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While cockroaches are disgusting no matter where you find them, a restaurant may be one of the worst places for a cockroach infestation. Roaches not only bring with them germs and diseases, but they can also ruin the reputation of your restaurant and possibly even cost you the loss of your business.  

Roaches are attracted to restaurants for a number of reasons—the two most basic reasons being the presence of food and water sources. The more accessible food and water are in a place, the more likely cockroaches (as well as many other pests) will be drawn in. If you’re struggling with restaurant pest control including cockroaches, understanding why they want to come in may help you eradicate the problem.

Read More: Your Best Defense Against The Cockroach

Reasons Cockroaches are Attracted to Restaurants

Following are a few points that might make a restaurant more attractive to cockroaches and pests:

Dirty Dishes and Surfaces

Food scraps (including even the slightest crusty residue remaining on a dish) can act as a beacon to draw cockroaches into a restaurant or kitchen. All dishes and food surfaces must be cleaned regularly and dirty dishes should never be left to sit overnight.

Poor Staff Hygiene

No matter how much you clean your kitchen, if your employees aren’t washing their hands regularly or disposing of waste properly then cockroaches may find your restaurant. In addition to monitoring staff during their work time, it is also important to control and monitor what goes into lockers. If food, dirty dishes, or other attractional objects are kept in lockers, you may be inviting roaches into your restaurant.

Unenforced Maintenance and Cleaning

All of the policies and posters in the world about cleaning and maintenance will be useless if the rules are not enforced. As a kitchen manager or restaurant owner, it is up to you to enforce pest control by oversee and inspect for daily cleaning and maintenance.

Sanitation Issues

Waste that is kept lying around, particularly food waste, works like an invitation for roaches and other pests to infest your restaurant. Garbage cans must not only be emptied regularly, but should also be washed out with soap and warm water on a regular basis to remove any food waste or sticky residue on the inside and outside. Cardboard can also work as a breeding ground for cockroaches and bacteria, so be sure to get rid of it as soon as possible following use.

Food Storage

If food is not stored properly, in fully-sealed plastic containers, this can attract cockroaches. Remove all food shipments from cardboard boxes and place them on shelves in sealed containers in a cool, dry place.

Lack of Reporting

Some employees or kitchen staff may feel bad reporting the sighting of a cockroach, which allows the problem to continue on for longer periods of time. As cockroaches are prolific breeders, a quick reporting can mean the difference between a small problem and huge infestation. A restaurant staff should feel free to report any concerns related to pest control for your restaurant.

What Can Be Done to Keep Cockroaches from Restaurants?

In order to practice restaurant pest control, some critical but simple steps should be taken.

• Clean and wipe all surfaces daily with an antibacterial cleaner
• Be sure to wipe up spills immediately
• Enforce staff hygiene with hand-washing sinks at entry points to kitchen.
• Store food in sealed containers
• Always keep doors closed (don’t prop them open for a cool breeze or to smoke)
• Seal all cracks and crevices in walls, floors, or equipment
• Make note of any water leakage and call a plumber immediately
• Remove garbage as needed and at the end of each day
• Access professional commercial kitchen pest control to put a preventative care plan in place

Although cockroaches may always be attracted to the food and water sources available at restaurants, you can enforce safe pest control practices to make sure that your restaurant is not the one they choose! Develop a plan for commercial kitchen pest control and protect your restaurant starting today.