The cockroach that cost Mandy and Darren $45,000… it’s not a champion of the cockroach races, nor is it a rare artwork of great beauty. It was one cockroach that skittered across their packed Brisbane City restaurant one evening. One patron squealed. The rest saw him, one of those giant flying cockies that Brisbane is famous for. And that was it. There were complaints, terrible reviews on Google and Yelp. The restaurant went from a must visit to a city pariah overnight, costing the couple $45,000 in lost revenue, overnight.
Brisbane’s commercial cockroach ecosystem
Mandy and Darren keep a clean restaurant. The cockroach likely fluttered in on the heels of a patron, but a single sighting was enough to upend their lives for months. Brisbane’s warm, sultry environment, and our love of dining and club hubs means that cockroaches find a happy home in the worst possible places.
Can you exterminate every single cockroach in a commercial area?
Probably not. Like the saying goes, you’re never more than a meter from a rat in London, well you’re never very far from a gigantic creepy cockroach in Brisbane. What is possible is to minimize the chances of a costly incident.
Pest control is only one step
A professional commercial pest control service is mandatory. There is no way around it and commercial pest control companies each have their own approach to managing infestations and mitigating risks. Hiring the right Brisbane pest control company is about choosing one that can demonstrate that they have the experience to protect your business. It’s also about making sure that their approach covers all the risks in your specific area and that the chemicals they use are compliant with your health and safety needs.
Follow food hygiene guidelines to the letter. Keep ingredients in air tight containers and perform extensive cleaning. Cockroaches love food, water and shelter. Don’t offer them any combination.
If you’ve got a less than hygienic neighbour, consider calling in a health inspector.
Treat thresholds and surrounding areas of your restaurant or commercial establishment
Keep bins locked and as far from your entry ways as possible
Cover all drains when not in use and clean up any spills or water leaks immediately.
Repair any gaps in the establishment fascade or walls and make sure that there are no gaps around pipes and other fixtures and fittings.
Be vigilant in checking for egg casings, droppings and odours that may indicate a nest is near by.
Regularly inspect electrical boxes, hollow tubing, sinks and rubbish disposal areas for signs of cockroaches. Note the cockroaches especially love dishwasher drains and can enter your kitchen through your dishwashers. Keep these closed at night and regularly inspect them for any signs of infiltration.
How restaurants can recover from bad reviews
A Google Business Profile review cannot be deleted. You’re stuck with it. In this day and age, there’s lawsuits and all kinds of drama resulting from fake reviews, malicious reviews and plain old slander. While the legal path is possible, in the case of Mandy and Darren, the reviewers were truthful. There was, indisputably, a cockroach spotted in their restaurant. Mandy and Darren already had a comprehensive pest management plan in place but….cockroaches happen in Brisbane. They engaged a new provider who extended the prevention plan to include more outside prevention. They chose to “own” the incident. They documented the local area, discussing the challenges that they faced being in a popular dining precinct. They outlined their existing pest control plan, made videos of their spotless food prep area and shared their pest control inspection on social media. They shared their history of Grade A health inspection results – but the most important thing they did?
Don’t escalate even if the situation seems completely unjust
They understood that their diners had lost faith in their restaurant that night. They were empathetic and non-combative even though they’d done everything they could to prevent pest infestations. They replied to the ranty complaints on their Google Business Profile, Facebook Page and Yelp Profile, kindly and with empathy. This appeased the complainants and allowed them to ‘move on’. Over time, the negative reviews will either be voluntarily retracted or, will shift down their Google Business Profile feed so that new customers don’t see them.
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