Rodents are a common problem for restaurants all over the world, and it’s no wonder why! Inside, a warm kitchen. Outside, piles and piles of wasted food. Water? Check. Stored food? Check. Restaurants have everything a rodent could want, and the only thing stopping them is a back alley door that may not even be closed. While you can’t necessarily blame them for trying, these kinds of pests can cause serious problems for restaurant owners and staff.
What Kinds Of Problems Can Rodents Cause For Restaurants?
First and most importantly, rodents can cause diseases like salmonellosis, leptospirosis, rat-bite fever, and hantavirus. Touching or eating off of surfaces with urine or feces or even coming in contact with a rodent can put a person at risk for all of these diseases and more.
For good reason, rats are a feared pest by many. Because of this, restaurants may suffer the loss of employees who experience distress at the sight of rodents. For customers, seeing rodents in a restaurant is a fast and sure way to lose their trust and the trust of the public. Receiving a citation for rodents from public health authorities or having a review posted claiming there are rodents in the establishment could permanently damage a restaurant’s reputation.
Finally, rodents can cause financial hardship for a restaurant, not just in the loss of customers but also in the loss of food. Often, rodents get into restaurants through shipments, and if they make it into storage with the food. Any containers that aren’t sealed and protected against rodents could be contaminated.
As you can see, it’s more than worth the inconvenience to safeguard your restaurant against these troublesome pests.
Restaurant Rodent Prevention Tips
Keeping rodents out isn’t as hard as it may seem. As with most pest prevention, routine sanitization and maintenance practices can do much of the work. To keep rodents from causing your restaurant major damage, try these tips:
- Seal any holes or cracks around the property with silicon-based caulk.
- Don’t leave any doors or windows propped open unless they’re screened or currently in use.
- Don’t leave trash near the restaurant. Make sure trash receptacles are kept sealed.
- Keep indoor trash in a sealed container and regularly taken out.
- Sanitize trash receptacles weekly, and floors and surfaces daily. Don’t let spills of any kind sit for long periods.
- Keep food stored in gnaw-proof containers, ideally glass or metal.
- Before bringing them indoors, check shipments of food for signs of rodents, including feces or holes in packages.
- Make sure there is no standing water in or around the restaurant—repair leaks or landscape problems that would allow excess water to build up.
While rodent problems may seem like an inevitability for restaurant owners, there’s a lot you can do to prevent an infestation. Still, rodents are smart animals and capable scavengers, so if you’ve got a rodent problem, don’t wait to call for professional rodent control.
Accurate Termite & Pest Control Is The Best Pest Prevention
For advice on protecting your Austin restaurant against dangerous pests or for help in dealing with a current infestation, call Accurate Termite & Pest Control. As part of this community, we are invested in the safety and wellbeing of our customers. With Accurate Termite & Pest Control, services include inspection, treatment, and a pest-free guarantee that will give you the peace of mind to continue serving the community, too. For a free estimate or to schedule your first visit, call Accurate Termite & Pest Control today.