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Owning and running a restaurant is tough, so hats off to you. You’re doing it! I probably don’t need to tell you about all the million things you do everyday to keep your place running smoothly. You have an entire staff, menu, customer base and state regulations to think about, but somehow you manage to keep all the plates spinning (no pun intended!). One more thing you should make sure you keep in the back of your mind if finding a good pest control company.
I’m sure you do everything in your power to keep your kitchen and dining room spotless and up to standards as far as the health code requirements go. However, sometimes unexpected and unavoidable things happen, and when they do, you’ll need someone trustworthy and reliable you can call without hesitation. It’s also a good idea to have this company run a monthly inspection so that you can catch any issues before they develop.
One common issue that restaurant owners run into is an ant infestation. This can be an absolute nightmare to deal with for a restaurant. An ant infestation at home is one thing, but you can usually handle it easily by not having guests over for a week or so while you deal with the problem. Your place of business is a much more complex place to have an infestation. Shutting your doors for even one day can disrupt the flow of things and inconvenience not only you, but your customers and staff as well.
If you notice signs of an ant infestation, call your pest control company right away. A good pest control company knows how urgent an issue this is, and will make your problem a top priority. When the tech arrives, they’ll be able to analyze the issue and give you a breakdown of how they’ll be treating it. Of course, before you deal with any new pest control company, make sure they’ve dealt with businesses in the food industry before, since this is a very different situation than a home infestation.
Once you’ve got your tech working on the issue, you should take some time to figure out why it happened in the first place. Like I said before, sometimes things just happen and there’s no way to avoid them. However, most of the time there is some reason ants are coming into a space. Your pest control tech will probably have some idea about the source of the problem, so if they haven’t gone over that with you, be sure to ask. Maybe there’s a section of your kitchen that isn’t being cleaned as well as it should be, unbeknownst to you. If this is the case, it’s important to talk to your staff about what happened, and go over the changes that must be made to avoid a recurrence in the future.
Food should always be stored in airtight containers. Even ingredients that are used often need to be stored the minute they’re not being used. This not only helps prevent an ant infestation but contamination by other pests, and will generally keep things fresher. Water should not be left sitting in sinks or dishes if at all possible. Some dishes require soaking, but there should be a set limit to this practice, since standing water attracts pests.
Check around your building for entry ways the ants might’ve used to get into your place. Patch or fill any holes you find. Ask the tech if they have any ideas about where the pests are entering as well.
