6 ways to automate food delivery checks

#1 - Simple log

Who it's for: Single-site kitchens where the chef or duty manager checks deliveries in themselves. No second checker, just a need to record that each delivery was inspected on arrival.

What it is: A food delivery check is a record of each incoming delivery and whether it was acceptable. This version keeps it to the things that belong to one delivery: the food and supplier, and three yes/no checks for packaging, temperature, and date codes. They sit together in one box so each delivery reads as one check. Catching a problem at the door, before stock is put away and used, is the cheapest and safest place to catch it.

In practice: A single-site restaurant takes in the morning chilled delivery. The chef logs "Chilled meat, Brakes", ticks packaging yes, probes a box and ticks temperature yes, checks the dates and ticks yes. A clear record that the delivery was inspected, not just signed for and wheeled into the walk-in.

Why it works: The supplier and the three checks live in one box, so a delivery can never be logged without saying who it came from and what was checked. That is what makes it traceable if a batch is later recalled or linked to illness.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped check (one box per delivery) holding: food and supplier (text), packaging ok? (yes/no), temperature ok? (yes/no), dates ok? (yes/no)
• Duplicate the box for each delivery

#2 - With written guidance

Who it's for: Kitchens where rota staff or whoever is nearest signs for deliveries and needs to know what good and bad look like.

What it is: The basic check with a guidance note added. The note states that chilled food should arrive at 8°C or below and frozen at -18°C or below, and to reject anything with damaged packaging, short dates, or signs it has been out of temperature, recording the rejection so a pattern with a supplier shows up.

In practice: A care-home kitchen runs this. A kitchen assistant takes a delivery, sees the note, probes a chilled box reading 11°C, ticks temperature "No", and rejects it on the spot rather than accepting borderline stock because the driver was in a hurry.

What it adds to the basic check:

1. The acceptable temperatures and rejection rules are on screen at the door
2. Staff who rarely take deliveries know what to turn away
3. Rejections get recorded, so a problem supplier becomes visible

Why it works: The guidance sits with the check, so staff see it at the moment they inspect. It turns "use your judgement" into a clear standard anyone can apply.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance note (acceptable temperatures: chilled 8°C or below, frozen -18°C or below; what to reject)
• 1 grouped check (one box per delivery) holding: food and supplier (text), packaging ok? (yes/no), temperature ok? (yes/no), dates ok? (yes/no)
• Duplicate the box for each delivery

#3 - With a signature

Who it's for: Kitchens where the delivery check needs a name against it. Groups where head office wants to know who signed off each delivery, and single sites where a different person receives every drop.

What it is: A signed delivery check is the basic check plus a signature captured at sign-off. The three checks and supplier stay the same; the signature confirms who accepted the delivery and when they signed it.

In practice: A kitchen with rotating receives. Whoever signs for the delivery works the three checks, and signs. The next morning the manager knows exactly who to ask about any questions, not just that someone accepted it.

What it adds to the basic check:

1. A signature naming who accepted the delivery, captured at sign-off
2. A record of when the delivery was signed, next to what was ticked
3. Accountability without asking anyone to take a photo

Why it works: The name goes on the record at the moment the work finishes, not from memory later. When a delivery is queried the next day, the conversation starts with who signed it off, which is specific instead of general.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped check (one box per delivery) holding: food and supplier (text), packaging ok? (yes/no), temperature ok? (yes/no), dates ok? (yes/no)
• Duplicate the box for each delivery
• 1 signature (sign-off)

#4 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Teams that want proof a delivery was checked at the time it arrived, not just a ticked record.

What it is: The basic check plus a photo of the temperature probe reading held against a chilled or frozen item from the delivery, taken on acceptance. One specific, judgeable spot rather than a vague wide shot.

What it adds to the basic check:

1. A photo of the temperature probe reading held against the chilled or frozen item, captured at the time
2. Proof that a delivery met the temperature standard, not just a tick
3. A visual record that stands up to an inspector or a supplier dispute

Why it works: A photo of the probe reading is far stronger than a tick. It shows the actual temperature at the time, not just that someone said it was okay. A single specific reading like a probe against a box is easy to shoot and easy to judge.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped check (one box per delivery) holding: food and supplier (text), packaging ok? (yes/no), temperature ok? (yes/no), dates ok? (yes/no)
• Duplicate the box for each delivery
• 1 photo of the temperature probe reading held against a chilled or frozen item

#5 - With Poppi checking the photo

Who it's for: Teams where delivery photos get taken but nobody reviews them. Multi-site groups where head office can't eyeball every delivery photo from every site.

What it is: A photo-checked delivery is the basic check plus a photo of the temperature probe reading that Poppi (AI) reviews the moment it's saved. Poppi answers one question about that photo, set by you: does the reading show the item is safely chilled (at or below 8°C) or frozen (at or below -18°C)? A single named spot like a probe reading is something an AI can actually judge, where a wide shot of a whole delivery is not. If the answer is no, Poppi posts what it spotted to the team chat, so the problem gets sorted before the delivery is wheeled away.

In practice: A three-site bakery group takes in chilled deliveries at 6am. The receiving baker photographs the temperature probe against the butter box as always. Poppi reads the photo: 7°C, well within spec. Verdict yes, and nothing changes. On a rushed morning the photo shows 9°C on a chilled delivery. Poppi answers no and posts the reason to the team chat ("The reading shows 9°C, which is above the 8°C limit for chilled food"). The baker rejects the delivery and records it while the driver is still on site.

What it adds to the basic check:

1. A photo of the temperature probe reading that gets checked the moment it's saved, not just stored
2. A team chat message with Poppi's reason the moment a photo fails the temperature check
3. The manager stops being the only person who ever looks at delivery photos

Why it works: The check happens in the seconds between the photo being taken and the stock being unpacked. That's the only moment the problem is still cheap to fix. A manager reviewing photos an hour later can only record that the delivery was bad; Poppi catching it at 6am gets it rejected before it's worked into prep.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped check (one box per delivery) holding: food and supplier (text), packaging ok? (yes/no), temperature ok? (yes/no), dates ok? (yes/no)
• Duplicate the box for each delivery
• 1 photo of the temperature probe reading held against a chilled or frozen item
• 1 Poppi decision (judges the photo against your question)
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the photo fails the temperature check)

#6 - With a team alert if the check is overdue

Who it's for: Kitchens on tight schedules where a missed or delayed delivery check throws prep behind. Multi-site groups where receiving is a dependency and an unchecked delivery can cascade into lost time.

What it is: An overdue-delivery alert is the basic check plus a Poppi (AI) action that watches the delivery check workflow. If the check isn't finished by a set deadline, Poppi posts a message in the Pilla team chat so the outstanding steps get done before prep starts. It watches the deadline, so it catches the delivery that was checked but never marked complete, not just the one that was never started.

In practice: A 15-site pub group receives their main delivery at 2pm every day. The check should be finished by 2:30pm so prep can start. On a Thursday when receiving gets backed up, at 2:45pm the chat gets a message that the delivery check is still open, so the shift lead catches the incomplete work that shift rather than prep discovering a missing delivery the next morning.

What it adds to the basic check:

1. A message in the team chat if the delivery check isn't finished on time
2. A catch for the check that got abandoned half-done, not just the one that was never started
3. A record of when the check should have been done, next to when it was
4. The manager finds out that day, not from missing stock the next morning

Why it works: The alert is tied to the delivery deadline, so an unfinished check raises its own hand. Nobody has to notice it's missing; the deadline does.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped check (one box per delivery) holding: food and supplier (text), packaging ok? (yes/no), temperature ok? (yes/no), dates ok? (yes/no)
• Duplicate the box for each delivery
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the delivery check isn't finished by deadline)

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Every version here is the basic check plus one addition, so pick the additions your kitchen actually needs.

Do other people receive deliveries?

If you check them yourself and know the standards, the plain check is enough. The moment rota staff sign for deliveries, the standard needs to be on the screen. If you check alone, #1 is fine. If anyone else does, start at #2.

Does the delivery check need a name against it?

If knowing it was done is enough, skip this one. If you want who signed it off on the record, #3 adds a signature.

Do you need proof of the temperature?

A ticked checklist says the check was done; a photo of the probe reading shows what the actual temperature was. If you want visual proof, #4 adds a photo of the temperature reading.

Does anyone actually look at the delivery photos?

If a manager genuinely reviews every photo, #4's record is enough. If photos get taken and filed unseen, #5 has Poppi (AI) check each one as it's saved, and tell the team chat when something's wrong with the temperature.

Does the delivery check have to be finished by a set time?

If a busy team sometimes leaves the check incomplete and prep waits, #6 posts a message to the team chat when the deadline passes with the check unfinished.

Need more than one addition? Open the version with the addition that matters most in the playground and add the others as steps. That's how the product works anyway: every option here is one step added to the same check.

Related workflows

• Fridge temperature check - where chilled deliveries go once accepted
• Freezer temperature check - the same for frozen deliveries
• Cooked food temperature check - the next link in the chain once stock is used

Conclusion

The door is the cheapest place to catch unsafe stock, and a recorded check is your only proof you did. Every version above is the same basic check plus one addition: guidance, a signature, a photo of the temperature reading, an AI check on that photo, or a deadline alert. Pick the ones your kitchen needs and combine them in the playground.

More additions are coming in future refreshes, like pulling every site's goods-in into one supplier report or routing deliveries by type. Those need more review time and will land separately.

→ Build your own food delivery check on Pilla.