Sushi / Poke / Ramen Conversion Inspection Manual

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Sushi / Poke / Ramen-specific conversion gotchas

• 01 · Raw-fish handling + temperature mapping

  FDA Food Code §3-402.11 requires parasite destruction for fish served raw or undercooked — -4°F or below for 7 days, or -31°F (frozen solid) for 15 hours — except exempt species such as certain tunas, qualifying farmed fish and molluscan shellfish. A standard 0°F walk-in doesn't qualify, so spec a freezer that meets those numbers (about $8K for a blast freezer) or keep the supplier's written freezing statement (§3-402.12) for the health department.

• 02 · Sushi-rice + dedicated prep zone

  Sushi rice held unrefrigerated at the bar must be acidified (pH below 4.2) under a health-department variance and HACCP plan, or held under time as a public health control (up to 4 hours) with written procedures (FDA Food Code §3-502.11, §3-501.19). That calls for a dedicated rice prep + holding zone with logs, physically separated from a hot ramen line, where condensation and cross-contamination become inspection findings.

• 03 · Ramen broth hood capacity

  Tonkotsu broth simmers a 60-gallon pot for 12–18 hours. The steam, fat aerosol, and protein vapors are a heavy Type I hood load — different from short-duration sauté. Inherited hoods sized for a sandwich grill miss the latent-heat load and the dining room turns into a sauna. Spec hood + MUA to the longest cook, not the average.

• 04 · Sushi-bar plumbing + ADA

  A sushi bar typically has hand sinks at both ends of the chef line — health codes require hand sinks placed for convenient use where food is prepared (FDA Food Code §5-204.11) — plus refrigerated wells in front. Counter height must include an ADA-accessible section (5% of seating min 1). Retrofitting an inherited diner counter loses the entire sushi-bar aesthetic — design clearance + plumbing from scratch.

• 05 · Poke-bowl cold-pan flow

  Poke is a make-line of 12–20 cold ingredient wells, like a sandwich shop in reverse. Each well must keep food at 41°F or below (FDA Food Code §3-501.16), and the refrigerated line should be certified to NSF/ANSI 7. Inherited prep tables rarely hit this; plan a refrigerated bain-marie line (typically $8K–$15K) sized to your menu width, not retrofitting cold pans into a hot-line make-table.