If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, you likely know what many guests don’t – pest infestations are a very common occurrence . It makes sense that many pests would want to call a restaurant home. After all, there’s an abundance of food and water, and shelter is easy to find. Despite the fact that it’s fairly common, though, putting up with it is not the answer. Letting a pest infestation get out of control in this setting can be incredibly expensive. After all, you could face guest complaints, poor social media publicity, and even health code violations. What’s the best way to handle pest control in restaurants? These tips can help.
Keep It Clean! Pest free dinners all start with one thing – a solid cleaning every single night. Make it a point to scrub the grease and grime on a nightly basis. Ensure you’ve swept every space and mopped absolutely everything so all of the crumbs and food debris aren’t an issue. If there are spills or splashes, wipe them up as quickly as possible. Remember, any food is the perfect meal for a pest , so look in every possible space to get things really clean.
Address Dumpster Areas: Good restaurant pest control starts with your dumpster. Dumpsters are filled with insects and rodents. There’s just no way around it. Unfortunately, if your dumpster is near your restaurant, they’re likely to spread to other spaces. Fortunately, though, that doesn’t have to happen. First, clean it with a high-pressure washer filled with a degreaser on at least a monthly basis. Second, the moment you begin to see lots of holes and cracks, replace it. Finally, make certain that all of the trash bags you throw in the dumpster are completely sealed. Loose garbage only attracts more pests.
Reconsider Food Prep and Storage: Food prep areas can be messy spaces, and often leaving food prep containers open, even during service, can attract pests. Be sure to clean these areas completely after every service, and as you store food for the next service, keep it in a tightly sealed container. Loosely closed bags or even boxes are an invitation for pests. Moreover, be sure all of your food is at least six inches off the ground and well away from the walls so you can completely inspect any area.
Keeping pests out anywhere is a serious challenge, but that’s even tougher in a restaurant setting. If you’re looking for better pest control in restaurants, we can help. To learn more, contact us today.