Businesses I look after
Commercial kitchens are one of my specialties. Cafes, takeaways, restaurant kitchens, bakeries and anywhere else that cooks, stores or serves food are places where a single cockroach sighting can cost you a customer or a bad inspection.
If your business doesn't handle food, such as an office, workshop or shopfront, call me and I'll talk it through with you. Those sites usually need fewer visits, but the same rule applies. Find out where the pests are getting in and what's keeping them there, then deal with that.
If you manage a residential complex rather than a business, have a look at my body corporate and strata pest control page. The setup is different because common areas and individual lots are handled separately.
Commercial kitchens and food businesses
A kitchen gives pests everything they want. There's warmth from the fridge motors and dishwashers, moisture around sinks and floor drains, and crumbs in places no cleaner reaches. German cockroaches in particular love the gaps behind stainless benches and inside equipment housings.
The Food Standards Code sets the rules for food businesses Australia wide, Queensland included. Under Standard 3.2.2, a food business must take all practicable measures to stop pests entering the premises and to eradicate and prevent pest harbourage there. The Food Standards Australia New Zealand fact sheet on controlling pests explains what that means in practice. A professional commercial kitchen pest control program, backed by records, is the simplest way to show you're meeting it.
What I check in a food business
- Under and behind benches, fridges, ovens and fryers
- Dishwasher and glass washer surrounds, sinks and floor drains
- Dry stores, cool room door seals and delivery areas
- Bin areas, grease traps and the back door
- Wall and ceiling penetrations where pipes and cables come through
Treatments in food areas are chosen for the job and placed away from food contact surfaces. Gel baits go into cracks and hinges where cockroaches shelter, not across your prep benches. Everything I use follows Queensland Government guidelines.
Scheduled servicing and reports
Commercial pest control works on a schedule because pests keep arriving. Deliveries bring them in cardboard, neighbouring shops share walls and roof spaces, and a gap left by a tradie can let rats in overnight.
How often I come depends on your risk. A busy kitchen with daily deliveries needs more visits than a quiet office. I'll recommend a frequency at the first visit and put it in writing, so you know exactly what you're paying for and when I'm due back.
What goes in your service report
After every visit you get a written report. It records the date, the areas inspected, any activity found, what was treated, and anything I'd like you to fix, like a damaged door seal or a gap under the back door.
When a council environmental health officer asks about pest control, you hand over the folder instead of guessing when the last spray was. Reports are emailed to you after each visit, and I can supply a printed copy on request.
Rodent and cockroach programs
Rats and cockroaches cause most commercial callouts, so they get their own part of the program.
For rodents, bait stations go in the right spots around the building, and each one is checked and recorded on every visit. I also look for the entry points, because baiting without sealing just feeds the next lot. You can read more about how I approach rats and mice on the rodent control page.
For cockroaches, the work is mostly inside: crack and crevice treatment, gel baiting in harbourage spots, and checking that the numbers are dropping between visits. If they aren't, something is feeding or sheltering them, and I go looking for it. My cockroach control page goes into how I treat the different species you'll find in Brisbane and Logan.
Working around your trading hours
I won't turn up in the middle of lunch service. Most kitchens are easiest to treat before opening or between services, so I plan around that.
My hours are 7am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. A 7am start suits a lot of cafes and kitchens that prep later in the morning. For bigger commercial jobs, other times can be agreed as part of the scope, and weekend work is possible depending on my availability.
Before I treat, I'll tell you what needs clearing or covering, and afterwards when staff can go back in. Simple, but it matters when you open in an hour.
Commercial pest control questions
How much does commercial pest control cost?
I don't publish prices because every site is different. The cost depends on the size of the premises, whether you handle food, the pests involved, how many bait stations are needed and how often I visit. Call me on 0412 205 586 or send a quote request and I'll give you a fixed price for the program.
Do you do restaurant pest control in Brisbane?
Yes. I service restaurants, cafes and takeaways on Brisbane's southside and across Logan, Redland Bay, Beenleigh and Ipswich. Restaurant pest control in Brisbane runs the same way as any food business: scheduled visits, records and treatments placed away from food.
How often should a commercial kitchen have pest control?
It depends on the risk. Kitchens with daily deliveries, older buildings or neighbouring food shops usually need more frequent visits than a small cafe in a new building. I'll recommend a frequency after the first inspection and explain why.
Will I get paperwork for a council food safety inspection?
Yes. You get a written service report after every visit showing what was inspected, what was found and what was treated. Keep them together and you can show an inspector your pest control history straight away.
Is the treatment safe around food?
Products used in food areas are applied where they won't contact food or prep surfaces, mostly as gel baits in cracks and enclosed bait stations. I'll tell you what needs covering or moving before I start and when staff can return.
Do I have to close while you treat?
Usually not for long. Most visits fit in before opening or between services. A heavy cockroach clean-out can need the kitchen empty for a while, and I'll tell you upfront.
Do you offer commercial pest control in Logan?
Yes. I'm based in Hillcrest, so commercial pest control in Logan is close to home for me. I service businesses in Springwood, Browns Plains, Loganholme, Beenleigh and the surrounding suburbs.
What if I see pests between scheduled visits?
Call or text me. A sighting between visits tells me something has changed, such as a new delivery source or a gap in a wall, and it's better dealt with early than at the next scheduled service.
Can you look after an office or warehouse that doesn't handle food?
Call me and describe the site. Non-food sites usually need fewer visits, with more focus on the outside, entry points, rodents and general pests like spiders and ants. If it suits, the program is set up the same way, with a schedule and a report.
Request a commercial quote
If you run a kitchen or business and want commercial pest control you don't have to chase, tell me about the site. I'll come out, look at where the risk is, and give you a fixed quote for a scheduled program with reports included.
You can request a commercial quote online or call me directly on 0412 205 586. If I'm on a job, send a text with the best time to call back.