No restaurant in the world is safe from mice infestations. A restaurant is always busy and of course, full of food which makes it the most ideal place for these small scavengers to set up their shop and find a hiding spot.
Many reasons attract mice, some of which are uncontrollable, while others are controllable. We understand that running a restaurant is no joke. However, if you fail to maintain cleanliness or follow preventative methods can turn your eatery into a rodent hotspot, which can damage your premises, product, reputation, and overall business.
So, what exactly attracts mice to the kitchen apart from food, and how to identify mice infestation so that you can take actions to keep your restaurant rodent-free?
Let’s find out!
What Attracts Mice to Kitchen?
Well! Isn’t the answer obvious? Mice come to the kitchen looking for only one thing: food. They don’t care where your kitchen is, mice will find their way to your kitchen to grab a bite to eat. And if you own a restaurant, even in the most isolated place in the U.S.A, it has the potential to attract mice if the temptation is not kept to a minimum.
The kitchen counter is not the only thing that invites mice. Even the garbage can filled with food scraps also entice mice to come and pick food out of it. Even the storeroom where the food is stored allures them. Mice are patient creatures and will wait until the coast is clear and they can feast on whatever they can.
So, if you leave the food open and easily accessible during the off hours in your kitchen or pantry, do not store food properly. Moreover, if cleanliness in your kitchen is not regular, you are giving an open invitation to mice to snack on whatever they see first.
- High Activity Areas of Mice in Restaurant
- Obviously, the kitchen
- Delivery areas
- Ovens, grills & other kitchen appliances
- Areas where food is kept before serving.
- Storeroom and supply closets
- Dumpsters & garbage cans
Tell-Tale Signs of Mice Infestation
- Damaged Packaging: Mice can bite into packages, such as boxes of pasta, or bags of beans, leaving the package damaged. If your food packages are not stored securely or left out in the open, it could invite more mice to come and feast on them. If you observe tear marks or strange holes in food packets, be sure that it is the craftwork of mice.
- Grease Trails: Mice are oily. Yes! Quite oily actually. In fact, they tend to leave subtler grease marks behind when they travel across your kitchen, along the walls, or even while squeezing through tiny openings. So, if you notice grease marks, which is not familiar to you, you know whom to blame.
- Gnaw Marks: Mice do not just chew through packaging; they need no menu and have no eating preferences. They can gnaw through anything, such as walls, furnishings, wires, and even kitchen appliances. This tendency of mice causes a lot of destruction and is a threat to a potential safety hazard. So, if you find gnaw marks on unusual things, take action.
- Droppings: One of the more obvious and gross signs of mice activity in your restaurant is the droppings they leave behind. Mice droppings are dangerous as they can transmit diseases. If you notice droppings that look like dark grains of rice and are an eighth to a quarter of an inch in length with pointed ends, your restaurant has mice.
- Smells and Sounds: Rodents are nocturnal creatures. Therefore, seeing them is difficult. However, they may announce their presence with their scratching sounds. That said, it is difficult to hear a noise in a busy restaurant. Mice also give off a stale odor because of their urine. So, if you smell a strong and musty odor, suspect mice.
Final Words
Signs of a rodent problem in a restaurant can cause stress, property damage, and reputation loss. While you can try humane methods to remove any mice you see in your kitchen, contacting a pest control professional is your best bet. They are trained to identify, catch, and eliminate mice from your restaurant.
