diff --git a/backend/Dockerfile b/backend/Dockerfile
index 0eb42d2..d87d93a 100644
--- a/backend/Dockerfile
+++ b/backend/Dockerfile
@@ -55,6 +55,9 @@ COPY --from=builder /app/dist ./dist
 # Copy database migrations (needed for runtime)
 COPY --from=builder /app/src/database/migrations ./dist/database/migrations
 
+# Create logs directory
+RUN mkdir -p /app/logs
+
 # Change ownership to non-root user
 RUN chown -R nodejs:nodejs /app
 
diff --git a/backend/src/utils/logger.ts b/backend/src/utils/logger.ts
index b410931..6c3a1dd 100644
--- a/backend/src/utils/logger.ts
+++ b/backend/src/utils/logger.ts
@@ -46,13 +46,11 @@ const logger = winston.createLogger({
   ],
 });
 
-// If not in production, log to the console as well
-if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production') {
-  logger.add(
-    new winston.transports.Console({
-      format: consoleFormat,
-    })
-  );
-}
+// Always log to console so errors are visible in `docker logs`
+logger.add(
+  new winston.transports.Console({
+    format: consoleFormat,
+  })
+);
 
 export default logger;