"ROACH HOTEL"

[laundromat]

So,I wanted to go get some dinner after working 12 hard hours with no break inbetween and decided to go to a local grub where they make a great chef's salad.I'd been there as a regular and had a few issues but nothing like this one.

I normaly either sit at the bar or get to-go. The place was packed and one couple had just left so,I decided to sit there because it was a two seater instead of four or more.I was given my iced tea and placed my oreder sitting there patiently waiting for my meal.

As I paged through my new Consumer Reports issue looking at their ratings of washers,dryers and vacuum cleaners,a cock roach decided to crawel across my table.I smashed it with a papaer napkin and got my waitresses attention. I politely said to her"an uninvited guest decided to visit and I smashed it so,would you mind removing and discarding it for me?' She flatly refused and walked away. I was almost ready to flip my table and speak real loud about this unwanted guest to get the close to 60 other people to leave or find out the roach invasion going on but, I,even thow it was against my own desire on how to handle the current situation,decided to stay cool.

Giving her the bennifit of the doubt,I went back over to her and asked to just cancel my order because,evidently,she had no desire to help me as a customer and left. I know both the owners because they get their propane here and usualy when I'm pumping.I'm going to place this note on the entrance door for everyone to read.:

Welcome to Honoka's only Roach Hotel

No additinal charges for bad customer servicegiven you by our waitresses here.

Our roaches stay put!
Even after they're killed by our customers!We don't care!

Our waitresses could care less about our customer's health and well being.They will accept a 25% tip though. No problem.

Tll next time,

The Roachery International club

I know that some who read this will not be amused but,I wasn't laughing either when I got treated like that.I worked in many restaurants in my life but never treated anyone that way.However,where I worked never had any type of pest problems,that is insects,not people--we had quite a few "pests" in that case but never had to get the Raid out for them.

One of my co-workers who claims he and his wife opened many restaurants in Louisiana,said I was over-reacting and should have just overlooked it.That this is a small town and isn't like the bigger cities where that's more comon. I said ,bullshit.That no matter where they are,cleanliness and sanitization,along with pest control are manditory in commercial food places and they can get severely fined and/or shut down permanantly for viloting the rules and regulations in running a food service.They do not use hot water to hand wash their dishes either.There is no automatic dishwasher there either.I won't go back.

 

[jeffg]

Chuck, I'm sure this restaurant isn't the only roach hotel in Honoka'a. Instead of getting sore over a waitress who obviously doesn't care about the roach problem, why not talk to the owners, especially if you know them?

 

[spiceman1957]

Good for you Chuck

I would definitely reported this roach (and the other bug) to the manager, and probably to the health department. Hopefully they will send someone out to check this restaurant out. Remember if there is one roach there usually more
John

 

[maytagmark]

Thats worse than slime in the ice machine,Marvin Zindler would have been all over that, The worst thing is the servers attitude,If she was afaid of bugs she could have at least said I'm sorry,I'll be right back and go get a manager or another person to take care of it, if she just turned around and walked off that is just rude, If there are roaches in the dining room,bold ones at that,you can be sure they are in the kitchen. Cold foods are the worst thing to order when unsure of the cleanliness of the kitchen or if the staff washes their hand or wears gloves when handling food,and just because they wear gloves doesn't mean they are clean,they should be changed often.

 

[rollermatic]

i worked for red lobster

for 20 years, we had em too!

my favorite memory was the nite about 15 years ago when they suddenly began falling out of the ceiling tile over one particular table! about 6 or 7 of em! it was a riot!

ofcourse not for the guest! i would have been livid and thrown the biggest fit you could imagine! i remember we had an emergency "bugsburger" that nite at closing which was a name for the company that handled our pest control at the time.

that waitress should have bent over backwards for you, besides apologise profusely! i would leave the note! and tell the managers! and not go back. there are other places with cock roaches you could frequent. try red lobster!

 

[danemodsandy]

Jeff:

I was a foodie for a long time in the '80s, and I can tell you, there is many a restaurant owner who would rather go out of business than accept frank criticism from customers and fix what is wrong. This is especially true of establishments that serve a captive market, one where there is little to no competition. So, while Chuck could certainly talk to the owner, the waitress's reaction makes me suspect that he's not going to give much of a hoot. There's an old Yiddish saying, "A fish stinks from the head," and if the waitress had any reason to believe the owner cared, her reaction would probably have been a little different.

 

[jeffg]

Sandy, one can literally throw a stone from one end of downtown Honoka'a to the other. Their only "captive market" is tourists who are traveling between Waikoloa/Waimea and Hilo. Shops and restaurants on the entire north side of the BI have been living hand-to-mouth for many years, a single case of negative publicity can easily put most of them out of business altogether.

A few years back we stopped for a drink at a place in Hawi, and got a 20-minute sales pitch from the owner about the wondrous benefits of blue-green algae dietary supplements. I mean the guy was desperate to sell us something.

My point is, IMO Chuck should at least try talking to the owners, and see what their reaction is. If they really don't care about their roach infestation, THEN start the public campaign to put them out of business.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Yer in the tropics, you'ze gonna get nice, big and plentiful bugs.

Lawd have mercy, my first trip to Florida and Peurto Rico and I wanted to die seeing the size and quantity of the bugs in homes. Even the best homes! There is a reason south Florida used to be where the ederly went; everything thrives in that heat and humidity.

Every eating establishment has roaches and mice and other yuckkers. Just try not to think about it. And try to remeber there have probably been many dirtier things in your mouth or on your tongue.

Like your fingers for example. Totally filthy, no matter how well-scrubbed. Undrtakers tell me that is the dirtiest part of the human body.

 

[luxflairguy]

Just after I had moved from Seattle to Palm Desert, I got up in the middle of the nite for a drink of OJ. I didn't turn any lites on in the kitchen, got my drink and spilled a little on my hands. I went to the sink, washed up and grabbed the towel hanging by the sink. I suddenly had a HUGE "palmetto bug" climbing up my arm! Did I scream? At the top of my lungs! Then I got out the vacuum hose and sucked the poor sucker up the central vac! It got to the point in that house that I spent lots of time with the vacuum hunting down bugs. And then I had the house tented and never had a bug again! Bugs are better than snakes any day!!

 

[perc-o-prince]

Hey Chuck,

Rich's grandparents took us to HI (Oahu) in 1991. At a nice dinner, 3-4 star restaurant as I remember, we too had an unexpected guest of the same genus/species. Understanding the area, it's certainly difficult, if not impossible, to erradicate all of them in any establishment. Not wanting to alert his grandmother, Rich quietly encapsulated it and brought it to someone. The apology was hastily made, and we were comped something (don't remember what). The point was, it was acknowledged and absolutely apologized for.

I think I might have alerted the manager not only about the guest, but about the waitress's handling of the situation.

Chuck

 

[supersurgilator]

My grandparents used to live in Florida and let me tell you about bugs. Their enclosed patio room used to get the palmetto bugs, every ow and then one would get in the house. Then there were these other tan colored bugs that would get in the cabinets and drawers. It finally got to the point that they paid for a bug man to come out and spray the place. Never saw another thing after that. Well worth the money IMO.

 

[laundromat]

I know Sergio,and his wife who own and run the restaurant. I just went over to Geff's to watch some basketball games and he's their head chef.He told me that the waitress who was so rediculous has been a problem for quite some time and,as I was returning home half drunk on Skyy Vodka,I ran into Joyce,Sergio's wife as they were closing for the night.I told her what had happened and how I felt about it.I was,surprisingly gracious about the entire incedent and said that I was really surprised at the girl's attitude and how the other two were so non caring and sort of on her side.Joyce was not only embarresed but tried to ask my forgiveness and i said it was no need to forgive her,she had nothing to do with the problem other than being the owner of the business.I also told her I wasn't expecting a free meal or any type of compensation for the problem on hand but that I wanted to be properly served by the servers no matter what the circumstance be.She agreed and is having a talk with them tomorrow.she asked me to please stop over and continue to be a regular there.They're opening another place between here and Waimaia and they may need some help.Knowing about my long experience in restaurant work from prep to line cooking and cleanup.From waiting on tables to going to the wholesale produce markets to buy the fruits,meats and vegetables needed for stock,I did it all.I was real strict on the water temps to wash,rinse and sanitize dishes and glassware.They had to be over 140F and rubber gloves were plentiful if needed.The floor was mopped with boiling hot water,degreeser and bleach.The tables were washed with a 1 part bleach to 5 parts water solution and paper towels to help keep the germs down.We never once saw a cockroach and caught two mice and one rat in 7 years of business.I always kept the mop thoroughly clean and rinsed and never left a bucket full of dirty water stagnate.So many times,I see buckets full of greesy,grimy,cold water just sitting in a corner.How do they do it? Anyway,everything seams to have worked itself out.

 

[sudsmaster]

I visited Maui in the early 80's and attempted to hike over to the Na'pali coast. I had to turn back because a big storm hit. After a night in a flooded campground on the wet side, I joined a lot of other backpackers who went to the dry side of the island and camped on that beach for the rest of my stay. While there, I noticed several dangers: the acacia bushes, which had nasty thorns that could go right through a rubber shoe sole. Then the Samoans, who I understood would get all cranked up on the weekend and indulge in their favorite sport: beating up campers on the beach. I left on a Friday so I didn't get to enjoy that part (but I heard it indeed happened). The last danger was the cockroaches. These things flew all over, and were expert at homing in on any food on a picnic table and landing right on it. Even as one was trying to eat it! So while Hawaii is an island paradise for people, it's also one for all sorts of pesky bugs. Some of the roaches even stowed away in my rucksack. When I got back to California I opened it and saw them, and instantly tossed it in the freezer. Next day, no more live roaches.

I also understand that there are few if any restaurants or groceries/markets that don't have roaches. I've been fortunate never to have to live in a building with them, but I know people who have and it's really a problem for them. Me, I was into bugs when I was in high school so they don't scare me, I just don't like the dirt factor.

As for the waitress... bad attitude that needs to be fixed.

 

[petek]

I recollect moving into a little one bedroom apartment in Vancouver, 10th floor and the first evening coming home after dinner, flipping on the lightswitch and roaches scattering everywhere. Up till then I'd never seen one in my life. I went over to the drugstore and got a bottle of Raid and & roach killer and sprayed everywhere inclduing in the the boxes I'd not yet unpacked. Thankfully I had that avocado portable KA dishwasher so I could put my dishes in there and never into the cupboards. I moved out within a couple of months, couldn't stand it..Then I worried I would bring them with me to the next place so I sprayed every cardboard box inside/out and after I put stuff in them..whew

 

[whirlcool]

Back in the days when I was living in an apartment I came up with the perfect solution for getting rid of roaches.

In each room, remove the outlet covers from all the electrical outlets and switch plates. Deposit about 2 tbsps of Roach Prufe powder into the wall behind the electrical device. Now using a vacuum cleaner on BLOW stick it into the hole behind the electrical device for 30 seconds or so. Replace outlets and replace covers. In 24 hours your roaches will be gone, including your neighbors as well. This one treatment will last for at least two years! And since none of the dust comes out of the walls it doesn't create a mess!

http://www.copperbrite.com/roach.html

 

[sudsmaster]

Victor makes a similar product, I think. A mix of diatomaceous earth and boric acid. It works great keeping ants out of my home's foundation.

 

[laundromat]

I don't have any roaches in my unit. Centapeads and ants,little pizzy ants,not fireants like I had in Florida and Texas,are my concern. I have these small containers full of a special syrup that entices the ants to consume and,once they go to the queen and feed it to her,she dies along with her entire colony.That stuff is awesome.When I see a centapead,i grab one of my sharp knives and chop them into tiny pieces. pete says it's bad luck and their family and friends will,eventualy bite you. Their bite is very painfull (haven't been bitten yet) and they're super ugly.I had to move an old,wet,smelly futon matress that was in the rain for months.Hundreds of centapeads were underneath and scurried everywhere.EWWWWW!!!!! LOL

 

[volsboy1]

The best thing for Roaches and Ants is this Miraculous insect Chalk.Its kinda illegal but you can get it on Ebay for 5 bucks..It looks like Chalk thats why they have kinda banned because of kids.Its active poison is Deltamethrin which is a very powerful. I draw lines above ever door overhang and all up the walls in the sink.The bugs walk through it and take it back to there nest and sense Roaches are coprophagic it don't take long for them to die.That Chalk is so easy to use and works better than any baiting or anything I tried and we are high risk by grabbing Dishwashers,Washers,that are used.

 

[yogitunes]

some one here mentioned a while back about a powder that you used to sprinkle around and would turn the roaches BLUE, as well as sprinkle the sinks with comet and remove all paperbags from between the frige and other areas...

does anyone remember what this stuff is called?