This study involving four public restaurants randomly selected in Ado-Ekiti metropolis was aimed at isolating, characterizing and comparing the susceptibility of bacteria associated with equipment’s used in food processing to conventional antibiotic discs and chloroform extract of Moringa oleifera. Swab samples were collected from equipment and environment used for food processing and were taken to the laboratory were microbiological analysis were carried out. Fifty nine bacteria isolates were obtained altogether. The bacteria isolated from these samples were Escherichia coli (15), Bacillus sp. (10), Serratia marcenscens (5), Staphylococcus aureus (11), Bacteriodes spp. (4), Citrobacter youngae (5), Klebsiella spp. (4), Enterobacter aerogenes (5). Multiple antibiotic resistances were discovered in some of the isolates when subjected to antibiotic susceptibility test using conventional antibiotic discs. Some phenotypic multiple antibiotic resistance pattern observed are AUG/CAZ/CRX/LIN/OXC/CXC and TET/AMX/COT/NIT/GEN/NAL/AUG among others. Majority of the isolates were susceptible to chloroform extract of M. oleifera with the exception of some isolates such as S. aureus, E. coli, Klebsiella sp. and Bacteroides sp. This study has shown the prevalence and resistance of microorganisms associated with public restaurants in Ado-Ekiti metropolis to conventional antimicrobial agents and the effectiveness of chloroform extract of M. oleifera in serving as an alternative antimicrobial agent. In conclusion, it is imperative for public restaurants to ensure that equipment, personnel’s and environment used/involved in food processing are very clean in order to reduce the occurrence of food borne microorganisms to the barest minimum
