We hit 300 grease trap cleanings in a single quarter and it made me rethink our whole setup.

That number hit our books last week and my jaw dropped. We run a small pest control business, but we do a lot of work for restaurants, so we see a lot of kitchens. Seeing that many grease traps needing service in just three months tells me one thing: a lot of places are cutting corners on basic maintenance to save a quick buck. I walked into a spot in the River North area last month for a roach call and the smell from their clogged trap was so bad it was drawing flies. The manager said they 'stretched' the cleaning to save $150. That false economy costs way more in fines and lost customers. How many of you have seen a kitchen's problems get way worse because they skipped a simple, scheduled clean? I'm starting to think a missed grease trap service is the first sign of bigger issues.

3 comments

3 Comments

lindaburns25d ago

Yeah, "stretched the cleaning to save $150" is the kind of short-term thinking that wrecks a kitchen. I once put off cleaning my own oven for, uh, let's just say a similar "cost-saving" plan, and I ended up baking a pizza that tasted like regret. @diana_king, your buddy's cafe is lucky it was just almost shut down. That skipped clean is like ignoring a check engine light until the whole car dies.

diana_king25d ago

Did my buddy's cafe almost get shut down over a single skipped grease trap clean?

grantt1121d ago

Read a story last week about a diner that got a huge fine for the same thing... inspector said the grease was almost backing up into the dish pit. They had to close for two days to get it pumped and cleaned right.