Who does what in a shared commercial kitchen? Build a responsibility plan

Start with the gaps between bookings

A kitchen can look ready while important jobs remain unassigned. Who checks a refrigerator after an overnight fault? Who knows what the previous hirer mixed in the equipment? Who decides whether a bench is ready for the next business? A written responsibility plan turns these questions into named tasks.

Use the plan alongside your hire agreement and business procedures. It does not transfer or settle legal obligations. Ask the relevant council or food regulator what registrations, supervision and records apply to your business and activities at that address.

Give each task an owner and a check

Create a short register with six fields: task, person responsible, deadline or trigger, method, evidence and escalation contact. Avoid assigning work to “everyone”. Name a role that is actually present, plus a backup when the manager is away.

Separate doing a job from checking its result. For example, the departing hirer might clean a mixer, while the operator checks the handover record and the incoming hirer checks readiness before use. That is a proposed operating arrangement to agree, not a universal rule.

• Premises and equipment: nominate who handles maintenance, pest reports, waste collection and fault isolation.
• Business activity: identify who controls ingredients, recipes, product information, staff instruction and batch records.
• Shared storage: assign shelves or containers and agree how unidentified, damaged or overdue stock is reported.
• Cold storage: state who monitors equipment, who checks their own food, and who receives an alarm outside booked hours.

Make cleaning instructions specific

FSANZ distinguishes cleaning, which removes dirt and food residues, from sanitising, which addresses microorganisms. Items need cleaning before sanitising. A general “leave it tidy” clause is therefore too vague for a food-contact surface.

For each shared item, agree the approved procedure, chemicals, manufacturer instructions, equipment dismantling permissions and required time. Specify which tasks fit within the booking and which the operator performs separately. Do not improvise chemical mixtures or dismantle equipment you have not been trained to handle.

An entry checklist should record missing supplies, visible residue or a faulty dishwasher before production starts. A dated photo can support a report, but appearance alone does not establish that a cleaning or sanitising procedure was effective.

Treat allergen handover as its own task

FSANZ advises food manufacturers and retailers to use an allergen management plan and provide accurate, current allergen information. In a shared kitchen, ask how information about other users’ ingredients and shared equipment reaches your business.

Record the ingredients you introduce, the tools and storage you need, and who approves any substitutions. Discuss simultaneous production, shared mixers, scoops, cloths and washing areas. Ask what evidence supports the cleaning method for your intended use. A sanitising record alone is not evidence that allergen residues have been removed.

Do not turn “private booking” or “cleaned between users” into an allergen-free claim. If the arrangements cannot support your intended product claim or customer requirements, stop and seek appropriate advice before producing it.

Hypothetical worked example: two consecutive hirers

A fictional sauce maker books after a bakery that uses sesame. Before agreeing to production, the sauce maker asks the operator which equipment and storage are shared. They record that the operator supplies the approved cleaning instructions, the bakery completes its departure tasks, and the sauce maker checks the handover before starting.

On arrival, the shared mixer has no completed record. The sauce maker does not treat the booking confirmation as proof of readiness. They contact the agreed supervisor and defer using it until the uncertainty is resolved. This example demonstrates responsibility allocation, not a validated allergen-control process.

Finish with a usable handover

Keep the record where both parties can retrieve it. Review the arrangement when equipment, recipes, hirers or operating hours change.

• Record the date, equipment used, completed tasks and unresolved issues.
• Name the person authorised to stop use of an affected area or appliance.
• Agree who contacts affected businesses after a fault or contamination concern.
• Set a review date and retain the version both parties accepted.