Restaurant Staff Behaviors that Attract Roaches
Fighting pests like roaches is a team effort and one that requires clear policies and cooperation among restaurant team members. Restaurants and the hospitality industry in general is often highly attractive to roaches and only more so when team behaviors increase the enticement. Here are a few problems Western frequently encounters in the field.
Staff issues that attract roaches:
- Dirty dishes in lockers
- Roaches brought to the restaurant from home
- Lack of awareness of indicators of roach populations and warning signs
- Fear of telling a supervisor when a roach problem is noticed
Management issues that keep roaches in place:
- Lack of roach monitoring in locker areas
- Maintenance and cleaning policies that are not sufficient and not enforced
- Attempted DIY roach control methods that disperse rather than eliminate roaches
- Not monitoring drop ceilings which can hide large roach populations
- Failing to repair holes around pipes which provide a roach entry point
- Not sealing cracks, crevices and gaps which can service as places where roaches can live and develop
“There is a sense of embarrassment that roaches cause, where really, presence of roaches should signal the need for help,” says Mark Derasmo, Service Supervisor of the Western Monmouth Beach, NJ area branch. “Western can show a business what to do, from conducting in-service seminars to sealing off access points that allow roaches in.”