Flies are one of the most common restaurant pests. Though they are tiny in size, they can cause a significant negative impact on a restaurant. Owing to their size, flies can easily slip into a restaurant and pose a serious threat to the business because of their ability to transport filth.
Flies feed on some of the dirtiest substances on earth including sewage, faeces and garbage. They pick up millions of dangerous microorganisms such as Salmonella and E. coli while feeding on these substances. The presence of flies can be a serious headache for restaurant owners because an infestation can grow in no time. Even small infestations can lead to loss of reputation, and hence customers. In severe cases, a restaurant may even have to close down because of health code violations.
A recent survey of diners conducted by a pest management company reveals that over 80 percent of patrons are not likely to return to a restaurant, if they spot any pest on their plate. Over 50% of the respondents also mentioned that they will report all such incidents in the form of social media posts and negative online reviews. Therefore, if you are a restaurant owner, you have to find a way to keep flies out of your facility. Due to the presence of food materials and strict industry standards, fly management in a restaurant involves special considerations.
Prevention Tips:
In order to protect your restaurant and its reputation from flies, an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan is probably the best approach. This is a proactive approach where the control measures are tailored to your specific business requirements. Restaurant staffs should be proactively focused on maintenance and sanitation of the restaurant.
Here are some tips the workers and management can follow to protect their hard-earned reputation.
- First of all, the back-of-house must be kept as clean as possible. Maintaining a spotless kitchen should be your top priority because a dirty kitchen provides a favourable environment for fly infestation. All the equipment must be thoroughly cleaned and all dirty dishes should be removed from the sink before closing for the night. Also, make sure that all spills and standing water are mopped immediately. Restaurant staffs should also keep an eye out for leaky sinks and liquid build-up in kitchen drains.
- Enforcement of strict waste management practices is also required for maintaining a fly-free restaurant. Lids of the trash cans should be tightly secured and it should be emptied regularly. During trash disposal, it must be taken all the way to the dumpster. Regular cleaning is required for the trash bins as well as dumpsters.
- The dining area of the restaurant should be cleaned several times each day. All tables and chairs should be disinfected from time to time. Also, make sure there is no debris present in the outside drains.
- All incoming food shipments should be inspected thoroughly for fly larvae.
- Keep all the doors and windows properly sealed.
- Regularly inspect the building exterior for feeding and breeding sites such as garbage collection areas.
If you are a restaurant owner worried about fly infestation, please contact us at Vectothor for the best possible solution. Our environment friendly fly lights are ideally suited for all food handling environments.
