Archived Starbucks help needed!

[MiniMarketTL]

Hey everyone!

Quick question about the Starbucks display case...we’re having a horrendous issue with flies in our case...big surprise, I’ve heard this is a common issue, plus there is food sitting out, of course the flies are going to go after it 😂

Curious as to how any of you Starbucks TLs/Food TLs have conquered this problem? I heard there was some sort of rubber seal I can order, so the doors completely shut, but have no idea where or how to order such a thing? I checked SAP, but couldn’t find anything that would work.

My Sbucks team is great about keeping the display case clean, so I know that’s not the issue.


Help! =)

 

[Planosss]

You have to find the source of these flies.
If the source is food left over i.e opened cake pops or muffins, go to home storage and grab a plastic container with a lid, make sure all opened food is kept in there.
Check to see if there is any syrup splashes on your hot & cold bars.
During the summer I had an issue. One night at closing I removed everything from the bars, bleached and sanitized ALL surfaces.
I also noticed the flies were attracted to the inclusions , I would shrink wrap those at closing.
Dirty Drains are another source of these flies, make sure you are cleaning them every night. (I use bleach)
Make sure you are cleaning under any equipment that can be moved (under counter fridges, under oven etc)
Once you take all of the above precautions, its time to catch these flies here’s how.
1- Grab apple cider vinegar from market.
2- Pour to 1st line of a grande ice cup.
3- Put 3-4 drops of dish soap.
4- Put shrink wrap on top of cup and secure with rubber band.
5- Grab a pen and poke 4-5 holes in the plastic.
6- Place these cups near any problem areas.
7- Repeat as needed.

NOTE:- this method of catching flies isn’t steritech approved so make sure during the day you dispose of the cups and set new ones at closing. YOU WILL CATCH FLIES!

Edit:- If flies in your case are a daily occurrence, your team is NOT cleaning it properly.

 

[Xanatos]

The source of the flies is going to be somewhere that is always wet and dirty. That's usually going to be either the drains or some structural problem with the floor. Depending on the type of tiles you have, they could either be peeling up or missing grout between them. Those two issues will just collect mop water and will never dry.

Cleaning and wrapping things are nice, but fruit flies are tiny, so they're going to be able to live off of a drop of syrup, and you're probably going to miss one somewhere. The pastry case could be flawlessly clean, but the flies are going to smell the food and find a way in. It's very difficult to get a decent seal around all the cracks that the doors leave. And even if you manage to do that, they're still going to fly in any time you open the case.

With the apple cider vinegar traps, you don't need shrink wrap if you put soap in it. And a cold sample cup is plenty.

 

[MiniMarketTL]

Brilliant! Thank you so much! I’m definitely going to try the apple cider vinegar trick, and see if I can improve the situation.

Upon further inspection, I’m also noticing that our counters are missing a lot of caulking, where there are holes and syrup down in there, which is surely contributing to the problem. I’ll put in a work order for my PMT ago fix immediately.

 

[Dog]

Mint majesty tea bags in the corners of the pastry case helps for us

 

[TargetLounger]

I also put ice in the drains overnight. Helps with the infestation.

 

[Planosss]

A flamethrower to the drains twice a month is very effective aswell

 

[workdamnyou]

There is a powder that we are not supposed to have, but your Copesan vendor usually has it on them. You pour it into water, glove up, and wipe down surfaces like back tiles and under counters once they are clean. There are also clear plastic stickers that have an attractant on them and a pesticide. These are both for knocking out a problem once you have one.

Best way to keep them from coming back is your foaming drain cleaner every night and cleaning all the way to the walls under your counters. I have had multiple Copesan techs tell me that house flies just come in from outside, but fruit flies are a sign of filth somewhere.

 

[1519Ash]

Hey everyone!

Quick question about the Starbucks display case...we’re having a horrendous issue with flies in our case...big surprise, I’ve heard this is a common issue, plus there is food sitting out, of course the flies are going to go after it 😂

Curious as to how any of you Starbucks TLs/Food TLs have conquered this problem? I heard there was some sort of rubber seal I can order, so the doors completely shut, but have no idea where or how to order such a thing? I checked SAP, but couldn’t find anything that would work.

My Sbucks team is great about keeping the display case clean, so I know that’s not the issue.


Help! =)

HOW DO YOU ORDER YOUR STARBUCKS SUPPLIES ON YOUR METRO RACKS? With labels or just on Wacos? Looking for ideas to better keep track of inventory .

 

[1519Ash]

HOW DO YOU ORDER YOUR STARBUCKS SUPPLIES ON YOUR METRO RACKS? With labels or just on Wacos? Looking for ideas to better keep track of inventory .

Some pictures would be appreciated.

 

[Planosss]

Some pictures would be appreciated.

Printed the pog and stuck labels

 

[Orange93]

Always keep the doors shut
Make sure the doors are on the right way to avoid a gap between the door and the frame
Wedge a folded up sand which bag between the bottom two corners
Put mint tea bags inside the case towards the doors one left one center one right. Switch them out every three days or so

 

[redeye58]

As others have said, thorough cleaning is a start.
When you vacuum out your espresso beans at close, use the vac to get the crumbs in the corners & sliding door tracks.
Also pull up the bottom piece & clean underneath as well as the front edges of the shelf brackets.
As Xanatos said, fruit flies are attracted to wet areas so make sure surfaces are wiped well.
I went to an aquarium supply place & got some air pump tubing, cut it to the height of the doors (minus a gap for the tracks), split the tubing length-wise & slipped it on the outside edges of the sliding doors to make it a bit more snug.

 

[Yetive]

I went to an aquarium supply place & got some air pump tubing, cut it to the height of the doors (minus a gap for the tracks), split the tubing length-wise & slipped it on the outside edges of the sliding doors to make it a bit more snug.

Genius