When German cockroaches move into your restaurant, they’re like the worst possible guests: they never leave, they multiply quickly, and they hide where you can’t see them.
The biggest problem with German cockroaches is that by the time you see one, there could be hundreds more hiding in the shadows. They reproduce faster than any other cockroach species, and in just a few months, a couple of cockroaches can turn into thousands.
For restaurants, German cockroaches are a serious health risk. They carry bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella on their bodies and legs, spreading them to food prep surfaces, dishes, and equipment.
They leave behind droppings and shed skins that can trigger allergies and asthma. Plus, nothing ruins a restaurant’s reputation faster than a customer spotting a cockroach scurrying across the floor.
Key Takeaways
- Restaurant owners and managers face several roach challenges, including dealing with their nests, food contamination, and infestations coming from multiple sources.
- German cockroaches like to hide and stay in dark places.
- Professional cockroach exterminators help by conducting thorough inspections, applying targeted treatments, and offering monitoring.
- There are several ways to keep German roaches out (such as keeping a cleaning schedule and inspecting deliveries), but hiring pest professionals is the best prevention method.
Cockroach Challenges for Restaurants
Remember, these pests are attracted to three things: food, water, and shelter. Your restaurant provides all three in abundance. To the restaurant manager, this spells trouble.
A German cockroach population will make their nest in a sheltered, dark location. They’re not brash like flies, who will infest drains in the middle of the room with no discretion. No, German cockroaches actively avoid the spotlight, making their discovery a lot more challenging than the flies, until the population becomes so large that the nest cannot hold them.
German cockroaches will also leave their nest for food. Typically, the adult male will leave the nest and bring food back to the females and juveniles (nymphs). They don’t want to travel too far from the nest, as any period of exposure is risky to them, and they feel unsafe.
So their nests will often be approximately 12 feet from a food source. This means that preferred food sources may be just as hidden as the cockroaches themselves. If a German cockroach had to choose between food on a table or food underneath the refrigerator, they would go for the food underneath the refrigerator. That food is less risky, the chances of them being seen there are lower than if they take head towards the food on the table.
Eventually, populations may get so large that the table food will be worth the risk to them. But those infestations are going to grow off of the hidden food, the forgotten crumbs and wrappers that are in dark, hidden spaces where cockroaches prefer to dwell.
Cockroaches will arrive from a number of sources: vendors, packaging, employees, customers, etc. The key is to make it an inhospitable environment for them. If we can remove the food source, they can’t take hold and infest.
German Cockroach Behavior
Pests, like people, have personalities based on their behavior. Just like in the human world, the pest world is made up of all “types.”
Imagine you’re at a party. There are the loud “in-your-face” extroverts who talk to anyone. They don’t have much of a filter, they’re always up in your business, can’t take a hint that they’re being too loud. Those are the flies. On the other side of the pest personality spectrum, we have the German cockroaches. These are the introverts. They’re the ones who cling to the wall at a party, preferring to stay out of the spotlight and in the dark. They don’t want to be noticed like their loud fly counterparts. They want to stay cozied up against the wall where they feel safe and secure.
German cockroaches are cryptobiotic, which means they prefer to stay hidden. In addition, they really prefer to have pressure on both sides of their body. A tight crevice gives them a feeling of security they just can’t obtain out in the open.
On top of all these socially inept behaviors, they prefer darkness. The only reason they even came to the party was because it was in the dark.
How Professionals Can Help
When your Pest Management Professional looks for German cockroaches, they will rarely find them while strolling the aisles of your kitchen or dining room. Since cockroaches hate being out in the open, we won’t usually find them there (unless the infestation is large).
Instead, we’ll find them in the hard-to-reach areas: under equipment, behind equipment, in rarely used cabinets and drawers, in built-up debris. These are the places cockroaches want to be. They feel safe here. It’s dark, hidden, out of the way, and has lots of cracks to provide pressure on both sides of the body.
The top of the breading table may not be an ideal place for cockroach security, but underneath that table, in the lip of the table or the hollow legs where food has built up, now that’s a cockroach sanctuary.
Since German cockroaches are going to prefer food that is low risk, they’re going to go for the food that is as hidden as they are. For this reason, thorough sanitation is the key to preventing German cockroach infestations.
It’s not good enough to just clean that breading table surface, we’ve got to clean all of its parts. It’s not enough to mop the floor, we need to move the fridge and oven and clean underneath the equipment, as well. A rule of thumb is that if it’s hard to clean, it probably isn’t cleaned. These are the places cockroaches will party.
Tips for Preventing German Cockroach Infestations in Restaurants
There are many things a restaurant manager can do to make their restaurant less attractive to cockroaches
- Develop (and follow) a sanitation schedule: Every section of the building should be regularly cleaned, with food prep and storage areas given extra attention. Develop a schedule and assign responsibilities so that each area and piece of equipment is systematically cleaned.
- Take things apart when cleaning, food debris builds up in the inaccessible cracks.
- Move the equipment when cleaning so you can get underneath it.
- Use degreaser and cleaning agents that remove the food buildup cockroaches prefer.
- Minimize the number of cracks/crevices that are available for cockroaches to hide in by sealing them up.
- Inspect deliveries, often our infestations begin with hitchhiking cockroaches.
- Train your employees to report cockroach sightings. Educate them on the correlation between sanitation and cockroaches – the cleaner the restaurant, the less likely a cockroach population will develop.
- Use a reputable pest management professional who monitors and inspects for cockroaches.
FAQs
What do I do if I find a cockroach in my restaurant?
First, don’t panic. But do act fast. If you see one cockroach, assume there are many more hiding. Note where and when it was seen, then call a professional pest control company immediately.
While waiting for professional help, do a deep clean of the area where you spotted the cockroach.
What if I’m having a surprise health inspection?
If an inspector arrives and you’ve recently spotted cockroaches, honesty is your best policy. Show them the steps you’re already taking to address the problem.
Having a pest control company on speed dial, keeping good sanitation records, and showing a proactive approach can make the difference between a warning and a more serious violation.
Did your inspection not go well? Learn what you can do here in our guide.
How do I prevent cockroaches in my restaurant?
Start with daily deep cleaning, create a cleaning schedule, fix all water leaks immediately, store food in sealed containers, take trash out multiple times per day, and train staff to clean as they go.
Regular professional pest control inspections are essential. A trained technician knows exactly where cockroaches hide and can spot early warning signs before you have a full infestation.
Roach Extermination for Food Services Businesses
Don’t let German cockroaches destroy your restaurant’s reputation and put your customers’ health at risk. Our experienced pest control professionals know exactly where these sneaky pests hide and how to eliminate them for good.
With our regular service plans, you’ll never have to worry about surprise cockroach appearances during the dinner rush or health inspections. We’ll work with you to create a customized prevention program that keeps your restaurant free of cockroaches.
Call us today before those roaches crash your restaurant’s party.