Seeing a cockroach in a restaurant is a real-life nightmare comes true for both the unfortunate dinner and the restaurant’s owner/manager/staff. Most people assume that spotting a cockroach while dining is an automatic indication that the restaurant is nasty, dirty or filthy.
You would be surprised to find out that even the best-run restaurants in Canada occasionally deal with cockroach infestations. For many restaurant owners, pest control is an ongoing battle. Contrary to your better senses and judgment; it is not the large roaches you should worry about. Small roaches are an indication of a major infestation while a large one just might be a one-off occurrence. Although cockroaches in the dining area may indicate a much larger infestation in the kitchen; you might also be looking at a rogue roach that wondered in from outside.
With this said, it doesn’t mean that spotting a cockroach in a restaurant is a matter to be taken lightly.
What to Do When You See a Cockroach in a Restaurant
Stifle your first instinct to overreact and instead ask to see the restaurant’s manager or a senior member of staff. Raise the issue with him and look out for the reaction. If the pest problem is out of the ordinary, you should be able to tell from the manager’s/staff reaction.
It is common practice that the restaurant will offer you a complimentary meal or free desert as a way to appease you. You will also most probably get a profuse apology and a promise to resolve the problem. You may consider not going back to the restaurant if you are uneasy from the experience although again, roaches in restaurants are a fairly common problem.
You may not always get the reaction that you are hoping for after raising the issue with the staff. If the manager acts unconcerned or is rude, this is a good indication that there is a runaway pest problem at the establishment and it is not being handled properly. In this case, you may want to leave your food untouched and immediately call your local health department to report the incident. If the restaurant is not willing to handle the problem of its own accord, it is safer and better for other diners that you report to the authorities to guarantee the problem is handled.
Call a Professional Exterminator
If you are a restaurant owner and notice cockroaches in your establishment, call a pest control company immediately. DIY extermination rarely works in this situation and you will simply be wasting your time and money. Only a professional exterminator in Mississauga can guarantee that your roach problem is handled effectively and permanently.