At Delish, we love Erewhon for its organic and curated smoothies and fruit bowls. We're not so crazy about the steep prices ($20 for a smoothie is borderline robbery!), but that's neither here nor there. The point is: if I’m shelling out $20 for a product, it should be made in a clean and safe environment.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The Santa Monica location on Wilshire Boulevard has a *major* cleanliness issue. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, on April 8th, both dead and live cockroaches were found at the establishment.
Curbed first broke the news, noting that roaches were found at the tonic bar, which serves pastries, acai bowls, and the infamous smoothies often touted by celebs Hailey Beiber and Nara Smith. A health report issued by the L.A. Department of Health and reviewed by TODAY reported that “two live nymph German cockroaches [were] in the cabinet under the ‘Simonelli’ coffee machine holding sealed plastic cups” and another dead cockroach under the bar’s paper goods.
Erewhon representatives immediately took action and shut down the bar for 48 hours (though the store remained open for service). The L.A. Department of Health confirmed the smoothie bar was vermin-free and ready to be open on April 10.
“Our team responded swiftly to ensure that every safety protocol was adhered to,” said a representative, per TODAY. “At Erewhon, we pride ourselves on maintaining the highest standards and we remain committed to providing a safe, clean, and nourishing environment for everyone who walks through our doors.”
Furthermore, the representatives also said this was an individual occurrence and that all locations receive weekly pet control visits and are overseen by a third-party food safety facilities consultant.
Safe to say, Erewhon is now bug-free. And let’s hope it stays that way—no one wants to see another health scare anytime soon. At least for now, you can sip on your $20 smoothie with peace of mind. Fingers crossed.
