Should You Leave A Restaurant If You See A Roach?

woman goes to eat out (l) texas roadhouse entrance (r)

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A woman sat down at Texas Roadhouse, ready to enjoy her meal, when a flash of movement on the ceiling caught her eye. She was grossed out by what she noticed.

In a video with over 299,000 views, Texas-based TikToker Andrea (@1andreah) films the ceiling above her booth. A large insect runs around upside down frantically.

On-screen text reads, “Imagine looking up and seeing a roach while eating at Texas Roadhouse.” The caption continues, “IT STARTED FLYING. One of my worst fears came true tonight.”

What Should You Do If You See A Roach At A Restaurant?

There are multiple types of roaches common in Texas, according to Hawx Pest Control. This includes the large American cockroach she spotted on the ceiling and the small German roach, which is more commonly associated with infestations.

American cockroaches typically live outside but may briefly sneak their way into a building in search of food or shelter.

However, German cockroaches prefer to set up more permanent residence in buildings to reproduce, causing hard-to-kill infestations. These insects may carry dangerous bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella into the food preparation area, according to Modern Pest Control.

Customers should let a manager know if they see a cockroach while dining at a restaurant so that the potential infestation can be dealt with. This can include temporarily shutting down the restaurant and fumigating to kill the insects, restaurant workers on r/ServerLife suggest.

If a restaurant has a known cockroach infestation, it may also be investigated by the local health department.

How Common Are Roaches In Restaurants?

In the comments of Andrea’s video, other restaurant-goers shared their alarming run-ins with cockroaches.

“Happened to use at an IHOP. 3 German roaches crawled out of the booth. We got up & the manager said ‘Your order is up sit down.’ We showed him the roaches & said we’re leaving!” one shared.

“One time I was at bjs and I saw a roach crawling on the side of the booth. I told the waiter and the person I was with got mad,” another said. “Like sorry I’d wanna know if there was a roach harassing my patrons before it was too late.”

A third wrote, “My mom and I went to Waffle House earlier this year and I saw a HUGE roach so we left bc ain’t no way I was about to eat there with a Godzilla roach right there!”

Restaurant workers also debated whether the occasional cockroach warrants concern.

“Sorry to tell you but being a technician for this long every restaurant has them,” a commenter suggested.

A second viewer said, “I’ve worked at Whataburger, 2 mexican restaurants, a 50’s themed diner, and now that I’m a plumber I work in Paneras, Arby’s, Chuck E Cheeses, etc. I have NEVER, NEVERRRR seen a roach.”