NYC: Can Bed Bugs Infest Restaurants?

by | Mar 28, 2016 | Bed Bug Infestation

restaurant with people

Do you have to worry about if bed bugs infest restaurants? There are no beds in restaurants, no sleeping humans to feed on, no one living there—so it’s understandable if you think the answer is “no.”

But consider the recent story of a restaurant that made the news for being infested with bed bugs. The restaurant wasn’t in NYC, but its story tells you all you need to know about the prospect of bed bugs in NYC restaurants.

In the summer of 2011, Leilani’s on the Beach—an oceanside restaurant in Kaanapali, Hawaii—discovered bed bugs in the restaurant. In 2012, the restaurant’s bed bug situation was still making news, warranting an article in The Maui News.

bed bug in carpet

Can Bed Bugs Infest Restaurants?

Three points relevant to bed bugs in NYC restaurants stand out:

1. The restaurant did nothing wrong.

A health department vector inspector said the restaurant made sufficient use of pest control companies.  The bed bug problem was due to one person bringing in bed bugs. Bed bugs do like to make their homes near sleeping humans, but they are also by nature hitchhikers. They will catch a ride on someone’s clothes, and then get off when they think they’ve found a new place to settle. Lacking a bed, this means chairs, sofas, car seats, movie theater seats, and the like.

2. The place to worry about is where people sit.

Considering bed bugs’ hitchhiking propensity, any public place where people sit is vulnerable to becoming infested with bed bugs. In Leilani’s case, the problem area was the chairs in the restaurant’s beachside lounge.

3. Follow-up visits are important.

After initial treatment, a follow-up in January—using a dog specially trained to sniff out bed bugs—found a few bed bugs in a couple of chairs. Those bed bugs were immediately treated.

But unfortunately for Leilani’s, this follow-up was not conducted before a compliant was made to the health department—a complaint that likely triggered the newspaper article, which although it vindicates Leilani’s, is not the type of press restaurants seek!

Conclusion
Bed bugs in NYC restaurants are a real possibility, and if a restaurant is unlucky enough to have a bed bug “jump off” a person while they’re patronizing the restaurant, the result can be costly negative attention. To be safe, restaurateurs should proactively have their premises routinely inspected for bed bugs.

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