There are many things that differentiate a "great" restaurant from a "just-okay" restaurant from a "downright bad" restaurant. Of course, the food is important, and the friendliness of the staff. A restaurant’s atmosphere also makes a difference in how good it is. One thing that can quickly ruin the atmosphere of any restaurant is a pest problem. If a cockroach dashes across a table, mid-meal, that restaurant will certainly lose at least one customer. Pests are a surefire way to ruin a reputation. We at American Pest Solutions want your restaurant to do well, so we’ve put together some information to help your Hartford restaurant thrive, despite the constant threat of pests.
The Worst Pests for Restaurants
There is an endless number of pests that can cause problems for restaurant owners. After all, restaurants have what pests want most: food! A restaurant can attract ants and termites, and even have an issue with bed bugs. However, two of the most common, and worst, restaurant pests are cockroaches and rodents.
In Hartford, you could be dealing with any of four common cockroach species: the American cockroach, the German cockroach, the Oriental cockroach, and the brown-banded cockroach. All are nocturnal bugs that are attracted to rotting food and decaying matter. Not only are they disgusting pests, but they also carry dangerous bacteria and pathogens that could get your employees or customers sick.
As far as rodents go, both rats and mice could get inside your restaurant. These rodents can carry many dangerous diseases such as salmonella and rocky mountain fever. You definitely don’t want to risk your restaurant being associated with diseases. Plus, rodents can contaminate and ruin food supplies as they run around your kitchen at night.
A Two-Part Danger
There are two reasons to prevent pests such as cockroaches and rodents. The first reason is that pests will cause you to lose customers. Roaches and rodents are creatures thought of as gross and dirty, because they are! These pests spend a lot of time in decaying matter, in garbage cans, and around fecal matter. Pests are a quick way to damage your reputation and make you lose hundreds of customers.
The reasons for keeping pests out go deeper. Not only could you lose customers just because someone sees a pest, but a pest infestation means that you risk getting employees and customers sick. It’s never worth the risk. If you have signs of pest infestations in your restaurant, it’s time to get help quickly!
Attracting Factors
Why do pests get inside? There’s an idea that only dirty restaurants can have pests. However, pests don’t need a disgusting building; they just need food. Even if your restaurant is spotless, a single missed crumb under the oven could attract cockroaches. They can get inside when the door is propped open during a delivery or they could crawl up through pipes or vents. Restaurants deal with a lot of food, so there’s no way to guarantee that pests won’t follow the meal inside.
Prevention
The best prevention is year-round control from American Pest Solutions. Rather than wait until it’s too late, take preventative steps to keep your restaurant, and your employees and customers, safe. American Pest Solutions has year-round treatment plans that can be customized to fit the needs of your business. Our online services are easy to use and quick to show results. Plus, we’re always just one phone call away. Let us take care of pest prevention and elimination, so you can take care of your business.