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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 10/15/2009
Posts: 93
Points: 282
Location: lakeland, tn
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Did an inspection for proposal yesterday. Hotel w/ 2 buildings and a restaurant in each, 2 bars and a rooftop bar. These are high end nice restaurants. The maintenance man walked me through and said that all these areas have a high level of infestation w/ german roaches. I looked under prep tables and -surprise- food debris, trash and silverware, evidently there is not a proper sanitation program enforced by the management. I showed this to the manager and told her "this is the reason you have a roach problem. I could treat this 5 times a day every week and you would still have an out of control roach problem"
I paid my way through college working in restaurants, and none were as filthy as the ones that I have seen in the pest control business. As a general rule, thorough cleaning is not practiced any more for some reason.
So here is my question, how do I approach doing the service and writing up an agreement when it is filthy and there is no guarantee on my part that they will improve sanitation? I have been down this road before, and fought a losing battle for 4 years before i was done.
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Rank: Forum God
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Joined: 10/15/2009
Posts: 112
Points: 339
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Life is way too short to dance with ugly women. Might I suggest that you do a little research into Bugs Burger. At one time they were the very best company in the world when it came to food handling establishments. They had a customer manual that was part of their service agreement with the establishment. If the customer did not follow the rules they had to pay extra for additional service.
I see no reason for doing business with people who you will never make happy. If they do not play by the rules let them go ruin the day of a new pest control company.
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Rank: Forum God
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Joined: 10/16/2009
Posts: 473
Points: 1,234
Location: McKinney, TX
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I echo Michael's comments. 
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 11/28/2009
Posts: 85
Points: 255
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I concur. It's gonna be major headache for you if you don't set expectations in place right from the get go. If there is that much feeding of them, you can forget baits as an early option. I'd pass unless I could get serious money.
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Rank: Forum God
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Joined: 10/15/2009
Posts: 105
Points: 315
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How high of a price do you put on a "headache" account? Without customer cooperation, you could offer all the advice in the world and you still would be stuck at square one.
Paul, sometimes the money just isn't worth it.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 10/7/2009
Posts: 50
Points: 53
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Did you walk the kitchens with the hotel GM and F&B manager?
You should make this sale because no one else has taken the time to involve upper management. Bring several new flashlights for the GM, F&B and Exec.Chef and then walk the food service. Start at the delivery dock, cold storage, dry storage, all prep lines, stoves, pass thru, hostess, wait stations, bars, liquor storage, dish washing and finally the trash enclosure.
Make up a quick little checklist before you go with each of these areas listed down the left side and columns across the top that say Roaches / Mice / Rats / Fruit Flies / Ants / Area is Clean / NEEDS ATTN
You have to make the bosses go with you. They have to see the crap under and between equipment. Once the big honchos smell the floor drains and hear the employee comments, there is no going back - they have to get it fixed. You can design a program to DO the job not GET the job. I would never, ever quote this account after walking around with a maintenance man, then everyone will treat you just the same as all the other coulda-woulda-shoulda bug guys.
I'm only telling you what you already knew.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 10/27/2009
Posts: 66
Points: 101
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Good advice all..(Bugs Burger was very smart).. If you do decide to take it--I'd go extremely high on the initial and get ready to spend the night. I also would insist on weekly service or at the least twice per month
Personally--I hate walking away from work......but that's not a bad idea if you can't get the cooperation.
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