Cockroach Infestation Horror Stories and What They Reveal About Food Safety | Episode 117

In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine dive into the dark, crunchy underbelly of food safety – cockroach infestations.

They kick things off with a recent incident at Erewhon’s luxury tonic bar in Santa Monica that was temporarily shut down after cockroaches were discovered in a cabinet. But things quickly escalate when Francine shares one of the worst infestation cases of her career.

The hosts dig into the gaps in pest control protocols, how poor vendor oversight can keep infestations alive, and the often-overlooked realities of food safety enforcement.

In this episode:

💩 [04:07] The cockroach violation at Erewhon’s luxury tonic bar in Santa Monica

💩 [07:59] Francine’s craziest cockroach story

💩 [09:03] What happens when you spray a bad cockroach infestation

💩 [13:17] What it takes for the health department to reopen a restaurant

💩 [16:34] The psychological effect of inspecting a bad cockroach infestation

💩 [18:44] Taking food safety seriously

💩 [20:35] A fill factor

💩 [21:59] What they found at Erewhon’s luxury tonic bar in Santa Monica

💩 [23:05] Where there’s one cockroach, there are thousands

💩 [24:49] Consumer reaction to the Erewhon cockroach violation

💩 [27:20] The need for weekly pest control

💩 [28:44] The expectations of Erewhon’s luxury tonic bar customers

Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.

Resources from this episode

Check out the Food Safety News article our hosts are talking about, Cockroach violation shuts down Erewhon’s luxury tonic bar in Santa Monica.

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“ If you’re paying 20 bucks for a smoothie or a tonic, you probably don’t want cockroaches as the added ingredient.” – Matt Regusci

“[Cockroaches] were inside the milkshake machine. They were everywhere. […] This does not happen overnight. It took a while for it to get this bad.” – Francine L Shaw

This episode is sponsored by Eagle Protect.

Did you know you can find fecal coliform on over 50% of gloves?  It’s astounding to learn that many of the gloves coming into our country are contaminated.  But Eagle Protect is changing that. 

They test every single lot of their Eagle Delta Zero™ gloves for microbial contamination.

This is a company truly committed to food safety. So please check them out at eagleprotect.com and get your gloves tested! Let’s not forget… Don’t eat poop!

Connect with Francine, Matt, and the “Don’t Eat Poop!” show on LinkedIn! 

Check out Francine’s book Who Watches the Kitchen? on Amazon!