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Kitchen intelligence and real-world strategies for California commercial kitchens.

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A Date Is Not a Record: What Your Kitchen Exhaust File Has to Answer
★ FeaturedRegulatory
October 5, 2026

A Date Is Not a Record: What Your Kitchen Exhaust File Has to Answer

Four parties ask for your kitchen exhaust records, and only one kind of document survives all four. The five things a real record shows.

4 min readRead article
Fire Prevention Week: The Grease Above Your Line Is a Fuel Load
RegulatorySeptember 24, 2026

Fire Prevention Week: The Grease Above Your Line Is a Fuel Load

The grease accumulating above your cooking line is a fuel load — and after a fire, the service record is one of the few things you control.

4 min readRead more
How You Comply, Not Whether
RegulatorySeptember 9, 2026

How You Comply, Not Whether

"Approved." "Acceptable." "As required." They read like an opening. They aren't.

2 min readRead more
California Fire Alarm Inspection Requirements (NFPA 72) for Restaurants
Fire SafetySeptember 3, 2026

California Fire Alarm Inspection Requirements (NFPA 72) for Restaurants

Your fire alarm system has its own inspection and testing schedule, separate from the hood and the extinguishers. Here is what California requires, how often, who can perform it, and what to have on hand when the fire marshal asks.

4 min readRead more
Published Standard vs. Local Code
RegulatorySeptember 3, 2026

Published Standard vs. Local Code

Most commercial kitchens assume NFPA 96 applies as published. It does not.

2 min readRead more
Health Inspections and Fire Inspections: Two Systems, Not One
RegulatoryAugust 27, 2026

Health Inspections and Fire Inspections: Two Systems, Not One

Most conversations about commercial kitchen requirements collapse two separate regulatory systems into one. It is a convenient simplification and it produces a specific, recurring blind spot.

2 min readRead more
How California Counties Evaluate Restaurant Inspections — And Why Every County Does It Differently
RegulatoryJuly 4, 2026

How California Counties Evaluate Restaurant Inspections — And Why Every County Does It Differently

LA uses letter ratings. Orange County uses numeric scores. San Diego uses pass/fail. Merced uses a three-tier method. Here's what kitchen leaders need to know.

5 min readRead more
What Happens When You Fail a Health Inspection in California
RegulatoryMay 5, 2026

What Happens When You Fail a Health Inspection in California

The real costs go far beyond the re-inspection fee. Lost revenue, insurance increases, and reputation damage add up fast.

6 min readRead more
NFPA 96 Hood Cleaning Frequency — What California Kitchens Need to Know
Fire SafetyMay 12, 2026

NFPA 96 Hood Cleaning Frequency — What California Kitchens Need to Know

Monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual — your cleaning frequency depends on what you cook and how often. Here is how NFPA 96 Table 12.4 determines your schedule.

6 min readRead more
Fire Marshal Inspection Checklist for California Restaurants
Fire SafetyMay 19, 2026

Fire Marshal Inspection Checklist for California Restaurants

Fire inspections cover suppression systems, extinguishers, hood and duct cleaning, and egress. Here is exactly what the marshal checks and how to stay ready year-round.

7 min readRead more
California Food Handler Card Requirements by County (2026)
Food SafetyApril 7, 2026

California Food Handler Card Requirements by County (2026)

Every food handler in California needs a card within 30 days of hire. But some counties require their own program. Here is what kitchen leaders need to know.

5 min readRead more
What Does a Health Inspector Look for in California?
RegulatoryApril 14, 2026

What Does a Health Inspector Look for in California?

California health inspectors follow a structured process rooted in federal risk factors and CalCode. Here is what they check, in what order, and why.

7 min readRead more
Restaurant Insurance Premiums and Documentation — What Carriers Actually Look At
InsuranceApril 21, 2026

Restaurant Insurance Premiums and Documentation — What Carriers Actually Look At

Insurance carriers evaluate restaurant risk based on compliance history. Documented compliance can reduce premiums. Gaps in documentation can increase them.

6 min readRead more
CalCode vs FDA Food Code: What California Kitchens Follow
RegulatoryMarch 24, 2026

CalCode vs FDA Food Code: What California Kitchens Follow

California does not follow the FDA Food Code directly. CalCode is its own law, and in several areas it is stricter. Here is where they diverge and why it matters.

6 min readRead more
Temperature Logging Requirements for California Restaurants
Food SafetyMarch 17, 2026

Temperature Logging Requirements for California Restaurants

CalCode sets the temperature thresholds. Your county's inspector decides whether your records prove you met them. Here's what you need to document and how often.

6 min readRead more
The True Cost of Running a Commercial Kitchen on a Binder
OperationsMarch 10, 2026

The True Cost of Running a Commercial Kitchen on a Binder

The binder worked for decades. But the cost of maintaining it — in labor, liability, and missed violations — adds up faster than most kitchen leaders realize.

7 min readRead more

More posts

We publish when a post is verified against primary sources, not on a schedule.

01

The California Commercial Kitchen Safety Study

Three minutes, fire first. It asks which records you could put your hands on today and gives you back the count — no score, no grade.

Take the study →

No contact details needed to see your own results.

02

Policy Lens

Send your insurance policies and we’ll identify the operating conditions written into them — including the fire systems a Protective Safeguards Endorsement names.

Have your policies read — free →
03

A pilot

Two kitchens, ninety days, $129 a month for the first kitchen and $99 for each additional. Nothing is charged until day 16.

See Pricing →

Fifteen days of onboarding · billing from day 16 · thirty days to change your mind.

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founders@getevidly.com · (855) 384-3591