot the steps where food can become unsafe and then control those steps on purpose - with clear limits, quick checks, and a plan for what to do when something goes wrong.
For a cafe, HACCP is not about creating a giant binder of paperwork. It's about answering three simple questions -
1. Where could food safety problems happen in my cafe?
2. Which steps matter most for preventing them?
3. How do we check those steps every day so we don't rely on memory?
What HACCP looks like in real cafe operations
Most cafes don't have complex cooking lines, but they do have high-risk moments that happen constantly. HACCP helps you control those moments. For example -
- Cold foods that sit in a cooler or display case (sandwiches, salads, cut fruit, yogurt, prepared proteins)
- Milk and dairy handling (steaming pitchers, storing opened milk, using the same cloths, keeping milk cold during rushes)
- Hot holding and reheating (soups, breakfast items, cooked proteins used for paninis, warmed pastries)
- Time out of temperature control (prep batches left on counters, grab-and-go items staged too early)
- Cross-contamination and allergens (shared knives, cutting boards, tongs, crumbs, nut toppings, milk alternatives)
- Ice and beverage equipment (ice bins/scoops, blender jars, cold brew systems, water lines)
HACCP doesn't replace basic hygiene rules like handwashing, hair restraints, and cleaning. Instead, it helps you build a repeatable system so the "busy moments" don't create blind spots.
What HACCP Covers in a Small Cafe
HACCP covers the hazards that can make food unsafe and the steps in your cafe where those hazards are most likely to happen. In a small cafe, the risks usually aren't complicated - but they are easy to miss during a rush. HACCP gives you a simple way to control them.
The three hazard types HACCP focuses on
1. Biological hazards - These include bacteria and viruses that grow when food is kept at unsafe temperatures or handled with poor hygiene. In cafes, this shows up with milk and dairy, ready-to-eat foods (sandwiches, salads), cut fruit, cooked proteins, and anything that's held in a display cooler for long periods.
2. Chemical hazards - This can mean sanitizer that's too strong, chemicals stored near food, or residue left on food-contact surfaces. In cafes, allergens are also a major chemical-type concern because customers may have severe reactions. Common cafe allergens include milk, nuts, eggs, wheat/gluten, and soy, plus milk alternatives that get mixed up or cross-contacted.
3. Physical hazards - Examples include plastic fragments, broken utensil pieces, staples, glass, or packaging materials. Cafes deal with lots of to-go packaging, small tools, and front-of-house handling, which increases this risk.
Where hazards show up in cafe workflow
HACCP looks across your entire flow, including -
Receiving - deliveries arriving warm, damaged packaging, expired product
Storage - overstuffed coolers, poor airflow, uncovered food, wrong shelf order
Prep - shared knives/boards, glove misuse, utensils touching raw and ready-to-eat items
Holding & display - cold cases running warm, hot holding below safe temps, food out too long
Service - hands touching ready-to-eat food, shared tongs, allergen mix-ups
Cleaning - dirty ice bins, improperly mixed sanitizer, wiping cloths used everywhere
Many cafe items are TCS foods (time/temperature control for safety). If they're not kept cold or hot, risk rises fast. HACCP helps you identify which menu items are TCS, then set simple controls - like temperature targets, check times, and clear discard rules.
Map Your Cafe's Food Flow
Before you can control hazards, you need to see where they can happen. That's why HACCP starts with a food flow map - a simple step-by-step path showing what happens to your food from the moment it arrives to the moment it's served. In a small cafe, this doesn't need to be complex. A clear, basic map helps you find the "risk points" you'll control later.
Pick your top 5-10 best-selling items and map those first. Most cafes can cover nearly everything with two simple flows -
Cold/ready-to-eat flow - sandwiches, salads, yogurt cups, cut fruit, grab-and-go pastries with fillings
Hot flow - soups, breakfast sandwiches, cooked proteins used for paninis, reheated items
If your cafe does both, create one map for each. Keep each map to one page.
A simple cafe food flow template
Use this basic structure and adjust it to match your operation -
1. Receiving. Delivery arrives - you check condition and temperature
2. Storage. Items go to cooler/freezer/dry storage - labeled and dated
3. Prep. Washing, slicing, mixing, assembling - tools and surfaces used
4. Holding. Stored in prep cooler or display case / hot holding unit
5. Service. Item is served or packaged - customer pickup/delivery handoff
6. Leftovers/return. Leftovers cooled, discarded, or stored (if allowed)
7. Cleaning. Food-contact surfaces and equipment cleaned and sanitized
Mark the handoffs and "pause points"
Most food safety problems happen at transitions, not at the "main" step. On your map, highlight where food -
- Changes hands (receiver to prep, prep to service)
- Moves locations (walk-in to line fridge, fridge to display case)
- Sits (cooling, staging during rush, held in a warmer, stored overnight)
- Gets reworked (toppings added, milk steamed, items reheated)
Next to each step, note the key equipment - walk-in cooler, reach-in, display case, thermometer, sanitizer bucket, cutting boards, blender, ice bin, steam wand. This matters because many controls will be about temperature, time, and cleaning.
Once your flow is mapped, you've created the foundation for identifying hazards and choosing practical controls.
Identify Hazards and Choose Practical Controls
Now that you've mapped your food flow, the next step is to identify what can go wrong at each step and choose controls that are realistic for a small cafe. The goal is not to list every possible problem. The goal is to focus on the hazards most likely to happen and the controls that prevent them.
Common cafe hazards to look for
As you review each step on your flow map, watch for these frequent cafe risks -
1. Cold holding issues - display case or reach-in running warm, doors left open, overstock blocking airflow
2. Time out of temperature control - prep batches left on counters, grab-and-go staged too early, milk sitting out during rush
3. Cross-contamination - shared knives/boards, same gloves touching raw and ready-to-eat foods, dirty towels used across stations
4. Allergen cross-contact - nut toppings, shared tongs, same blender jar for different drinks, confusing milk alternatives
5. Dirty high-risk equipment - ice bins and scoops, blender gaskets, steam wand, espresso drip trays, cold brew lines
6. Labeling and date marking gaps - unlabeled prep containers, unclear "made on" vs "use by," leftovers stored too long
7. Chemical issues - sanitizer mixed too strong/weak, chemicals stored above food, spray bottles used near prep
Practical controls that work in tight spaces
Choose controls that match your setup and staffing. In most cafes, the best controls are simple and visible -
1. Zoning - separate areas (even if small) for raw handling, ready-to-eat assembly, and beverage prep
2. Dedicated tools - color-coded boards/knives, labeled tongs for allergen items, separate scoops for ice and ingredients
3. Time and temperature rules - clear limits for prep staging, a target temp for each cooler, and quick "check points" each shift
4. Labeling system - date labels for all prepared items, plus allergen labels for grab-and-go
5. Sanitizer setup - pre-mixed sanitizer buckets at stations, test strips available, and a set change schedule
6. Cleaning schedule - focus on food-contact surfaces and the hidden parts (ice scoop holder, blender seals, steam wand)
How to prioritize without overthinking
Start with hazards that have the highest impact and show up most often -
1. Cold holding and time out of temp
2. Cross-contamination and allergens
3. Cleaning/sanitizing of high-risk equipment
4. Labeling/date marking
Once these are controlled, your HACCP plan becomes easier to run - and easier to maintain.
Set Your Critical Control Points (CCPs) and Critical Limits
After you identify hazards and controls, you decide which steps are Critical Control Points (CCPs). A CCP is a point in your process where losing control could make food unsafe, and where you can apply a specific control to prevent, eliminate, or reduce the hazard to an acceptable level.
In a small cafe, not every step is a CCP. Many steps are handled through basic routines like cleaning schedules and good prep habits. CCPs are the steps that need clear limits and routine checks because they directly affect safety.
A CCP is usually tied to time, temperature, or concentration - something you can measure.
1. Likely CCPs - cold holding, hot holding, reheating, cooling, sanitizer strength (when used on food-contact surfaces)
2. Usually not CCPs (but still important) - sweeping floors, general organization, branding labels, non-food-contact cleaning
If you can't measure it or set a clear limit, it may be better handled as a standard procedure instead of a CCP.
Typical cafe CCPs to consider
Most cafes can start with these CCP categories -
1. Cold holding (prep coolers + display cases)
Risk - bacteria growth when TCS foods aren't kept cold enough.
2. Hot holding (warmers, soup wells, hot display)
Risk - hot foods dropping into unsafe temperatures.
3. Reheating (soups, cooked proteins, breakfast items)
Risk - reheating not reaching a safe temperature fast enough.
4. Cooling (if you cool large batches for next-day use)
Risk - food staying warm too long while cooling.
5. Sanitizer concentration (for food-contact surfaces)
Risk - too weak doesn't sanitize; too strong can leave chemical residue.
A critical limit is the "line" between acceptable and unsafe. Keep limits simple and consistent. Common starting points -
1. Cold holding. 41 F / 5 C or below
2. Hot holding. 135 F / 57 C or above
3. Reheating. 165 F / 74 C (especially for previously cooked TCS foods)
4. Cooling. Cool quickly using shallow pans/ice bath; use time-based checkpoints
5. Sanitizer. Follow label directions and verify with test strips
Your limits should match local health rules, but these targets are widely used and easy to train. Once you set CCPs and limits, the next step is making monitoring easy enough that it actually happens every day.
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Build a Monitoring Routine
A HACCP plan only works if your team can run it during real service - when the line is busy and attention is split. Monitoring is how you catch problems early- a cooler running warm, hot soup dropping below safe temperature, sanitizer mixed wrong, or a grab-and-go item missing a date label. The key is to make checks fast, assigned, and repeatable.
For most cafes, you can cover the biggest risks with 4-6 quick checks -
- Cooler and display case temperatures (cold holding CCP)
- Hot holding temperatures if you use warmers/soup wells
- Reheating temperatures when reheating TCS foods
- Sanitizer concentration for food-contact surfaces (test strips)
- Date labels on prepared and grab-and-go items
- Ice handling basics (scoop stored properly, not in the ice)
Assign ownership by shift, not by "who notices"
Monitoring fails when it's everyone's job. Instead, assign it by role and moment -
1. Opening shift - record cooler/display temps, set sanitizer buckets, verify labels on grab-and-go
2. Mid-shift (or shift change) - quick temp re-check on the busiest cooler/display case; replace sanitizer if dirty
3. Closing shift - final temp check, discard rules followed, date label audit for next day, clean and store tools
Put the schedule where people look- inside the cooler door, above the sanitizer station, or next to the POS.
Logs should be simple- one sheet per day, checkboxes, and minimal writing. Good log formats include -
- A table with time + item + temperature + initials
- A sanitizer line with ppm/range + test result + initials
- A quick label check, "All prepared items labeled?" Yes/No
If logging feels like paperwork, it won't happen. If it's quick, it becomes routine.
Decide what "out of range" means ahead of time
Train staff to recognize two conditions -
- Missed check (no reading taken)
- Failed check (reading outside the limit)
Both need action. A missed check means you don't know if food stayed safe. A failed check means you do know there's risk.
Monitoring is easier when tools are always ready -
- Calibrated probe thermometer with wipes nearby
- Thermometer in each cooler or a reliable built-in display
- Sanitizer test strips at the sanitizer station
- Labels and marker at the prep area
Once monitoring is running smoothly, the next step is defining exactly what to do when something fails.
Corrective Actions and Verification
Monitoring tells you what's happening. Corrective actions tell your staff what to do when something is wrong. Without corrective actions, people guess - and guessing leads to unsafe food, inconsistent decisions, and messy inspections. Your plan should make it obvious - if X happens, do Y.
Write corrective actions for each CCP and common failure. Use short "if/then rules"
1. Cold holding out of range (above your limit) -
- If a cooler/display temp is high, then check a product temp with a probe thermometer.
- If product is still within limit, then move items to a working cooler, reduce load, shut the door, and re-check in 30 minutes.
- If product is above limit or time is unknown, then discard the item (or follow local rules for time-based control if you use it).
- Fix the cause, overstock, blocked vents, door left open, gasket issues, unit failure.
2. Hot holding out of range (below your limit) -
- If hot-held food is low, then reheat to a safe temp quickly (if allowed) and return to hot hold.
- If time below limit is unknown, then discard.
3. Sanitizer strength wrong - If sanitizer is too weak/strong, then dump, remix to label directions, re-test, and replace wiping cloths.
4. Label/date marking missing - If an item isn't labeled or date is unknown, then discard. Unknown age = unknown safety.
Verification is different from monitoring. Monitoring is the daily check. Verification is the "manager proof" that the plan is being followed and the tools are accurate.
Practical cafe verification steps -
1. Manager spot checks (1-2 per week) - take an independent temp reading and compare to logs.
2. Thermometer calibration - weekly or per your policy (ice-water method is common).
3. Sanitizer verification - confirm test strips are available and not expired; confirm readings match the product label range.
4. Cleaning verification - visual checks on high-risk areas (ice bin, steam wand, blender seals, deli containers).
Recordkeeping - what to keep and where
Keep only what matters -
- Daily temp logs, sanitizer logs, and corrective action notes
- Calibration checks
- Cleaning schedule sign-offs (for high-risk equipment)
Store them in one place (binder or digital folder). The goal is fast access, not paperwork volume.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do we keep sanitizer consistent in a cafe?
Mix to label directions, keep test strips at the station, check at opening and mid-shift, and replace sanitizer when it's dirty or out of range.
What's the biggest HACCP mistake cafes make?
Relying on "we always do it right" instead of running a simple routine - especially for display case temps, date labeling, sanitizer strength, and ice equipment hygiene.
What temperature should my cafe keep cold foods at?
A common target is 41 F / 5 C or below for cold holding. Always follow your local health rules if they differ.
What temperature should hot foods be held at?
A common target is 135 F / 57 C or above for hot holding. This matters for soup wells, warmers, and hot displays.
