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Best way to deal with a house fly with Inspector watching?

xxchef

By xxchef
in Restaurant Life

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xxchef

xxchef

Posted
Posted

I've been working in commercial kitchens for over 35 years and have never seen or heard of a really good way of dealing with this situation.

 

We run a tight ship and very clean operation but, despite every possible effort, every once in a while we see a house fly in the kitchen.  We use fly predators outside, bug zappers & sticky sheets, good screens on everything and positive refuse controls but they still come in sometimes.  Usually I can shoo them away from the production area and then swat them, clean & sanitize and be good to go again.

 

My personal dread is to be in the middle of a health department (or other) inspection and have one buzzing around his head.  How would you handle this?

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Alex

Alex

Posted
Posted

As though it weren't there.

 

Wasn't there.

 

It's a hypothetical, so I'd go with the first one. :unsure:

 

Either way, I agree. It's unlikely, but perhaps s/he is concentrating so intently on something else that the fly wouldn't even get noticed unless you make a fuss over it.

 

If the inspector does notice it, you certainly can point out all of the measures you mentioned above. Or you can say that a regular customer loves the "Waiter, what's that fly doing in my soup?" joke and you wanted to do your best to accommodate him.

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JeanneCake

JeanneCake

Posted
Posted

I know this is not helpful in the least, but better it is buzzing around than falling dead into something or she/he finds the lifeless fly on the cooler floor, for example. 

 

One of my best employees had an electrified "tennis racket" that was a bug zapper.  When we shared a kitchen with another company, even though they had blue bug lights everywhere, they would leave the garage door open and that's when the bugs came in.  She was a magician with that thing in her hands, nothing lived if she was on the prowl with it!

Deryn

Deryn

Posted
Posted (edited)

I would probably casually walk around the kitchen making sure there was nothing the fly could fall in or land on that would cause an immediate health hazard (i.e. all pots and open ingredients were covered). Then, since a good offense is often the best defense, I might actually ask the inspector what more he would like me to do in the moment given the awkwardness of the situation with him/her on site and/or if he minded if I got the bug zapper or swatter out.

Edited by Deryn (log)
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