The last word any restaurant worker, manager, or owner wants to hear is ‘cockroach.’ This tiny insect can shut down a restaurant and ruin its reputation.
However, even in a state like Texas with more than its fair share of roaches, it’s possible to keep them at bay. We’ll share our helpful tips and tricks below.
Stay On Top of Food Safety Practices
When you take a food handlers course in Texas, food safety is a common thread throughout. If you can handle food safely, you can create an overall safer environment for your team and customers.
Creating a clean, hygienic, and safe working environment with food is one of the best ways to keep those cockroaches out of the kitchen. The cleaner the restaurant, the less desirable it is for hungry roaches.
Always store food in airtight containers in their appropriate storage place with dates and labels. If they are airtight, they are less likely to be at risk of unwanted cockroach invasions.
Cockroaches can also be drawn to spaces with the smell of food, so wipe down messes as they happen and refrain from leaving dirty dishes sitting for too long. It may also help to get into the habit of taking the trash out of the kitchen daily, but just don’t forget to wash your hands afterward before engaging in food preparation!
You may also be able to give cockroaches their marching orders by always keeping shelves and cabinets clean and ensuring dining and kitchen areas are as clean and clutter-free as possible at all times.
Look for Leaks
Even though roaches can go without eating for a long time, they don’t tend to live long without water. As a result, they may be drawn to properties with lots of humidity or water more than others.
If you have noticed a few cockroaches starting to look too comfortable at your restaurant, look for leaks or sources of moisture. Start with the kitchen and bathroom sinks, and move toward appliances. If you notice excess water anywhere, call the experts to fix the problem as soon as possible.
Identify Any Gaps
Cockroaches in Texas can grow up to two inches long. While that’s large enough to make you squeamish, it’s pretty small when you think of how many different ways they can get into your restaurant.
Once you have made sure that all work surfaces and utensils are clean and sanitized, look for ways these frustrating little critters could be getting in. Gaps around doors and windows tend to be the most common, but trash deposit entrances and foundation cracks may also be ideal entry points.
Purchase weather stripping and caulking glue to take care of as many easy entry points for insects as possible.
Call Pest Control Experts
Receiving your Texas food handlers card means you’re informed of the importance of a clean and hygienic workplace. However, if you’ve done all of these things above and still have no idea what’s causing cockroaches to enter your restaurant, call pest control services.
They understand how cockroaches think and can identify problem areas that you may need to rectify. Pest control experts may also be able to provide bait and other solutions that keep them at bay.
Learn More About Food Safety & Hygiene With TABC Pronto
With dirty workplaces being more likely to see cockroach infestations than those with strict protocols in place, it makes sense to do all you can to prevent a problem in the future.
Consider ensuring that all restaurant workers have undertaken their food handlers permit to learn more about food safety measures in the workplace. TABC Pronto offers 100% online courses that are fast, easy, have no test or final exam, and are cheap. Enroll today!