December is when most ratings drop. Staff are rushed, fridges are over-packed, temps creep up, and nobody has time for paperwork.

The cafés that come out the other side with 5 stars all do three things:

1. Pre-fill the first temperature check at 4 am (before the rush). 2. Use a phone or tablet mounted in the kitchen so checks take four taps instead of finding a pen. 3. Run a 30-second “all fridges green?” huddle at 2 pm and 8 pm — catches problems before they become disasters.

Do those three things and December becomes the busiest, most profitable month instead of the most stressful.