Cockroach in a Restaurant, What Would You Do?

[NotQuiteCockney]

Today we went out for lunch, to a local cafe. The food was great, it was a nice place, it was great to be out without kids. Then, just near the end of the meal, I feel something on my thigh, look down, and see a giant cockroach.

I squealed a tiny bit (only DH noticed, I think), brushed it off my leg, and lost my appetite. Thank goodness it was the end of the meal.

We paid, and left, and didn't say anything. I know most (all?) restaurants have problems with roaches, and it did seem generally clean. I'm not that squeamish about roaches (I've had some really bad experiences with them, back home), but still, I'd probably go back. But I felt we should have done something. Tell the waiter so he could brush it up?

Who else has had adventures with vermin in restaurants? What did you do?

Bloody hell, I'd have told them immediately and left, gross. I'm perfectly prepared to be told this is an overreaction but ewww!

ekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!

If the roach had been in the food, I would have made a fuss. If it had been somewhere really nice or expensive or something, I would have made a fuss. But a cafe?

I'm probably unduly hardened. A friend back home worked in a touristy restaurant, and said they all had roaches. She had great tales of people asking if the restaurant had roaches, while she could see them bumbling along on the beams overhead, right over their heads.

The one time I saw a rat, in quite a nice place, we did tell the waiter, politely and quietly. They gave us vouchers.

fuss, not paid, followed by environmental health (all councils have enviromental health services you can call....)

Dp (ex pest controller) said that you should definatly report it. Even if the cafe itself isn't that dirty, cockroaches carry germs and so they need to be aware that they have them and to get rid of them.

Dp said to contact local council and speak to environmental health officer, and tell them where, when and what happened.

Um, it was in Hackney. They can't afford to keep their libraries open, or clean the streets. Will they have working environmental health officers?

Hmm, it appears I am unusually relaxed about this stuff. I've been pleasantly surprised by the lack of roaches in this country - back home, in some places, they come up the drains.

DH was just really pleased I didn't shriek. He hates flap and fuss.