If a mouse runs past one of the diners in your restaurant, that can be devastating to their meal and to your reputation. As a restaurant owner, it's critical to have a plan to deal with mice. Here are some essential tips to help you avoid and deal with these pests.

1. Clean Thoroughly at the End of Each Day

Mice are opportunists. If there is food in easy reach, they will try to come in and grab it. To reduce the temptation, make sure that your staff thoroughly sweep up the crumbs in both your kitchen and dining room at the end of every day. You may even want to sweep between the day and night rushes to be on the safe side.

2. Don't Keep Rubbish in or Near the Restaurant

In addition to sweeping, you need to ensure that you take out the rubbish. Restaurant rubbish is full of tasty morsels that any mouse would love to have. Also, make sure not to store the rubbish near your doors. Ideally, your skip should be set reasonably far from your building.

3. Keep Food in Mice Proof Containers

Mice can chew through cardboard boxes and paper bags. To ensure your food is thoroughly protected from mice, you may want to repackage everything into sturdy plastic containers with airtight lids.

Also, make sure that your food storage is slightly off the ground and look for any makeshift ramps that the mice could use to climb onto your shelves. To keep the mice away, you need to make your stored food impossible for them to access.

4. Make Sure Your Establishment Is Sealed

Eliminating tempting food is just the first step. You also need to ensure that your restaurant is well sealed. Mice do not have collarbones so as long as their head can fit into a hole, the rest of their bodies can easily follow.

To keep them out, make sure that all your windows have sturdy screens. If you leave the windows open on a regular basis, you may want to invest in security screens. They resist gnawing.

Also, make sure that you seal holes in walls and add weather stripping to doors. If possible, only open loading doors when you are bringing in orders. Don't prop open these doors to air out the kitchen.

5. Know the Signs of Mice

Even if you take all the precautions, you may occasionally get a mouse in your restaurant. In most cases, there will be evidence of the mouse long before you see him or her. So that you can react quickly, you and your staff need to know the signs of mice.

Mouse poop looks like small kiwi seeds. Unlike a kiwi seed, however, it's easy to crush between your fingers. You may also notice gnawing marks in food containers or around gaps where the mouse entered the building.

6. Throw Out Infested Food

If you believe that mice have been in some of your food, you should throw it out. Diseases can be spread with the feces or urine of mice, and it's best to be on the safe side.

7. Contact a Commercial Pest Management Company

If you have mice or if you just want to ensure that you don't get them, you should contact a company that does commercial pest management. Ideally, you need a company that does integrated pest management. That way they can address termites and other pests as well as mice.

You also want their services on a subscription basis. That way they can prevent the problem from occurring instead of dealing with it reactively. To learn more, contact a commercial pest control specialist, such as Blakes Pest Management, today.