Keep Rodents Out of Your Restaurant

Food businesses can’t afford to be complacent when it comes to pest control. As rodents start heading indoors for the winter, it’s even more important to be on top of your pest control arrangements. Here’s how to keep rodents out of your restaurant. 

Why you need to keep rodents out of your restaurant

As a food business, it’s your legal duty to prevent and control pests. If you don’t, you risk fines, prosecution, and even being closed down. There’s also the issue of the damage to your reputation that even the hint of a pest problem can do. Luckily though, there are steps you can take to protect your business. 

Get into the habit of inspecting your premises

If you want to keep rodents out of your restaurant, you need to know the possible signs that they’ve found their way in and where they could be hiding out. Areas where you store product, spaces behind and under appliances, and the inside of walls are all common hideouts for rodents. 

Look for signs of rodents in your restaurant like droppings, chewed packaging, and grease marks along walls. 

Carry out inspections of your restaurant regularly and document everything. It’s a good idea to train your staff on what to look for too. 

Fix or seal any possible entry points

Mice and rats can squeeze through the tiniest of gaps, so to keep them out of your restaurant, you need to seal off any possible entry points. Fit brushes to the bottom of doors and seal up any cracks in walls and gaps around pipes or cables. 

Keep up your housekeeping standards

When it comes to keeping rodents out of your restaurant, the best thing you can do is to make your premises less attractive for them. This means removing any sources of food or water, as this is what they are looking for. 

Fix any leaks and get rid of any standing water. Clean up spillages and don’t leave food or crumbs lying around. Empty your bins every day and don’t leave rubbish bags lying next to them. Finally get rid of clutter, and it goes without saying, but have a thorough cleaning routine in place. 

Get professional help 

You want to keep rodents out of your restaurant so putting a few traps down here and there isn’t going to cut it. Neither will those DIY pesticides you bought (by the way, did you check if you’re even permitted to use them on your premises?)- certain chemicals are restricted or prohibited in food service or preparation areas. 

You need a comprehensive, fit for purpose pest management plan which will:

Prevent infestations or eradicate them before they cause any lasting damage;

Help you comply with legislation and audits;

Protect your business, your reputation, and your clients and customers. 

Contego can help you with all aspects of pest management from proofing your premises, to eradicating infestations, and environmental cleaning.

Don’t leave your pest control to chance, call in the professionals. 

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