Operations
Part of From signed franchise agreement to controlled daily operation
The pre-opening quality checks for a franchise unit, from premises to final release
Use this pre-opening franchise quality checklist to test permissions, premises, people, customer delivery, records and controlled restart in England.
Use this checklist as a release gate, not as reassurance. Every answer needs an owner, dated evidence and one of four results: pass, conditional pass, fail or not applicable with a reason. Use this scoring method for each item:
Result, meaning, minimum evidence
| Result | Meaning | Minimum evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Pass | Control meets the agreed standard. |
| Dated record with named owner. | | Conditional pass | Control works with a stated limit or expiry. | Limit, owner and review date. | | Fail | Control does not meet the standard. | Defect, owner and retest date. | | Not applicable with reason | Control falls outside the agreed scope.
| Written reason and approver. | The franchisee should adapt it to the agreement, sector and English location, then have the legal and technical sections reviewed by qualified people.
What to take away
- Treat the checklist as a release gate with dated evidence and named owners.
- A head-office approval is not evidence that fire-safety or risk-assessment duties have been met.
- An unresolved permission stops the affected activity until it is resolved.
- Test at least one awkward case, because a smooth standard purchase reveals little about recovery.
- If a critical control fails, change the date or service offered rather than relabel the defect.
Premises and safety
- The proposed use, lease conditions, landlord consents and access arrangements match the actual activity.
- Hazards have been identified for routine work, cleaning, deliveries, maintenance and foreseeable emergencies.
- Important controls have been demonstrated at the site, with defects assigned and retested.
- Fire-safety responsibility is recorded for every party controlling the premises, including shared areas.
- Emergency contacts, assembly arrangements, alarm information and restart authority are available to each shift.
Typical evidence for this section: a signed risk assessment, a fire risk assessment with its review date, an alarm test record and the landlord consent letter.
HSE's risk-assessment method includes identifying hazards, assessing and controlling risks, recording significant findings and reviewing controls. GOV.UK says a workplace responsible person must assess fire risk, maintain suitable measures, plan for emergencies and provide staff information and training. A head-office approval should not be recorded as evidence of either duty.
Premises and safety pre-opening checks
- Use, lease and landlord consents match activity
- Hazards identified for work and emergencies
- Controls demonstrated, defects assigned and retested
- Fire-safety responsibility recorded for all parties
- Emergency and restart information available each shift
Permissions and operating conditions
- Every required registration, licence and local consent has a reference, authority, status and expiry or review date.
- Conditions affecting hours, layout, supervision, records or display are built into the daily procedure.
- One person monitors renewal dates, while a second can see pending actions.
- An unresolved permission is treated as a failed gate for the affected activity, not an administrative note.
Named permissions and registrations (England, unless stated):
- Premises licenceissued by the local council licensing authority under the Licensing Act 2003. Typical evidence is the licence, its conditions and the decision notice.
- Food hygiene registrationmade to the local council environmental health team under food safety law. Register at least 28 days before opening.
Typical evidence is the written registration confirmation.
- Employer's liability insurance (UK-wide): required by the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 and enforced by HSE, with at least £5 million cover. Typical evidence is the current certificate from an authorised insurer.
Photographing an application form is not proof of approval. Keep the decision, any conditions and correspondence together. Verify the named premises and legal entity before accepting a certificate.
Permissions and operating conditions
- Registration, licence and consent have reference and expiry
- Conditions built into daily procedure
- One person monitors renewals, second sees actions
- Unresolved permission is a failed gate
People and competence
- The rota meets planned hours, safe cover and supervision needs, including breaks and absence.
- Each role has a training route with observed tasks and an approver.
- Induction includes emergencies, equipment, customer commitments, data handling and incident reporting.
- System permissions match current duties, and leaver access can be removed promptly.
- The duty manager knows which events require a pause and whom to contact.
Typical evidence for this section: a DBS certificate or right-to-work check, a signed training observation record and a current system access list.
The Acas induction checklist suggests covering safety, policies, security, job training and later review. Adapt it instead of treating the template as a statutory certificate. Record the result of supervised practice and any restriction on independent work.
Customer delivery and recovery
- Published hours, prices, inclusions and material restrictions agree across the site, booking flow and staff script.
- A complete order or service has been rehearsed from enquiry to payment and management report.
- Refund, correction, complaint and accessibility routes have named owners and realistic response arrangements.
- A failed or delayed service produces a clear customer explanation and internal record.
- Local promises do not contradict the current brand-approved terms.
Illustrative worked example for a food-led unit: a booking arrives with a nut allergy request after a supplier changes a product. Recovery record: staff pause the order, offer a safe alternative, update the allergen matrix, log the incident and set a review date. The duty manager signs the record.
Test at least one awkward case. A smooth standard purchase reveals little about authorisation, handover or recovery.
Information and evidence
- The team knows which organisation controls each customer, employee and prospect record.
- Collection, access, sharing, retention and deletion are reflected in the working process.
- Daily corrections preserve who changed what and why.
- The outage route states what can continue offline and how records are reconciled later.
Typical evidence for this section: a processing record, a retention schedule and a system access log.
The ICO explains that required processing records must be written. Check the documentation against the software configuration and real hand-offs rather than relying on a generic policy.
Final release
Complete the checks in this order: premises and safety, permissions and operating conditions, people and competence, customer delivery and recovery, then information and evidence. Hold the witnessed rehearsal after the first four sections have a pass or conditional pass, and before the release paper is signed. Read every conditional pass and decide whether it limits launch scope.
The release paper should name the approver, conditions, evidence expiry and next review. If a critical control fails, change the date or service offered. Do not relabel the defect as a post-opening action simply because marketing has begun.
Before you act
- Book the witnessed rehearsal date and name the approver.
- Open the evidence file and set review dates for licences and certificates.
- Confirm the local council references for the premises licence and food hygiene registration.
- Check the employer's liability certificate and display route.
- Run one awkward-case rehearsal and file the recovery record.
- Record any conditional pass and the launch limit it creates.
Common questions
What counts as acceptable evidence for each checklist item?
Every answer needs an owner, dated evidence and one of four results: pass, conditional pass, fail or not applicable with a reason. A head-office approval should not be recorded as evidence of fire-safety or risk-assessment duties, and a photograph of an application form is not proof of approval.
How should an unresolved permission be treated?
An unresolved permission stops the affected activity until it is resolved. Keep the decision, any conditions and correspondence together, and verify the named premises and legal entity before accepting a certificate. One person monitors renewal dates while a second can see pending actions.
What should happen if a critical control fails before opening?
If a critical control fails, change the date or service offered. Do not relabel the defect as a post-opening action simply because marketing has begun. The release paper should name the approver, conditions, evidence expiry and next review, and every conditional pass should be read.
