Nick Richards was a head chef when he started building CompliChef. He was not a developer. He was not a funded startup founder. He was someone working in a care home kitchen, completing six or seven paper records a day, and deciding that there had to be a better way — not for compliance's sake, but for the residents he was responsible for feeding safely.
Three years on, CompliChef is a full kitchen compliance ecosystem: HACCP, temperature logging, allergen management, a CareMenu Pro module built specifically for care settings, and Alice AI, a compliance assistant named after his daughter. The platform is used by operators across the UK and is on track for a French market launch in early 2027.
Richards spoke to The Mise about near-failures, building in chaos, and what it means to make compliance software when you know what a real kitchen actually looks like.
What was the moment you knew CompliChef had to exist?
Working as head chef in a care home, we were just about getting by — handwritten notes, half-filled temperature logs, around six or seven paper records to complete every single day. I needed more control. Not just for the EHO visit. For the residents. That frustration is what built this.
What's the worst compliance failure you ever witnessed?
A couple stick with me. Beer line cleaner left on the bar and served to a small child. And turkey not cooled down correctly, food poisoning everyone on Boxing Day — not in my kitchen, but it never left me. Those aren't abstract risks. They're real consequences.
How does running CompliChef compare to managing a busy kitchen?
About the same, honestly — being split ten ways at once. I must just enjoy the chaos.
What does a typical day look like right now?
Checking emails, making sure Alice AI is firing the scheduled social posts correctly — massive relief having that set up — checking connections and the codebase, speaking to new people, getting demos booked. And looking after three children in between all of it.
What's the feature you're most proud of?
All of it, genuinely. What I'm proudest of is how everything links together. It's not a collection of tools — it's one system that actually makes sense end to end.
Who is Alice, and why did you build her?
Alice is my daughter. I also built Henry and Arthur into the system — they're backend AIs I use myself. The dream is that one day my children grow up, get involved, and take CompliChef forward. It's built with them in mind.
What was your first sale like?
I was actually close to shutting the whole thing down the day before it happened. Then the first sale came in and everything shifted. It was unreal. That moment changed my focus completely.
What's the hardest part of selling to the hospitality industry?
Being solo, I don't have a wide enough network to say to people — try this, give it a go, help spread the word. That's genuinely hard. You're building trust from scratch every time.
How do you make compliance software simple enough for independent operators?
It is hard — especially recently, trying to strip things back for independent owners who don't have time for a complex setup. I know how hard their days are, so I give them my time personally to get them onboarded. That matters more than any tutorial video.
How do you balance being a founder and a parent?
It can be hard, but managing it and giving enough time to everyone is what matters. You find your rhythm.
What does CompliChef do that competitors don't?
I can't give away brand secrets — but having someone who's actually lived the job makes a difference. I know what real kitchen life looks like. What competitors also don't have is someone who genuinely talks to their customers, finds out what they need, and builds around those needs. I'm not pushing a product that doesn't fit. I'm developing one that does.
If a kitchen manager is sceptical about going digital, what do you tell them?
Go for it. Yes, it looks like hard work getting everything onto a digital system at first — but once it's done, it's so much simpler to update. One system, one roof. Compare that to one or two binders stuffed with pages and pages of paper. There's no competition.
What does the compliance landscape look like in five years?
Fully digital. EHOs doing fewer physical visits because they can access the system remotely ahead of time. CompliChef's EHO Access Mode is already built for exactly that — giving inspectors a window into the platform before they even walk through the door.
What's been your biggest mistake, and what did you learn?
I was talking to my dad about this just a couple of days ago. It was how I first built CompliChef — not fully knowing what I wanted it to be. After a few months the vision became clear, but by then it was a hard rebuild. Took over six months to fix bugs and reshape it into what I wanted. It meant building V3 as a completely new system. Hard lesson, but it's done and I wouldn't change it now.
Why France, and why now?
French hospitality businesses are under a lot of pressure right now and CompliChef would be a strong fit. Timing is everything — I don't want to miss the market. We're still on plan for early 2027.
What kind of business is CompliChef not right for?
Salsa system businesses, production manufacturers — it's not built for those. CompliChef is built for hospitality operators, and that focus is intentional.
What advice would you give your launch-day self?
Get V3 ready at the beginning. Not halfway down the line.
What gets you out of bed when it's hard?
Coffee. Coffee. And the kids.
What does Year 3 look like?
Growth. Hitting the French market. Improving the labelling system and device integration to reach a higher market share. The next three years are about building on what's already working and pushing further.
CompliChef is available at complichef.co.uk. The CareMenu Pro care home catering module is available from £10/month.