ALL NATURAL

Celeb Favorite Luxury Market Forced to Close Bar Over Roach Infestation

Health inspectors found live and dead roaches at the tonic bar at Erewhon Santa Monica.

The luxury smoothie bar in Santa Monica’s Erewhon grocery store briefly closed this week after health inspectors found two live cockroaches and one dead one. On Thursday, management voluntarily closed the tonic bar—known for its $20-plus smoothies and celebrity collaborations—to thoroughly sanitize the bar, which also makes coffees, teas, and juices. The roaches were found on Tuesday in a cabinet under the Simonelli espresso machine. Inspectors gave the bar a “B” health rating and instructed it to “eliminate cockroaches and all evidence of cockroaches from the facility.” Other minor violations were noted, including food not being stored properly, unclean surfaces and inadequate ventilation and lighting, according to LA Eater. “We deeply regret that a roach was found in our tonic bar,” a spokesperson for Erewhon said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “We sincerely apologize for this lapse in our standards.” Though to be fair, insects are all natural, just like the powdered bovine colostrum and ground-up beef organs featured in Erewhon’s celebrity-endorsed smoothies.