Voted #1 Pest Control Company in SCV for 12+ years
Maintaining an A-Rating
Pest Control Requirements for Commercial Kitchens
Health inspections are stressful and can happen at any time. As a commercial kitchen owner, you need to be proactive when it comes to food safety and protecting the reputation of your business through informed pest control practices.
The health department is aggressive about cracking down on infested restaurants, even if pest control is only one aspect of the examination. Your business may not get shut down due to health code violations, but a low score can hurt your bottom line and standing in the community.
Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to maintain that “A” rating, including having a reputable pest control team on your side that can help you pass an inspection.
The licensed technicians at No Bugs Termite and Pest Control Inc. have the local commercial experience, products, and solutions to help keep your rating high. Contact our Santa Clarita restaurant pest control specialists at (866) 716-8996 today!
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What Does the Health Department Look For?
Section Twenty-Three of the Reference Guide for The Food Official Inspection Report states that there should be no insects, rodents, birds, or animals present in your establishment. Any marks under this subcategory are considered “major” and could be a “critical risk violation,” which would impose severe point deductions.
Ready for Your Next Health Inspection?
What To Know About Pest Control In Restaurants
A health inspector can enter your restaurant at any moment, and they don’t care if your establishment is having an off night. Your dining room might be filled with satisfied customers and countless others waiting for tables, but if there are even minor code violations present behind the scenes (or scuttling in the periphery), you can trust that the inspector will mark it down.
The Department of Public Health inspects, monitors, informs, and enforces firm health and safety regulations to keep a restaurant’s customers safe and healthy. Based on the scoring of their inspection, a restaurant will receive a letter grade that reflects its cleanliness and reliability.
When examining a restaurant, the health inspector will review the cooking process and the holding and storage temperatures of meats, poultry, seafood, and ready-made food produce. They also check how (and how often) the staff cleans dishes, tables, floors, and other essentials. More importantly, they look at business records to ensure this is an everyday routine and not just a bit of pageantry.
But there is another important criterion that many employees overlook in the hustle and bustle of the business day and the seeming helplessness of the situation: pest control.
Combating the Most Common Pests Found in Food Service Establishments
Nothing turns off a customer faster than spotting a rodent or cockroach as they’re trying to eat. And no wonder! Pests are a visible sign of unsanitary restaurant conditions that can result in food contamination, health code violations, sick stomachs, and a damaged business reputation. For this reason, California health inspectors can temporarily close down a restaurant or dock its grade if there are signs of pests.
Commercial kitchens must have some means of pest control to protect their property. It is not a legal requirement to hire a professional pest control company for your restaurant. However, you are obligated to manage any pests on your property.
An experienced pest control technician has the products, resources, and strategies to help keep your restaurant reasonably pest-free. But even an expert pest control company cannot effectively do the job without there being “in-house controls.”
In-house controls include, but are not limited to, proper:
- Facility Cleaning
- Food Storage
- Trash Clean-Up
Unfortunately, many professional pest control companies undercharge and under-treat to make an ongoing profit. This greed comes at the expense of their customer’s business interests and reputation. Because this is a consistent scheme, many restaurant owners don’t realize that there are better options.
At No Bugs, we care about the success and reputation of your restaurant; after all, we’re also your customers as local SCV residents! Our technicians protect many commercial kitchens in Santa Clarita with all-inclusive service plans that incorporate 24/7 assistance via a dedicated representative, same-day treatments, and a proprietary commercial treatment system that works.
Want to get control of those pests before your next health inspection? Contact our Santa Clarita restaurant pest control experts at (866) 716-8996 today!
Rodent Infestations
What Signs Does a Health Inspector Investigate?
Rodents can be found in many food establishments and cause major problems for restaurants. Rats and mice are surprisingly intelligent and have no problems sneaking in through holes, cracks, and open doors. They can crawl through small openings and climb hard-to-reach places just to get inside your establishment. And once they’re inside, they don’t want to leave.
Restaurants and their pest control companies need to make a concerted effort to prevent and combat rodent infestations. Rodents pose a danger to employees and customers because they can transmit diseases such as salmonella, leptospirosis, toxoplasmosis, and lyme disease. Rat droppings are also known to cause additional diseases and sicknesses in humans. Plus, seeing a rat or signs of rodent activity while you eat is just plain gross!
Knowing these risks, the health department takes their restaurant inspections very seriously. When a health inspector examines your establishment, they will keep an eye out for common signs of a rodent infestation in the food preparation, food storage, warewashing, indoor dining, and restroom areas.
A health inspector will investigate your restaurant for major signs of a rodent infestation, including but not limited to:
- Live or dead rodents
- Fresh droppings
- Gnaw marks
- Nesting Materials
- Grease Marks
These violations will result in a restaurant closure per Section Twenty-Three of the Reference Guide for The Food Official Inspection Report.
A health inspector will investigate your restaurant for major signs of a rodent infestation, including but not limited to:
- Live or dead rodents
- Fresh droppings
- Gnaw marks
- Nesting Materials
- Grease Marks
These violations can result in a restaurant closure per Section Twenty-Three of the Reference Guide for The Food Official Inspection Report.
Protect Your Restaurant with Pest Control that Works
The No Bugs team has the experience, products, and strategies to protect your business from crawling and flying insects, rodents, and more. We practice absolute confidentiality to protect your restaurant’s interests and reputation.
Cockroach Infestations:
What Does a Health Inspector Look For?
Unfortunately, cockroaches are a common concern in most commercial kitchens. Cockroaches are attracted to any establishment that provides food, water, and shelter. So, it’s no surprise that a big kitchen that routinely produces food, water, and grease is a cockroach paradise.
If the Health Department pays a visit to your restaurant, you might be in trouble if there are:
- One or more live cockroaches in the food preparation, food storage, warewashing, indoor customer dining area, or restrooms
That’s right, it only takes one pesky cockroach running out from under a dining table, cabinet, cooking equipment, or trashcan to immediately ruin your score and chances at a successful inspection. A cockroach infestation can also result in a temporary restaurant shut down by the health department.
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Fly Infestations
Health Inspection Standards & Consequences
The presence of flies in a commercial kitchen is more than a professional annoyance.
These flying insects hatch in and feed on excrement, garbage, and many types of decaying matter. As a result, flies carry up to 100 different pathogens that can cause human infections and diseases, including: cholera, conjunctivitis, dysentery, gastroenteritis, salmonellosis, tuberculosis, and typhoid fever.
The health department inspector will examine the dining areas, kitchen, and food storage locations for signs of a fly infestation. It is considered a major health code violation if:
- Fly infestation is evidenced by numerous flies in food preparation areas contacting food, food-contact surfaces, or both.
Your restaurant can also incur minor violations if flies are observed in a small number around the food preparation area or gnats are present in the warewashing area or around the floor sink.
3 Pest Control Mistakes Restaurants Make When Preparing for a Health Inspection
Pest control is a basic facet of food safety. Restaurants, cafes, fast food outlets, and other commercial kitchens have an obligation to provide and maintain a pest-free environment for their customers and employees.
There are three mistakes restaurants make when it comes to pest control:
- Cutting corners on pest control to save money
- Not researching their pest control company
- Forgoing daily sanitation practices
Many companies offer low prices because they know commercial kitchens need pest control. They purposely undercharge and under-treat commercial properties to make a profit, preying on the inexperience of their customers.
Don’t let your business be saddled with a one-size-fits-all contract with a pest control company that is headquartered outside the city or state. You need and deserve to know who is treating your property, when they plan to complete each treatment, and what they are doing to address your restaurant’s unique and ongoing pest control needs.
Most importantly, you need to know that your technician cares – about your restaurant’s reputation, the safety of your customers and employees, and your future successes.
Your One-Stop Shop
For Restaurant Pest Control
Want to keep that A grade on your restaurant window? The team at No Bugs knows what products and strategies can help your restaurant maintain a kitchen free of pest infestations. We represent various commercial establishments across the Santa Clarita Valley that require unique solutions based on their service, location, business practices, and interior design.
Our team takes great care in creating innovative and customizable service plans that are tailored to the specific needs and preferences of our commercial customers. We are locally headquartered in Valencia, so a technician is always just a phone call away from any pest control emergency. You will always know when we are coming, what we are treating, and how we plan to meet your expectations. We won’t be strangers, but partners in keeping your establishment prepared for the next random inspection!
Call No Bugs to learn more information about our commercial and restaurant business offers, and how we help Santa Clarita restaurants keep a good score for their customers.
Your One-Stop Shop
For Restaurant Pest Control
Want to keep that A grade on your restaurant window? The team at No Bugs knows what products and strategies can help your restaurant maintain a kitchen free of pest infestations. We represent various commercial establishments across the Santa Clarita Valley that require unique solutions based on their service, location, business practices, and interior design.
Our team takes great care in creating innovative and customizable service plans that are tailored to the specific needs and preferences of our commercial customers. We are locally headquartered in Valencia, so a technician is always just a phone call away from any pest control emergency. You will always know when we are coming, what we are treating, and how we plan to meet your expectations. We won’t be strangers, but partners in keeping your establishment prepared for the next random inspection!
Call No Bugs to learn more information about our commercial and restaurant business offers, and how we help Santa Clarita restaurants keep a good score for their customers.
Protect the Reputation of Your business
