Restaurants all over the world contend with rodents, so it doesn’t necessarily mean you have a sanitation problem if you have a rodent problem. More than anything, rodents are attracted to warmth and food, and kitchens have both of those year-round. Not only is there good, fresh food, but garbage is abundant, and it’s often stored close to the restaurant with dumpsters just outside. It’s an easy life for rodents who can score inside a restaurant, but things are far from easy for restaurant owners when these pests could ruin their business.

Can Rodents Hurt Restaurants?

Rodents are a restaurant’s worst nightmare for good reason. Not only are they destructive, but they’re filthy creatures that can jeopardize food items and the health of employees and customers. Rodents can cause a number of problems for your business.

Rodents can cause losses in:

  • Contaminated or eaten food that has been sitting in storage
  • Lost money on food orders if rodents take the journey with the shipment
  • Failed health inspections that can slow down or stop business
  • Loss of trust in customers and public image through bad reviews and word of mouth
  • Structural damage ranging from wood timbers to electrical wires
  • Emotional distress from employees
  • Possible spread of diseases like salmonella, E. Coli, leptospirosis, dysentery, and many more

No matter the rodent, they are a major problem if left unchecked on your restaurant property. The damages would be too costly, and the loss of trust and health threats to community members could set you back for good. Keeping them out is a top priority.

How To Prevent Rodents From Coming Indoors

While sanitation doesn’t have to be the root cause of the problem, it certainly doesn’t help if the restaurant is dirty or measures aren’t being taken to handle garbage and spills. Preventing rodents isn’t easy, but there are a few different tactics you can try to keep them at bay:

  • Keep outside doors closed when not in use.
  • Eliminate standing water near the restaurant by fixing leaking pipes or dealing with potholes and divots where water can collect.
  • Clean up food messes promptly and thoroughly.
  • Store indoor trash properly with a sealed container, and keep outdoor trash far from the restaurant.
  • Store food in a manner that rodents can’t access if they do manage to get indoors.
  • Limit penetrable food storage like plastic and cardboard, which are barely an inconvenience to chewers like mice and rats.
  • Do thorough inspections of food shipments to keep ridealongs from being tossed into storage with all your choicest products.

Prevention can go a long way to keep your Annapolis business safe, but rodents are prolific and smart. It’s also difficult to keep dozens of employees on the same page about prevention methods. Because of these things, the best kind of prevention is enlisting the help of a pest control professional to do routine checks that will keep your business healthy and trusted in your community.

Pest Czar Pest Control For Your Annapolis Restaurant

Not only are we at Pest Czar thorough in our inspections and commercial pest control methods, but we also offer options for every need. We can find the right formula for visits and control methods to suit you if you need regular service through one of our bundles or plans. If you’d prefer to keep pesticides out of the kitchen, we have environmentally friendly and safe methods. As a part of this community, we are invested in keeping businesses and our neighbors safe and up and running. Call us today for our reliable rodent control service.