Pest control log for a restaurant kitchen: what to check, record and do when you find one

A pest control log is a dated record of what your staff checked for pests, what they found, who looked and what was done about it. Each row needs the date, the area checked, what was seen (or "none"), the action taken, initials and, for sightings, a follow-up date. It sits next to the pest control company's service reports, and it shows an inspector that you watch for pests every day, not only when the operator visits.

This guide covers the Food Code rule, what to look for, a daily and weekly check routine, a filled-in sheet and the steps for the day you find something. Blank daily sheets are on the free logs page.

What the rule says

The FDA Food Code says the premises must be kept free of insects, rodents and other pests, and that you must routinely inspect incoming shipments and the premises for evidence of pests [1]. It also asks you to control pests by methods that include sealing openings in the outer walls, keeping doors closed, using tight-fitting screens, removing harborage (the clutter pests hide in), and keeping food and garbage covered and off the floor. Where pesticides are used, they have to be applied in a way that does not contaminate food, equipment or utensils, and only by or under a person licensed to do so for restricted-use products [1].

The Food Code does not require a pest log by name. But you are required to inspect, and an inspector who finds droppings will ask what you do about it. A log is how you show it. A HACCP plan or a food safety plan also lists pest control as one of the prerequisite programs that support the critical control points, and a prerequisite program without a record is a claim.

Who does what

The company's report is a record too. File each one in the same binder, in date order, and write the manager's response to each recommendation (a gap to seal, a drain to clean) in the log.

What to look for

Rodents

• Droppings. Dark, pellet-shaped, about the size of a grain of rice for mice and larger for rats. Fresh ones are dark and soft, old ones gray and crumbly.
• Gnaw marks on boxes, bags, wood, soap and wire.
• Grease marks along walls, pipes and baseboards where they run.
• Nesting material such as shredded paper, cardboard, insulation and fabric behind equipment and in storage.
• Burrows or holes outside by the dumpster, loading door or foundation.
• Noises and smell, especially at night or when opening in the morning.

Cockroaches

• Live insects in daylight usually means a big infestation.
• Droppings like ground pepper or small smears in corners, hinges and cracks.
• Egg cases, small brown capsules.
• Sticky traps with insects in them, found at service.
• A musty, oily smell in a closed storage room.

Flies and small flying insects

• Fruit flies and drain flies around drains, bar sinks, mop sinks, soda guns and fruit. They breed in the film inside drains.
• House flies and blow flies near open doors, trash and spills. Check the screen, the air curtain and the door sweep.
• Stored-product pests such as flour beetles and pantry moths in dry goods, flour, rice, spices and pet food.

Other signs

• Birds in the loading area or on outdoor tables.
• Ants trailing along walls to sugar or grease.
• Gaps: light under the back door, holes around pipes, missing ceiling tiles, broken screens.

The daily walk (5 minutes)

1. Back door and delivery area. Door closes tight? Sweep intact? Garbage lids closed? Any food left outside?
2. Dry storage. Food 6 inches off the floor and off the walls? Packages intact? Droppings or gnaw marks on bottom shelves?
3. Under and behind the dish area and drains. Standing water, fruit flies, food in the drain?
4. Traps and bait stations that staff may check (the pest operator checks the rest). Note what is in the sticky traps.
5. The line at opening. Walk behind the equipment with a flashlight, looking at the floor along the wall.
6. Write it. "None" is a valid entry as long as someone looked.

The weekly check (20 minutes)

• Move a few pieces of equipment on wheels and look under and behind them
• Look in the corners of the walk-in and the dry storage, above the shelves and in the ceiling
• Check the dumpster pad: lids, spills, drains and stray food
• Check the building's outside: gaps around pipes, wall vents, door sweeps and screens
• Look inside the ice machine's room, the mop sink area and under the bar
• Check deliveries' packaging for signs: boxes with droppings or insects get rejected and recorded in the receiving log
• Read the pest company's last report and confirm every recommendation has an owner and a date

The columns a log needs

1. Date and time.
2. Area checked. "Dry storage", "back door", "bar", "dish pit", "dumpster".
3. Finding. "None", or what and how many ("3 droppings, behind dry storage rack, fresh").
4. Action. What you did: cleaned, sealed, called the operator, discarded stock.
5. Follow-up date and who is responsible.
6. Initials.
7. Date resolved. The line is not closed until the cause is fixed.

A filled-in sheet

This is the pattern: the finding is specific, the action addresses the cause (the gap and the open sacks), and the line is closed with a date. A log of "none, none, none" for six months in a busy kitchen with an alley behind it is a sheet nobody believes.

What to do the day you find a sign

1. Protect food first. Discard anything that was gnawed, contaminated or that you cannot clean. Move what is near the sighting into sealed containers.
2. Clean and sanitize the area. Wear gloves. Use a wet method for droppings and not a dry sweep, which puts dust in the air. Wash, rinse and sanitize the surface (see the sanitizer concentration log).
3. Call your pest control operator the same day, tell them what and where, and note the call in the log.
4. Find the way in. Seal gaps, fix the sweep, replace the screen, cover the drain. Pests that find food and a way in come back.
5. Remove what feeds them. Clean grease under the fryer, empty the recycling bins nightly, wipe sugar spills.
6. Recheck in 2 to 3 days and again in a week. Write both.
7. Do not use pesticides yourself on or near food areas beyond what the operator has approved. The Food Code restricts which products may be used and how [1].

If an inspector finds evidence, your log, the operator's report and a record of the actions you took are the best response you have. Closing the building is a risk when the activity is heavy; a fast, written response is the way to avoid it.

Prevention that belongs in the log

• Keep all food 6 inches off the floor, in sealed containers or bins
• Keep the back door shut except during deliveries
• Take trash out at least daily; keep lids on dumpsters
• Rinse and cover the drains; clean drains weekly with an enzyme cleaner
• Store cardboard outside the kitchen; boxes shelter roaches
• Check deliveries before putting them away
• Repair leaks; pests need water
• Rotate stock, first in first out, so dry goods do not sit for months

These tie directly to the rest of your sanitation program. The restaurant cleaning log has the weekly and monthly tasks that remove the places pests live, and the food safety plan template shows where pest control sits among the prerequisite programs.

If you want daily sheets that include a pest check, set up around your own kitchen, start at the free logs page.

Questions

Do I need a pest control log?

The Food Code requires you to inspect for pests and keep the premises free of them. A log is the practical proof, and it is standard in HACCP plans and food safety audits.

How often should a restaurant have pest control service?

Monthly is common. Kitchens with a history, old buildings or neighbors with problems often go to every two weeks.

Who should fill in the pest control log?

The opening cook or manager does the daily walk and writes it. The manager reviews it weekly, and the operator's reports are filed with it.

What should I do if I see a mouse or cockroach during service?

Protect and discard exposed food, clean and sanitize, tell the manager, log it with the time and place and call the operator.

Can an inspector close a restaurant for pests?

Yes, health departments can close a place where there is an imminent health hazard, and heavy rodent or roach activity is one of the usual causes. A fast, documented response lowers the risk.

How long should I keep pest control records?

Keep the log and the operator's reports for at least a year, and longer if your health department or insurer asks.

Sources

1. FDA Food Code 2022 (6-501.111 controlling pests, 7-202.12 conditions of use, 7-206.12 rodent bait stations), U.S. Food and Drug Administration
2. Integrated pest management (IPM), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Related: all food safety guides.