Pest Control Solutions for Food Service Businesses — Part 1

How to Manage & Control Cockroach Infestation

‘It takes years to win a customer and only seconds to lose one.’
— Catherine DeVrye

Customer service comes in many forms. It’s not just in the way you greet your customers or how you serve your food—it can go as far as providing a clean, safe and healthy establishment for everyone.

The presence of pests in your restaurant can ruin your fine reputation and cause a fatal blow in your food service business in Penrith or anywhere else. Hence, you need to have an effective pest control solution.

In our previous article, we gave general tips on how to keep pests away from your restaurant. This time, let’s focus on how to control and manage the black creepy

crawlers known as cockroaches.

Four Steps to Stop Cockroach Infestation

A cockroach infestation is a cause for concern, especially in the food service business. All it takes is the sight of this black crawler scuttling across the table for your customers to fly out the door – along with your fine reputation. And if a health inspector happens to spot a cockroach during an inspection, this could shut down your operation for days. This is why it’s imperative that you keep roaches out of your premises by following these tips.

1.    Keep the Kitchen Clean

Roaches like warm temperatures, so the kitchen serves as a perfect spot for them. And because it’s where you stock all the food, the kitchen is where infestation commonly occurs. To keep roaches from breeding and living in your kitchen, it’s important to clean all areas and keep all food in airtight containers. Never leave them in the counter and make sure to clean all dirty dishes. Also, wipe up spills as they happen, sweep up crumbs, mop the floor and wipe the counters throughout the day and at the end of the service. Don’t forget to empty the trash bins and clean them to ensure crumbs of food are not left for the cockroaches to find.

2.    Clean All Other Areas

The most basic yet one of the best pest control solutions is to keep all areas in your restaurant clean and sanitary. It’s important to thoroughly clean the dining area since it’s where food and drinks are spilled often. After every service, make sure to clean the tables, chairs and counters, and sweep, mop or vacuum the floors. You also need to keep your bathrooms clean at all times.

3.    Check for Cracks, Leaks and Gaps

Cockroaches can enter your restaurant through tiny cracks in the doorway, in the foundation, bathroom pipes and air conditioning units. This is why it’s necessary to inspect the inside and outside of your restaurant and look for them. If you see cracks and gaps in the foundation, you need to seal them up. Leaks in you water system should also be fixed immediately. Also check the insides of your cabinets and other areas that serve as perfect hiding spots for roaches. Closing all these entry points can keep cockroaches out of your food service business.

4.    Have an Effective Pest Management Plan

All restaurants should conduct a routine inspection and have a management plan to keep roaches and others pests like rats, flies, ants and bugs out of your premises. Talk to a pest control expert like Pioneer Pest Control to help you plan an effective program to eliminate the problems of infestations in your restaurant.

Bottom Line

Your years of hard work in developing and nurturing your good reputation will be gone in a flash when your customers see pests in your restaurant, or worse, they see it served along with their favourite gourmet dish. This is why it’s important to have an effective pest control method in your food service business.

At Pioneer Pest Control, our pest control specialists will not only help you prevent infestations, but will also help you reduce the risk of food contamination and provide a clean, safe and healthy atmosphere for your customers and employees.

We also provide termite inspections in Sydney and other parts of Australia for your home pest control. With our reliable and high precision equipment, we can detect any termites present in your home and fix this issue immediately, thereby saving you thousands in possible termite damages.