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 most raw fish — that's -4°F for 7 days OR -31°F for 15 hours. A standard walk-in freezer at 0°F doesn't qualify. You either spec a -10°F blast freezer (~$8K) or document supplier parasite-destruction certification. Many AHJs ask for both.

• 02 · Sushi-rice + dedicated prep zone

  Sushi rice is held at 73–78°F in covered hangiri at the bar — not refrigerated. That requires a separate rice prep + holding zone with strict time-temperature logs (HACCP). Co-located with a hot ramen line, condensation and cross-contamination become health-inspection findings. Plan physical separation.

• 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-code adjacency rule), 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 needs 36°F refrigeration with NSF-7 certification. Inherited prep tables rarely hit this; plan a refrigerated bain-marie line ($8K–$15K) sized to your menu width, not retrofitting cold pans into a hot-line make-table.