Keeping Pests Out of a Restaurant

Dead cockroach on a restaurant linen

A pest infestation is pretty much every restaurant owner’s worst nightmare, and it’s not hard to understand why. Running a restaurant is an unbelievable amount of work. It combines all the trials and tribulations of running a business, and adds food preparation and customer service besides. Imagine losing all that blood, sweat, and tears because of a bug!

Unfortunately, pest infestations are one nightmare that’s all-too-real. All kinds of pests are especially attracted to restaurants. They’ll do whatever it takes to get at the food and shelter waiting for them inside. Keeping them out is just one more important job a restaurant has to do. Luckily, it’s not as hard as you’d think–and certainly not as hard as many other aspects of restaurant management. By keeping these four tips in mind, you’ll go a long way toward keeping your restaurant pest-free:

Watch the Garbage

manage your restaurant's garbage carefullyGarbage management is probably the single most important way restaurants can prevent pest infestations. Restaurants have more garbage to worry about than just about anywhere else. Not only do you have your kitchen’s garbage, but you have to manage your customer’s, as well. When food spoils, the smell and liquids it produces attract pests like nothing else. Flies, moths, roaches, and even rodents all flock to the smells of rotting food.

Making sure pests can’t smell rotting or spoiled food is your top priority. Pay careful attention to where all your garbage ends up. All solid garbage (food, containers, etc.) should go into sealable, airtight plastic bags. Throw these bags out at least once a day, and ideally twice. Be especially careful with liquid waste, such as grease. Never pour grease into drains or let it collect in the garbage. Rinse out all garbage bins and dumpsters at least once a month.

Clean the Drains

Clean your restaurant's drains regularlyIt’s all-too-easy to depend on your drains, especially in the hectic restaurant world. You just pour the whatever-it-is down the drain and move on to your next task. The whatever-it-is is gone, and you can keep working! It’s perfect, right? Unfortunately, that’s not really how it works. The stuff you pour down the drain often stays in the drain, where it can rot, congeal, or build up. Before long, you could have a nasty clog–or worse.

All the gunk that builds up in your drain does just cause clogs, either. It can also provide a suitable and consistent source of food for pests. Drain flies and all kinds of other frustrating pests are attracted to drain gunk of all kinds. Some types of drain fly even lay eggs inside or near drains, which makes them a long-term problem. You should have your drains professionally cleaned once a season, or whenever you notice a problem.

Mind the Gaps

Make sure your restaurant's entrances seal properlyUnfortunately, this is another situation where restaurants are at a disadvantage. Think about how many doors and windows your restaurant has. There’s the front entrance for sure, a back entrance, probably a supply entrance, any emergency exits, and more. Pests can use these entrances, too. Then there are the restaurant-specific access points to worry about. Pests can come down ventilation just as easily as smoke and food smells can escape.

Try to figure out where pests could get in. Start by examining thresholds. Make sure all your doors seal properly and snugly. Replace any damaged sealant or weatherstripping immediately. Look for cracks and gaps near window and door frames, and feel for drafts. Remember: some bugs only need the tiniest gap to get in, so you have to be thorough. Check the perimeter from the outside and the inside. Use caulk to fill in gaps. Make sure all your vent systems have appropriate grating and screens.

Clean Spills

Keep an eye out for hidden spills or leaks in your restaurantThis probably seems obvious to you, but spills can be tricky. We’re not just talking about the ones out on the dining floor. We’re talking about the spills that can go overlooked. The tiny leaks in the employee bathroom. The condensation pooling in the corner of the freezer or outside by the HVAC. The grease ring around the floor drain in the kitchen. Pests don’t need much moisture to survive, and they’ll use whatever you give them.

Liquid spills are a particularly big deal for pests, because many bugs lay eggs in liquid. If you think a fly infestation is tough to deal with now, try a multi-generation infestation. To prevent a nightmare like that, you have to become a spill-eliminating machine. Figure out where moisture tends to build up and dry it out as frequently and completely as possible. Keep an especially close eye on customer’s sugary drinks.

 

Running any business is tough work, but running a restaurant is a whole new level. If you’ve made it this far, there’s no way a few pests are going to be your downfall. As long as you and your team follow these tips and work together, you’ll keep the pests at bay.

If ever things are getting out of hand and you need a little help, you can always call Griffin. We’re always ready to help you reclaim your business as effectively and discretely as possible. Keep fighting the good fight!

The Price of Pest Infestation

It would be bad enough if pests just kind of hung out in your home or business. They’re gross. Nobody wants to live with them. Unfortunately, however, there are even more important reasons to deal with pest infestations quickly and permanently. Pests wreck literally incalculable damage on manmade structures and the natural world alike. Scientists recently estimated that invasive forest insects alone cost the US over $4 billion dollars annually.

Even common pests like rodents or beetles can do a surprising amount of damage to your home surprisingly quickly. Here are a couple of the worst problems pests can make for you if you let them. If you’re worried you have an infestation, take action immediately to save yourself the potentially expensive headache of dealing with stuff like this. Sorry about the scare tactics; we just want to make sure you know what to keep an eye out for.

Ceiling with pest damage
Structural Damage

First, the big one. Wood is still the primary building material used in homes. Pests like termites, Longhorned Beetles, Emerald Ash Borers, ants, and carpenter bees all feed on and/or burrow through wood. That loadbearing 2×4 holding up part of your kitchen floor is just another tasty snack for them. When wood-boring pests eat through wood, they damage its structural integrity, making it ineffective and exposing it to the possibility of cracking or even collapsing.

Though it’ll take time for pests to dramatically damage your home, even minor structural damage should be considered very dangerous. Damage to your home’s framework or foundation can be expensive to repair, and might have a huge negative impact on resale value. If you have a termite, beetle, or ant infestation, it’s crucial that you deal with it quickly and take steps to prevent future infestations.

Electrical wire pest damage
Electrical Damage

Did you know that rat and mice teeth never stop growing? Rodents like these start teething as babies and never stop. That means they need something relatively soft to chew on constantly. One of the telltale signs of a rodent infestation are tiny bite marks on a wide variety of household items. Carpeting, furniture, wood, fabric, and even hard plastics aren’t safe from the incessant gnawing.

Alarmingly, rats and mice love chowing down on wires more than almost anything else. The shape, length, and softness of a power cord make electrical cables the perfect teething tool. Repeated biting and chewing wears down on electrical wires, the same way nervously biting a pencil leaves marks and dents in it. If the rodents keep coming back for long enough, they could expose the internal wiring inside the cord, creating a major fire hazard.

Clothing with pest damage
Fabric Damage

Good news: adult moths don’t eat clothes. In fact, they don’t eat at all! Bad news: adult moths lay their eggs in clothes. And then the hatched babies eat your clothes. Moth larvae feed on fabrics until they reach maturity, doing considerable damage and leaving behind holes in the process. Moths are known for eating clothes, but they’ll feed on any kind of fabric, hair, or fur, including drapes, carpeting, or decor.

Moths aren’t the only fabric-feeders, either. Silverfish and carpet beetles can both do considerable damage to your flooring or wardrobe. Plus, it’s icky. You don’t want to wear a pair of underwear that baby moths have been chewing on. Even minor fabric damage can ruin expensive or difficult-to-replace items quickly, so don’t wait to take care of the moths you find in your closet.

Furniture with pest damage
Furniture Damage

Wow, pests really don’t leave anything alone, huh? Rodents, beetles, moths, spiders, and pretty much everything else can damage or even take up residence in furniture. Most pests prefer dark, hidden areas where they can hide, sleep, and eat in peace. Large furniture, especially sofas and fabric armchairs can be really attractive nests for some unwanted roommates.

Pests aren’t content to just crash on your sofa, either. Given the chance, they’ll use it as a food source, ripping into it and carving out holes. Pests can ruin a lot of wood, fabric, and even plastic furniture faster than you might suspect. Plus, again, it’s gross. You don’t want to sit on a sofa that has roaches in it. Trust us…

 

Remember: a little proactive maintenance always beats a big repair or replacement paycheck. Practice good pest prevention strategies now, and hopefully you’ll never have to worry about damage like this.

If you’ve noticed any of the problems we’ve laid out here in your house, don’t panic! Just give us a call right away. Not only can we get any pests in your house to leave your stuff alone, we can make sure they don’t come back after we kick them out. The faster you take action, the less you have to worry about–so take action now!