Fire Exit Safety for Restaurants, Bars and Food Businesses: Daily Fire Exit Checks That Save Lives

A fire exit only saves lives if it opens. In a restaurant, bar, café, takeaway or any food business, the emergency exit is the last line of protection when a fire starts. If it is locked, blocked by boxes, or hidden behind a curtain, people can be trapped in seconds. That is why fire safety law in the UK, the USA, Canada and across Europe says the same simple thing: keep every escape route clear, and make sure every fire exit door can be opened easily and at once, without a key.

This guide explains why fire exit checks matter, what the law asks of food businesses, what went wrong in some of the worst bar and nightclub fires, and how a quick daily fire exit check, with a photo, can protect your staff, your customers and your business.

Contents

1. Why fire exits matter in food businesses
2. The Crans-Montana bar fire: a warning for every venue
3. Other fires where the exits failed
4. Fire exit rules: UK, USA, Canada and Europe
5. The most common fire exit mistakes
6. A daily fire exit checklist for restaurants, cafés and bars
7. How Chef Hygiene helps you keep fire exits clear
8. Fire safety beyond the exits
9. Frequently asked questions about fire exits

1. Why fire exits matter in food businesses

Kitchens are among the highest fire risks in any building. There are open flames, hot oil in deep fat fryers, gas lines, grease in the extraction ducts and a lot of electrical equipment, all in a small space. Front of house, a busy bar or dining room can hold dozens or hundreds of people who do not know the building.

When a fire starts, smoke fills a room fast. People cannot see, and they head for the door they came in through. If the other exits are locked, blocked or hard to find, everyone pushes towards one door. That is how a fire becomes a crush.

Busy food businesses face the same daily pressures:

• Deliveries stacked in the back corridor "just for now"
• Bins, crates and cardboard left in front of the back door
• A fire exit locked at night for security, and not unlocked in the morning
• A chain or padlock added to stop staff using the door as a shortcut
• A new member of staff who has never been shown where the exits are

None of these feel dangerous on a normal day. On the day of a fire, any one of them can cost lives.

2. The Crans-Montana bar fire: a warning for every venue

In the early hours of 1 January 2026, a fire broke out at Le Constellation, a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, during a New Year's party. 41 people died and 115 were injured, many of them teenagers (Al Jazeera).

Prosecutors believe the fire started when sparklers on champagne bottles were held close to sound-insulation foam on the basement ceiling (same source).

The questions now being investigated are about escape:

• The bar's owner told investigators that a ground-floor service door was locked from the inside that night, and that he found people in front of it when he opened it from the outside (Swissinfo). Prosecutors still have to establish what happened.
• According to investigation files reported in Swiss media, some guests said they saw no emergency exits, and many did not know about a back door in the basement (Bluewin).
• The town says its periodic fire safety checks of the bar were not carried out between 2020 and 2025 (CBS News).

The owners are under criminal investigation, and so are town officials responsible for fire safety. Nobody has been found guilty, and the full facts are not yet known. But the lesson for every owner is already clear: a locked or unknown exit, and checks that stop happening, are exactly what turns a fire into a tragedy.

3. Other fires where the exits failed

Crans-Montana is not the first fire where exits were part of the story.

• Kocani, North Macedonia (March 2025). A fire at the Pulse nightclub killed 59 people, according to early reports. The prosecutor said the club had only one improvised back exit, and it was locked, with no handle on the inside (MarketScreener / Reuters report; IFRC report).
• Kiss nightclub, Santa Maria, Brazil (2013). 242 people died. The club had one exit and no fire alarm (Christian Science Monitor).
• The Station nightclub, Rhode Island, USA (2003). 100 people died. The official investigation found that about two thirds of the people tried to leave by the main entrance, and the crowd jammed in the doorway (Fire Engineering, on the NIST report).
• Lame Horse nightclub, Perm, Russia (2009). 156 people died. People had one narrow way out, down a narrow stairway (The Moscow Times).

These were nightclubs and bars, but the pattern is the same in any building: too few exits, locked exits, or exits people cannot find. A restaurant, pub, café, school kitchen or community hall can face the same danger on a busy night.

Smaller fire safety cases reach the courts too. In Chester, England, the owners of a takeaway with no suitable fire exit, no emergency lighting and no fire risk assessment were fined and ordered to pay a total of £24,067 (StayLegal).

4. Fire exit rules: UK, USA, Canada and Europe

The words differ from country to country, but the rules for fire exits are remarkably similar.

United Kingdom (England and Wales)

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 14, says (legislation.gov.uk):

• Routes to emergency exits must be kept clear at all times
• Emergency doors must open in the direction of escape
• Sliding or revolving doors must not be used as emergency exits
• Emergency doors must not be locked or fastened so they cannot be easily and immediately opened
• Escape routes need signs and, where needed, emergency lighting

The person in control of the business (the "responsible person") must make sure this happens. Serious breaches can lead to an unlimited fine, up to two years in prison, or both (article 32). Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own fire safety laws with the same aims.

United States

The OSHA exit route rules apply to workplaces, including restaurants and bars:

• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.36: workers must be able to open an exit door from the inside at all times without keys, tools or special knowledge (OSHA)
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.37: exit routes must be kept free and unobstructed, lit, and marked with an EXIT sign (OSHA)

Most states and cities also use the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, which does not allow assembly doors to be locked while people are inside, apart from narrow exceptions (NFPA). Your local fire marshal checks how it applies to your restaurant.

Canada

Fire codes are adopted by each province. For example, the British Columbia Fire Code says every means of egress must be kept in good repair and free of obstructions (BC Fire Code). In Vancouver, egress doors must open from the inside without keys or special knowledge, and a security gate must never be locked while anyone is inside (City of Vancouver). Check your own province's fire code.

European Union

The EU Workplace Directive 89/654/EEC says emergency routes and exits must be kept clear, emergency doors must open outwards, and they must not be locked so that they cannot be opened easily and immediately (EUR-Lex). Each country adds its own rules. In Germany, the workplace rule ASR A2.3 says escape routes and emergency exits must stay free at all times. In France, the Code du travail (article R4227-4) says escape routes must always stay clear, with nothing blocking them or making them narrower.

Wherever you are, the message is the same: clear routes, doors that open easily without a key, clear signs, and somebody responsible for checking it every day.

5. The most common fire exit mistakes

Fire officers and health and safety inspectors see the same problems again and again:

1. Locked fire exits. Locked "for security" at closing time and not unlocked before opening.
2. Blocked escape routes. Deliveries, crates, cleaning equipment, high chairs or bins left in corridors and in front of doors.
3. Exits nobody knows about. A back door in the basement that staff have never used and customers cannot see.
4. Broken door hardware. Panic bars that stick, doors that are hard to push, or a door wedged shut.
5. Missing or dark exit signs. Signs blocked by decorations, or emergency lights that no longer work.
6. Fire doors propped open. A fire door wedged open lets smoke spread into the escape route.
7. Checks that quietly stop. Everyone assumes someone else has looked.

Every one of these can be found and fixed in less than a minute, if someone looks.

6. A daily fire exit checklist for restaurants, cafés and bars

Use this simple fire exit checklist before you open every day, and again later in the day:

• [ ] Every fire exit door is unlocked
• [ ] Every fire exit door opens easily in the direction of escape
• [ ] Routes to every exit are clear: no boxes, bins, deliveries or furniture
• [ ] Outside each exit is clear too, so people can get away from the building
• [ ] Exit signs are visible and lit
• [ ] Emergency lighting works (test it as often as your rules say)
• [ ] Fire doors close properly and are not wedged open
• [ ] Staff on today's shift know where every exit is and where to meet outside
• [ ] Anything wrong has been fixed before opening, and written down

The hard part is not the list. It is doing it every single day, on the busy days and the quiet ones, and being able to prove it.

7. How Chef Hygiene helps you keep fire exits clear

Chef Hygiene is a food safety and HACCP records app for restaurants, takeaways, cafés, bakeries, dessert shops, pubs and bars, community halls, corner shops, school kitchens and caterers in 62 countries across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia, Oceania and South America. Fire safety is built in, and fire exits come first.

Fire exits are the first opening check

Every morning, the opening checks start with one question: "All fire exits are unlocked, clear and easy to open." Staff answer Yes or No on a phone or the kitchen tablet. (In a corner shop, the fire exit check comes last, after the shop floor checks.)

If the answer is No, everyone knows at once

If anyone answers No, the app shows a clear warning: unlock and clear the exit now, and do not open until every exit can be used. At the same time, the owner and the managers get an alert on their phone straight away, wherever they are. A locked door can no longer stay a secret.

A photo as proof

After saving, staff can take a photo of the fire exits. The photo is kept with the check, with the time and the name of the person who did it. If a fire officer or inspector asks how you check your exits, you can show them, day by day.

An extra fire exit check, at any time of day

A fire can start at any time, day or night. Owners can switch on an extra fire exit check at the time they choose, for example in the evening rush, and give it to a named person on the team. At that time, the kitchen gets one question: "Fire exits unlocked and clear?" If the answer is No, you get an alert at once.

Daily, weekly and monthly fire checks

On the kitchen tablet, staff also see daily, weekly and monthly fire checks that follow your fire safety equipment, such as the fire alarm, emergency lighting, fire doors and extinguishers. Every check is saved with the name and the time.

Fire risk assessment, drills and training

Chef Hygiene also helps you with:

• A fire risk assessment in five steps, with an action plan for anything that needs doing
• Fire drills: record when you practised getting everyone out, and how long it took
• Fire training records for every member of staff
• Certificates and services: fire extinguisher service, electrical checks and more, with reminders when they are due
• A printable fire action notice and a fire officer pack that shows everything a fire officer asks for, on one screen

Help in an emergency

On the kitchen tablet, a red Emergency button shows clear steps for fire, gas, leaks and injuries, the emergency phone numbers, where to meet outside, and where to turn off the gas, water and electricity. It works even without internet, and nobody needs a PIN to open it.

The rules of your country, in your language

Chef Hygiene follows the rules of your own country, in 40 languages, so every member of your team can understand the checks. Staff can write notes in their own language, and owners see an English copy.

8. Fire safety beyond the exits

Clear exits are the most important step, but not the only one. A good fire safety routine for any food business also includes:

• Kitchen fire prevention: keep deep fat fryers at the right oil level, never leave cooking alone, and clean grease from hoods, filters and ducts regularly
• Gas safety: have gas appliances checked by a qualified engineer, and know where the gas shut-off is
• Fire detection: test fire alarms and smoke alarms as often as your rules say
• Fire extinguishers and fire blankets: the right type in the kitchen (a wet chemical extinguisher for fryers), serviced every year
• Staff training: everyone knows how to raise the alarm, how to get out and where to meet
• Capacity: never let more people in than your venue is safe for

9. Frequently asked questions about fire exits

Can I lock a fire exit at night?

You can secure a building when it is empty. But while anyone is inside, staff, customers or cleaners, every fire exit must open easily and immediately from the inside, without a key. This is the rule in the UK, the USA (OSHA), Canada and the EU. Make unlocking the exits part of your opening check, and check again during the day.

How often should fire exits be checked?

Fire exit routes should be checked every day before opening, and kept clear at all times. Many businesses add a second check during the day or in the evening. Emergency lighting and fire alarms have their own test schedules, set by your local rules and your fire risk assessment.

What is the fine for a blocked fire exit?

In England and Wales, a serious breach of the Fire Safety Order can lead to an unlimited fine and up to two years in prison. In the USA, OSHA can fine a business for blocked exit routes, and the local fire marshal can order immediate changes. Fines differ by country, but the real cost of a blocked exit is far higher than any fine.

Who is responsible for fire exits in a restaurant?

In the UK, it is the "responsible person": usually the owner, the employer or whoever controls the premises. In other countries the employer or business operator has the same duty. You can share the daily checks with your team, but the responsibility stays with you.

Do fire exit doors have to open outwards?

In most cases, yes. The UK Fire Safety Order says emergency doors must open in the direction of escape, the EU Workplace Directive says they must open outwards, and OSHA requires doors from larger rooms to swing out in the direction of exit travel. Check your own building's rules.

How can an app help with fire safety?

An app like Chef Hygiene turns fire safety into a daily routine with proof: the fire exit check comes first every morning, a No sends an alert to the owner at once, staff can add a photo of the exits, and every check is saved with the name and the time. Fire risk assessments, drills, training and certificates are kept in one place, ready for the fire officer.

Keep your exits clear, every day

A fire exit check takes less than a minute. It is the minute that matters most. Make it the first thing your team does every morning, check again later in the day, and keep the proof.

Try Chef Hygiene free for 14 days at app.chefhygiene.com, or get the app on the App Store, Google Play or the Microsoft Store.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Fire safety rules differ by country, region and type of building. Always check with your local fire authority and your own fire risk assessment. The facts about the Crans-Montana fire come from published news reports; the investigation is ongoing and nobody has been found guilty.