Monument Wine & Spirits, located at 2250 Monument Blvd. in Concord, was shut down by the Contra Costa County Environmental Health Department this week.
The store was inspected and closed on Monday after the department discovered a vermin infestation.
Inspectors say they observed the following:
- 2 decayed rodent carcasses on glue trap along with 5+ rodent droppings
- 1 rodent dropping in the front register area next to utility bag
- 2 rodent droppings on the cardboard where the pre-packaged Poptarts are stored on the sales floor.
- 2 rodent droppings on the floor next to wire rack
- 10+ rodent droppings on the wine rack next to the wall
- rodent dropping on the floor left side next to the 3 compartment sink
- gnaw marks on plastic trap next to office
- rodent dropping on the sales floor next to the office
- rodent markings on the wooden wine racks
- rodent markings on the Cherry Brandy bottle on the bottom shelf against the wall
- rodent dropping on the bottom shelf next to wine bottles against the wall
- 5+ rodent droppings on the floor in the back room
The store has since been reinspected and reopened.
Please click on the ‘Dirty Dining‘ link to view all the most recent restaurant closures in Contra Costa County.
Despite their EXCELENT selection of beer, that place is gross!! We bought a bunch of craft beer there one day and they gave us a wine box for transport. When we got home to unload there were 4 HUGE roaches inside. We have gone back… but never asked for a box again.
Glad I only bought Lotto there.
Learned something today…had no idea liqueur stores were inspected unless they sell prepared foods. Used to purchase cigars there back in the day when I was a smoker. Sure glad to give that crap up!!!
That used to be one of my favorite liquor stores. They had a selection of beers and wines that I couldn’t find elsewhere, including Russian River’s Pliny the Elder IPA.
I’d be more concerned if they actually served food! Luckily everything is sealed!
This is to be expected since it’s one of few operating businesses in that empty plaza, one can only imagine what’s lurking in the old safeway building
Cowellian! Wish you hadn’t shared that!
LOL!!
Oh BFD! It’s not like they are a restaurant handling fresh food!
Friggin Health Dept is out of control! Are they trying to put all the small businesses OUT of business?
Bottles and cans are of little interest to rodents and cockroaches. I wonder why they’re even there. Well, the place probably could use a good cleaning. It sounds kind of interesting.
@Silva – I feel that most liquor stores that manage to stay in business do so because they deal in something else on the side. Owning a liquor store decades ago made more sense as you were not competing with every grocery store, Costco, companies such as BevMo, and finally, Amazon, the world’s largest liquor store.
One comment above mentions cockroaches in a cardboard box. I suspect the roaches are eating the cardboard flavored with whatever has spilled.
@ WC Resident – I buy alcohol from local liqour stores on Newell & Tice Valley because they carry brands that large chains do not – plus, they’re close by (convenient) & I like to support “Mom & Pop” businesses in the area. I seriously doubt they have any “side operations” as you suggest. ;p
BFD-Yes! Vermin urine and feces contaminate bottles and cans, do you sanitize every can before putting your mouth on the opening? What if the tab is contaminated and you push it down into the liquid? If you’re a dirty nasty slob then I guess it doesn’t matter…
The Health Department should be anywhere that serves the general public. If not, any place can get out of control. What is pathetic is that lazy, irresponsible, cheap managers and business owners exist. This is disgusting.
Well for those of you who thinks and say BFD, well it is a BFD, I work in healthcare and is mandated to follow safety and sanitation policy and procedure regulated/ governed by county and department of health, FDA. I’m surprised why people thinks that county inspector are closing these establishments to put them out of business. WRONG. They’re close because inspectors are after your safety and well beings. Family with elderlies and children goes out to eat to enjoy a fun day and you come home and get sick after few hours because your food was prepare from an infested, filthy area, staff not washing their hands properly.If your immune system is not strong enough to fight this food poisoning, you can seriously have respiratory disease transmitted by infected rodents through urine, droppings or saliva. Humans can contract the disease when they breathe in aerosolized virus and you can actually end up in hospital. It is a serious matter and I’m glad that these inspectors are finally doing what needs to be done.
A big thanks to Raquel.
Can you imagine what it would be like if health inspectors did not catch such filth. And that report shows that they are not willing to invest in a professional extermination company to rid their establishment of all those roaches and the many rats that come out at night. It shows a lack of consideration for their customers. Too cheap to call an exterminator.
So they’re back open …all they did was sweep up the rat feces and probably sprayed Raid roach killer all over the place, and contaminated the kitchen with the insecticide spray.
Oops! I made a mistake …my reply was in regards to the Vons Chicken restaurant. I could not believe how many roaches and rat droppings were found at Vons. Will never step foot in Vons Chicken restaurant.
They are omitting the fact that they sell m & m’s with peanuts,and the store I worked in always had the packets with the end chewed off and the peanuts hollowed out from the chocolate..the mice love peanuts.
the health dept needs to after people on Facebook marketplace that peddle their food made in their uninspected (and dirty) kitchena.Most of from areas where nobody even has fly screens on any windows and they are cooking with doors and windows wide open,and family pets running around,and multiple children.When I commented that its not safe to buy their food,one of the food peddlers comments was”I hate California”