TR19 Kitchen Extraction Cleaning for Dark Kitchens & Ghost Kitchens
Specialist TR19 extraction cleaning for dark kitchens, ghost kitchens, and delivery-only food operations. BESA-compliant deep cleans with photo-evidenced TR19 compliance reports.
TR19 Cleaning for Dark Kitchens & Ghost Kitchens
Dark kitchens — also known as ghost kitchens or cloud kitchens — are delivery-only food production facilities that operate without a traditional restaurant front-of-house. These operations often run 16 to 20 hours per day, seven days a week, producing some of the highest grease deposits of any commercial kitchen type. Under BESA TR19 guidelines, this level of use typically requires extraction cleaning every 3 months.
Dark kitchen operators face a specific compliance challenge: because there is no customer-facing element to the business, fire safety and insurance compliance can be overlooked in the focus on delivery volume and platform performance. However, the insurance and fire safety obligations are identical to those of a traditional restaurant — and the consequences of non-compliance are the same.
BlueTick Extraction Hygiene works with dark kitchen operators, shared kitchen facilities, and delivery-only food businesses across Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and Northamptonshire. Our CII-qualified founder understands the specific insurance requirements that apply to dark kitchen operations, and every compliance report we produce shows your insurer what was cleaned and measured.
Why Dark Kitchens Need Regular TR19 Cleaning
Extreme Operating Hours
Dark kitchens often operate 16 to 20 hours per day, seven days a week — the highest-use category under BESA TR19 guidelines, requiring quarterly cleaning.
Insurance Compliance Risk
Dark kitchen operators often focus on delivery volume rather than compliance. However, a kitchen fire without evidence of cleaning could put your cover at risk and close your operation.
Shared Facility Obligations
Dark kitchens in shared facilities must ensure their individual extraction systems are TR19-compliant — regardless of what other tenants in the facility are doing.
Platform and Landlord Requirements
Some delivery platforms and dark kitchen landlords now require TR19 compliance certificates as a condition of operation. We provide documentation that satisfies these requirements.
puts the fire-safety duty for your kitchen on the responsible person; TR19 cleaning is how most operators evidence it
post-clean verification report with dated photographs and grease readings, issued with every certificate
BESA Academy Grease Hygiene Technician qualification held by the technician who cleans your system
Frequently Asked Questions
How often does a dark kitchen need TR19 extraction cleaning?
Dark kitchens typically operate 16 to 20 hours per day, seven days a week, making them the highest-use category under BESA TR19 guidelines. This requires extraction cleaning every 3 months as a minimum. We assess your specific operation during the free site survey and provide a recommended programme.
Does my dark kitchen insurance require TR19 cleaning?
Yes. Commercial kitchen insurance policies for dark kitchens contain the same TR19 cleaning conditions as policies for traditional restaurants. A claim arising from a kitchen fire could be declined if a current TR19 compliance certificate is not in place. Our CII-qualified founder reviews your specific policy requirements before every clean.
I operate in a shared dark kitchen facility — am I responsible for TR19 compliance?
Yes. Each operator in a shared dark kitchen facility is responsible for ensuring their own extraction system is TR19-compliant. The facility operator may also have building-level compliance obligations. We can advise on how to structure compliance responsibilities between the facility operator and individual kitchen tenants.
Can you clean our dark kitchen without disrupting our delivery operations?
Yes. We offer early morning and late evening cleaning to minimise disruption to your delivery operations. We work around your peak delivery hours to ensure the clean is completed without affecting your platform performance. There is no additional charge for out-of-hours scheduling.
What documentation do dark kitchen insurers require?
Commercial kitchen insurers for dark kitchens typically require a signed TR19 compliance certificate, a post-clean verification report with dated before-and-after photographs, grease deposit thickness measurements, and the cleaning company's public liability insurance certificate. We provide all of this as standard after every clean.