Like any business, restaurants run on profit and it’s an unfortunate fact that restaurants can be inviting places for pests. The combination of frequently opened doors, people coming in and out, plus readily available food products makes eating establishments attractive places for pests to set a table for themselves.
As a restaurant owner or manager, how can pests affect your bottom line? Take a look.
Pests Can Cost You Customers
When customers spot pests, they likely won’t want to make a return visit. Even worse, in today’s social media world, they may share their bad experience with hundreds of other people, potentially costing you future customers, too. Restaurants that suffer pest infestations can also suffer damage to their restaurant’s reputation, which can equal lost revenue.
Pests Can Cost You Inventory
Many different types of pests can contaminate food and food products:
- Flies can contaminate food and packaging materials, potentially spreading foodborne illnesses.
- Cockroaches, which are known to sometimes carry pathogens that can cause disease, may live in cardboard boxes that store products, feeding and breeding inside.
- Stored product pests (such as moths, weevils and beetles) can build huge populations quickly. They often have widespread infestations with more than one source, leaving behind eggs and larvae, which can contaminate food. Stored product pests can attack many different types of food items, including whole grains, wheat, corn, barley, rice, beans, nuts and many other items that may be found in your restaurant.
Pests Can Cause Damage
Some pests can be destructive. In addition to damaging products, they can harm equipment, electrical wiring and building structures. Termites, in particular, can cause extensive, expensive structural damage to buildings. If you don’t own your restaurant space, a termite invasion could impact your bottom line if the restaurant has to be shut down or have service interrupted during treatment.
Wildlife, such as rodents, squirrels, raccoons, birds and other small animals, can also cause significant damage to buildings and leave behind unsanitary droppings.
Pests Can Cost You Cleanliness
Cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes, rodents and stored product pests are just some examples of pests that can contaminate food and carry pathogens that can cause disease. Birds, in particular, can compromise a facility’s cleanliness and hygiene, leaving behind unsanitary droppings that may create slip-and-fall hazards. Pests can cause ongoing costs for cleaning, repair and maintenance that may also tax a restaurant’s budget. If pests are found during health or regulatory inspections and restaurants fail, there could be fines imposed.
Pests Can Cost You Productivity
Pests can prevent your employees from focusing on serving your customers. In addition to cleaning up the messes that pests can make, pest problems can be distracting and worrisome for employees, adversely impacting efficiency, morale and a sense of well-being at work.
Preventive Pest Control
Don’t wait until pests take a bite out of your profits to act. It’s best to take a preventive approach to pests in restaurants before they get out of hand. Many types of pests can form large infestations very quickly, before any signs are noticed. A commercial pest control partner with experience in serving the restaurant industry can help prevent pest problems before they start and can treat current pest issues effectively. Put your order in for a free estimate and help protect your restaurant from pests, as well as from the expenses they can cause. Preventive pest control is a strong defense to help protect your restaurant’s bottom line.
