Fire Safety Order 2005
Requires assessment, precautions, maintenance, staff training, emergency planning and full recording.
Operators, landlords and hospitality managers
Fire risk assessment for restaurants and cafés
Assess commercial-kitchen hazards, public occupancy, extraction, late opening and escape arrangements, then request a tailored quote.
Key points
Restaurant, café or takeaway fire risk assessment at a glance
- Commercial kitchens and extraction
- Customers unfamiliar with exits
- Late opening and licensed premises
- London and Surrey assessment enquiries
- The responsible person must arrange a suitable and sufficient assessment and record its findings in full.
- Review the assessment when changes, an incident or new information could affect its validity.
Property-specific guidance
Why this premises type needs its own assessment
Restaurants and cafés place ignition sources, hot oils, gas, electrical equipment and extraction systems close to combustible contents and public areas. Noise, low lighting, alcohol, queues, basement kitchens and late-night operation can make warning and evacuation more difficult.
The assessment should cover kitchens, dining areas, bars, stores, cellars, staff rooms, waste, external seating and every escape route. It must reflect the busiest credible service and coordinate with flats or other occupiers in mixed-use buildings.
Legal responsibility
Who must arrange the assessment?
The operating employer or premises controller is usually responsible for the business areas. Landlords or managing agents may control common escape routes, structure and shared systems, while licence holders and managers have operational duties that must align.
Read the main fire risk assessment guideLegal framework
Fire-safety duties affecting this property
The Fire Safety Order is the core life-safety regime in England. Other laws and sector requirements can overlap, so the assessment and action plan should not be managed in isolation.
Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations
May apply to LPG, flammable liquids, gases and other dangerous substances used or stored at the premises.
Premises licensing
Alcohol, entertainment and late-night refreshment conditions may affect capacity, management and safety arrangements.
Building regulations
Kitchen extraction, compartmentation, changes of use and material alterations may require building-control involvement.
Assessment scope
What the assessor should examine
The final scope should reflect the actual building and any limitations. A site visit and a prioritised written report are fundamental for a professional assessment.
Cooking and extraction
Inspect fryers, ranges, grills, ductwork, filters, cleaning, shut-offs, suppression where fitted and separation.
Gas and electrical safety
Review isolation, servicing, portable equipment, circuits, meters and safe emergency actions.
Public occupancy
Assess tables, queues, standing areas, events, alcohol, mobility needs and the busiest credible layout.
Escape
Check basements, inner rooms, alternative exits, door security, external seating and shared residential routes.
Detection and firefighting
Review alarm coverage and audibility, blankets, suitable extinguishers and any kitchen suppression.
Management
Consider shift patterns, agency staff, closing checks, waste, deliveries, hot work, cleaning and drills.
Property-specific hazards
Risks that deserve particular attention
These examples are prompts, not a complete checklist. The assessment must identify all significant hazards and how they could affect people in and around the premises.
Hot oil and cooking
Fryers, open flames and overheated equipment can produce fast-growing fires.
Grease in extraction
Poor cleaning can allow fire to spread through ductwork beyond the kitchen.
Gas and cylinders
Leaks, unsafe isolation and badly located LPG introduce fire and explosion risk.
Basements and mixed use
Limited routes and flats above or beside the premises can increase risk to people remote from the fire.
People at risk
Who may need additional consideration?
The assessment must consider everyone lawfully on or near the premises, including people who may be unable to recognise danger, respond quickly or use the standard escape route without help.
Customers
Diners may be unfamiliar with exits, distracted or affected by alcohol.
Kitchen staff
People work close to ignition and hot-oil hazards and need clear emergency actions.
Young, agency and late staff
Turnover and shifts require consistent induction and competent cover.
Residents and neighbours
Smoke and fire can spread through shared structure, ducts or escape routes in mixed-use buildings.
Emergency planning
Evacuation points to test
A written plan is only useful if it matches the building, occupants, available staff and fire precautions and can be carried out under foreseeable conditions.
- Base the plan on the busiest credible layout, including queues, events and external seating.
- Staff should know when to isolate equipment, raise the alarm and leave without attempting unsafe firefighting.
- Ensure music and kitchen noise do not prevent occupants recognising the alarm.
- Coordinate alarm, extraction shut-down, shared routes and access with landlords and adjoining occupiers.
What to expect
The five-stage assessment process
- 1
Prepare
Confirm the areas in scope, responsible persons, occupancy, plans, previous reports and relevant fire-safety records.
- 2
Inspect
Walk the premises and examine hazards, people at risk, escape, fire protection and management arrangements.
- 3
Evaluate
Judge whether precautions are suitable for the actual use, occupants, construction and emergency strategy.
- 4
Record and prioritise
Document findings in full and provide a clear, risk-prioritised action plan with responsible owners.
- 5
Review
Keep the assessment current and revisit it when change, an incident or new information may affect its validity.
Evidence and management
Records to prepare and retain
Good records help an assessor understand the premises, allow defects to be tracked and demonstrate that significant findings have been acted on.
- Current FRA and action plan
- Extraction and duct-cleaning records
- Gas, electrical and cooking-equipment maintenance
- Alarm, lighting and extinguisher records
- Staff training, drills and shift arrangements
- Premises licence and relevant conditions
Keeping it current
When to review the assessment
There is no single fixed review interval suitable for every premises. Set a proportionate programme and review sooner whenever there is reason to think the assessment may no longer be valid.
- Menu, equipment, fuel or cooking-method changes
- Layout, seating, capacity or opening-hour changes
- New extraction, suppression or gas work
- Licence variation, event use or entertainment
- Fire, flare-up, gas incident, near miss or alarm issue
- Evidence the assessment is no longer valid
Quote planning
What affects assessment cost?
A useful quote reflects assessor time, competence, site access and reporting complexity. A low headline price is not meaningful without a clear scope.
Kitchen complexity
Appliances, fuels, extraction, suppression and cleaning evidence.
Capacity and layout
Dining rooms, bars, basements, exits and external seating.
Operating pattern
Late hours, events, alcohol and access around service times.
Mixed-use building
Flats, shared routes, ducts and landlord coordination.
Choosing an assessor
Check the person as well as the company
BAFE SP205 provides third-party certification for organisations delivering life-safety fire risk assessments. The National Fire Risk Assessors Register (NFRAR), administered by the Institute of Fire Safety Managers, records individually assessed fire risk assessors and their competency level.
Use both as complementary evidence: verify the organisation’s current BAFE SP205 status where applicable and the individual’s current NFRAR registration and assessed level. Also check direct experience with restaurant, café or takeaway premises, insurance, report scope, site visit, exclusions and how follow-up questions are handled.
Related fire-safety services
Acting on the assessment
The FRA should define outcomes and priorities. Any design, installation, inspection or maintenance work must then be scoped and completed competently.
Local coverage
Find and compare assessment support across London and Surrey
Explore local assessor information and quotation guidance, or use the form below to request a property-specific quote.
Frequently asked questions
Fire risk assessment for restaurants and cafés FAQs
Does every restaurant need a fire risk assessment?
Yes. Restaurants, cafés and takeaways are non-domestic premises under the Fire Safety Order. The assessment must reflect the actual kitchen, customer areas, occupancy, escape routes and management.
Does a commercial kitchen require suppression?
Not every kitchen has an automatic legal requirement for a suppression system. Need depends on equipment, fuel, risk, fire strategy, insurer and other requirements. Where installed, suppression must be suitable and maintained.
How often should extraction ductwork be cleaned?
There is no single interval suitable for every kitchen. Cleaning frequency should reflect cooking type, grease accumulation, use, access and insurer or industry guidance, with records retained.
Can the public use the kitchen route as a fire exit?
Escape through a high-risk kitchen is generally problematic. The acceptability of any route depends on layout, fire growth, protection and applicable guidance and should be assessed competently.
Do flats above affect the restaurant assessment?
Yes. Mixed-use construction, shared routes, alarms, extraction and compartmentation can expose residents and require cooperation between responsible persons.
Property-specific enquiry
Request a quote for your restaurant, café or takeaway
Provide the essential building and occupancy details. Your enquiry can be reviewed and passed to an assessor serving London or Surrey.
- No obligation to book
- Telephone number required
- Use the details box for unusual risks or deadlines
Sources and limitations
Guidance reviewed 21 July 2026
This page provides general information for England. It is not legal advice, a building-specific assessment or a guarantee of compliance. Fire Safety Services is independent and is not affiliated with BAFE, NFRAR, IFSM, the Government or fire and rescue services.
Other property guides