Editor’s Note: Findings in this report pull from data available on the County’s SD Food Info website up to Aug. 21, 2025.
At one restaurant on Orange Avenue, San Diego County Health Services inspectors found four dead rodents in activated traps.
At another Coronado business, they observed live German cockroaches.
And, at a third, they photographed more than a dozen rodent droppings in mechanical portions of coolers, cabinets and ovens.
Those businesses are among 20 food facilities on the Emerald Isle that were temporarily forced to close during the past three years based on suspected vermin infestations — sometimes more than once per year — following health inspections that found evidence of pests like rodents and cockroaches.
Bill Rogers, general manager for Shore Duty restaurant, which previously operated at 126 Orange Ave., said infestations are the bane of local eateries.
“If you do spray and you do pest control, basically, what you try to do is make your restaurant a bubble,” said Rogers. “We kept doing that and stuff kept showing up. … We had a real issue with just the area.”
Rogers, 51, said he has lived in Coronado more than half of his life and believes the presence of rats in Coronado has worsened over the years but he remembers seeing cockroaches locally even as a young boy.
“We’d be fine and then someone else, our neighbor, would spray and the bugs would just move. And then we spray and the bugs would move back,” Rogers said, explaining the phenomenon his business experienced.
Rogers said costs and friction among building landlords prevented what he thought was the only way to really correct the issue affecting an aging building with multiple restaurants: tenting and spraying the entire block.
Rogers said dealing with vermin was one of the reasons Shore Duty permanently closed last year.
“As bad as it sounds,” he added, “you can be vigilant and still get shut down. …It’s Coronado, what are you going to do?”
The San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality says a “major vermin violation” exists when there is the “presence of cockroaches, mice, rats and similar vermin (that carry disease) within the food facility as evidenced by live bodies, fresh droppings, vomitus, urine stains, or gnaw marks that has resulted or would likely result in contamination of food, equipment, packaging or utensils.”
The department notes that these infestations can lead to diseases such as salmonella, meningitis and hantavirus.
“Our commitment is embedded in our goals and objectives that focus on reducing risks that can lead to foodborne illness,” says the department’s website, emphasizing health and safety for the 2.9 million residents and 14.7 million yearly visitors.
“Rats have unfortunately been a long-standing issue in the streets and alleys of Coronado, and it’s something many local businesses are forced to deal with,” said Alexandra Gallegos Esquer, the owner of Night & Day Cafe.
Coronado is not alone in that struggle.
“Everyone in Southern California is experiencing some [rodent] issues,” said Efrain Velasco, a board-certified entomologist and technical director of Lloyd Pest Control in San Diego. “There’s no real seasonality anymore.”
Velasco said German roaches are found year-round due to temperatures maintained in homes, apartments and restaurants. And now, rodents have mirrored this frequency.
“Since vermin are found throughout San Diego County, a closure of a food facility can occur if the proper steps are not taken to exclude them from a specific location through proper pest control,” said Ryan Johnson, chief of operations in the county’s food, water and housing division.
Closures this year
So far this year, three facilities in Coronado have had vermin-related closures.
County reports show Glorietta Bay Inn, at 1630 Glorietta Blvd., and Coronado Community Center, at 1845 Strand Way, were closed temporarily after a specialist found rodent droppings during respective January and April inspections.
The kitchen at the Community Center is primarily used by catering vendors hired by individuals or groups who rent rooms for private events, explained Kelli Maples, senior management analyst with the City Manager’s Office.
On April 14, the county found a dead mouse in a snap trap underneath a rack used for storage of equipment in a room connected to the kitchen.
Maples said a pest control contractor performed a removal and sweep of the premises followed by a deep clean of the kitchen and storage area.
“The facility was reinspected and reopened without any impacts to any events,” said Maples. “Our staff perform daily inspections of the kitchen, and we continue to have pre- and post-event inspections with the caterers using the kitchen to ensure we are maintaining the cleanliness and safety of our facility.”
Glorietta Bay Inn could not be reached for comment.
The county’s SD Food Info website grants public access to the most recent inspection information for retail food facilities. Available reports date back to 2022.
Among the Coronado restaurants temporarily closed due to vermin in 2024: Heave Ho Coffee Co (1019 C Ave.), Lobster West (1033 B Ave., Suite 102), Mac Daddy Coronado (1019-1021 C Ave.), Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill Coronado (1701 Strand Way), Coronado Yacht Club (1631 Strand Way), Coronado Island Marriott Resort & Spa’s Main Kitchen (2000 2nd St.) and Burger King (1201 1st St., Suite 201).
A Burger King spokesperson said the company prioritizes the health and safety of employees and customers.
Regarding a temporary closing on March 11, 2024 the company said: “The franchisee of this restaurant addressed the issue immediately and passed reinspection the next day. The location has had no issues since and continues to maintain ‘A’ grades from the Health Department.”
Reports indicate Burger King reopened with an “A” grade on March 13, 2024.
In 2023, Hotel Del Coronado’s main kitchen (1500 Orange Ave.) and Silver Strand Exchange at Loews Coronado Bay Resort (4000 Coronado Bay Rd.) also temporarily closed, with reports citing active infestation of cockroaches.
Hotel Del Coronado could not be reached for comment.
Angela Trantham, area director of public relations for Loews Coronado Bay Resort, said Silver Strand Exchange was temporarily closed following a county-issued boil water advisory that year.
“A health inspection followed, and any observations were immediately addressed by our team,” said Trantham. “The (dining) outlet reopened within 48 hours after passing a complete health inspection and has passed every inspection since.”
County records describe a major vermin violation on Aug. 30, 2023.
The report says there were: “Multiple alive adult and nymph brown-banded and German cockroaches (too many to count)” behind a preparation table, refrigerator and beside a pasta preparation area in the facility.
The report says the facility was approved to reopen on Sept. 1 with no health violation cited following county re-inspection.
What does the county’s oversight look like?
Each year, environmental health specialists in San Diego County conduct more than 32,000 inspections at 13,800 permanent retail food facilities across 18 cities, including more than 8,100 restaurants.
The department aims to educate food facilities during annual inspections and offers online resources to encourage “active managerial controls” to prevent vermin issues year-round, said Johnson.
“Our focus during inspections is to ensure the public’s health and safety,” he added. “If a vermin infestation is identified, the facility must be ordered closed until the problem has been properly resolved.”
County specialists conduct at least one unscheduled, routine inspection per year for restaurants. There are up to two additional routine inspections for facilities ordered closed or downgraded.
Johnson said the department also conducts additional inspections when complaints are received from the public. Business operators are given direction on steps needed to correct an identified issue, he said.
Following inspections, facilities earn letter-grade report cards that must be displayed near public entrances during hours of operation.
The state’s standardized “Food Inspection Report” used by inspectors lists all possible violations, from major to minor, according to the county’s Food Program website.
If a facility has an imminent health hazard, it is required to close and inspectors issue a “CLOSED” sign that lists the reason.
“A closed food facility must remain closed until written authorization to re-open is given by this department,” the page says. “All major violations must be corrected or a suitable alternative must be implemented before the facility is granted permission to re-open. The CLOSED sign is then replaced with a grade card.”
If inspectors observe repeated major violations in a food facility, they will schedule an administrative hearing where the food facility owner meets with the inspector and a supervisor to develop a plan for improvement.
“When we talk about closures that’s just a single point in time but also we have to work with facilities that have multiple closures and have that continued non-compliance,” Johnson explained in a webinar earlier this year. “When that happens, we have to start our enforcement process which leads us into scheduling an administrative hearing.”
In the fiscal year of 2024-25, the county temporarily closed 799 restaurants due to health and safety concerns – 668 of those being due to vermin, according to Donna Durckel, a communications officer at the County.
For successful inspections, facilities must take proper steps to clean, treat, seal up cracks and holes to prevent further harborage of vermin.
When facilities can verify they no longer have an infestation, they call and request a reopening inspection.
The county’s website says minor violations do not directly cause foodborne illnesses but could lead to imminent health hazards if left uncorrected.
“Protecting public health is a top priority for the County of San Diego,” said Durckel. “When a major risk factor violation is observed, our environmental health inspectors ensure the violation is corrected while onsite or we close the restaurant until the violation is eliminated and it is safe to again serve food to the public.”
A major vermin violation is an “active infestation by rodents or vectors that are disease carriers that would likely result in the contamination of food-contact surfaces or adulteration of foods and will warrant an immediate closure,” explains the department online.
“Our staff, we are trained to find vermin as part of our inspection process,” Johnson said. “We really want to empower our food facilities to do the exact same thing.”
A business owner’s experience
Shore Duty temporarily closed on Oct. 24, 2024 after an inspector found live and dead German cockroaches and rodent droppings.
The facility also was found out of compliance with vermin-proofing.
“We thought we were doing everything we could,” said Rogers. “It was a really big building. It’s stuff that we didn’t really think about because we weren’t using the basement area. We had to go in and seal everything in the basement.”
A report says Shore Duty was clear of vermin but was still out of compliance with requirements for food storage and other issues when the business reopened with an “A” grade on Oct. 26.
“The entire area — I don’t care if it’s Coronado or San Diego — there’s lots of vermin,” said Rogers, a years-long restaurant owner who co-founded Shore Duty in the middle of last year.
Rogers said he believes the county began enforcing new standards and performing unusually thorough inspections around that same time.
“They’re being extra thorough, so it’s not just a Coronado thing. It’s a San Diego County-wide thing,” he said. “The reason I think they’re doing it is they’re using it to monetize it. … they’re kind of picking on restaurants a little bit more than they have in the past.”
Johnson said there have been no changes to state law or county procedures regarding steps to be taken when a food facility is found to have a vermin infestation.
“If a facility is found to be operating with an imminent health hazard present, our staff will take the necessary steps to protect the public until such a time that the issues have been properly resolved,” he added. “Because we are mandated by the Board of Supervisors to be full cost recovery for our programs, there are additional fees for service that a facility will be invoiced for if they are found to be operating with an imminent health hazard and did not take steps themselves to proactively close and treat their facility.”
Inspection reports say a facility is allowed one free re-inspection per fiscal year while all subsequent re-inspections are assessed a fee. Additionally, two downgrades or closures within an 18-24 month period will result in an administrative hearing.
Johnson said sites requesting a reopening inspection are billed at a program rate of $194 per hour.
As of July 1, an administrative hearing costs $784, according to the county’s fee schedule.
An Oct. 24 report says Shore Duty was issued an administrative hearing, totaling $776 after it was ordered closed and continued service for two to three hours.
“Specialist discussed with facility operator that refusing to stop operations when a closure has been issued may result in an administrative hearing with applicable fees to apply,” says the report.
According to Rogers, his team refused to comply because cockroaches and rodent droppings were found in a non-food area, the basement.
“Everything was in the basement,” Rogers said. “I don’t remember any of that being upstairs.”
Rogers said Shore Duty had to correct findings specified on the report, which included cleaning, pressure washing everything and spraying for pests.
“Usually you spray once a month,” said Rogers, at a cost of $200. “We were spraying weekly after that. … We went way overkill.”
Landlord disputes about a deteriorating building and other maintenance costs that caused them to flunk the county’s health inspection led to Shore Duty’s permanent closure in December, Rogers said.
“You’re not going to get a lot of sympathy from people,” he added. “…It probably hurt our entire block when people learned that all these businesses are getting shut down for vermin. The locals talk … and I get it. I mean, I’m a local too.”
In the same month that Shore Duty temporarily closed, Villa Nueva Bakery, at 956 Orange Ave., also temporarily closed due to major violations of proper reheating and vermin. It reopened two days later with an “A” grade.
But on April 30, 2025 the establishment was once more ordered closed due to observed rodent droppings, accumulation of shredded debris and short gray hair and fruit and drain flies.
That visit was a routine follow up inspection, according to the report.
Additional violations were for improper refrigeration and contaminated food. It was also out of compliance with refrigerated raw foods, clean nonfood contact surfaces, equipment and vermin-proofing.
The establishment reopened on May 1, 2025 with an “A” grade.
“We just want to kindly clarify that Villa Nueva Bakery reopened the very next day after our recent health inspection,” management posted to a Facebook group on May 5. “The vermin issue noted is something many businesses in Coronado are currently facing, but we acted immediately and resolved the situation in under 24 hours. We’re proud to share that we’ve since been awarded an A rating for cleanliness. We truly appreciate your continued support.”
The business passed a subsequent re-inspection on May 21.
Entomologists on closures
Chow-Yang Lee, professor and endowed presidential chair in Urban Entomology at the University of California, Riverside, said cockroaches — especially the German cockroach — rats and mice are major pests in food establishments.
As a customer, Lee said he would stop patronizing his favorite restaurant if he discovered it had a serious cockroach or rat infestation.
With 30 years of researching the behavioral, ecological, and physiological adaptations of cockroaches to inform urban pest management, Lee said stopping these pests is a routine challenge that requires consistent attention.
“Many of these pests are potential contaminant agents of pathogens that could cause food poisoning and other gastrointestinal complications,” he added.
Lee said a low-level German cockroach infestation can often be managed through proper sanitation practices and control methods like toxicant bait.
But that is not the case for a severe infestation wherein one or more cockroaches crawl around sometimes in the dining area.
Lee said that “is nearly impossible because it is a costly process requiring appropriate treatment strategies.”
“Many German cockroach populations have developed resistance to commonly used insecticides,” Lee explained, pointing out spray applications are often ineffective. “Unfortunately, many restaurant owners tend to take action only when the infestation has already reached a critical level, making it much more difficult for pest management professionals to control or eliminate the population.”
To prevent both, Lee stressed the critical importance of limiting resources pests need to survive and reproduce: food, moisture and harborage.
“It is essential for food establishments to engage pest management professionals for regular inspections and timely application of appropriate treatments,” he added. “Waiting until a problem becomes severe before taking action is not advisable.”
Velasco, another years-long entomologist, can usually walk into a restaurant and tell if there’s roaches or rodents, he said.
“I’m not scared of going into a restaurant that I don’t know very well, that has passed county inspection,” said Velasco.
Temporary closures on Orange Avenue
Almost half of the food facility closures in Coronado due to vermin infestations during the past three years were on a 12-blocks stretch of Coronado’s main street, Orange Avenue, from First Street through Rh Dana Place.
Most of the establishments have steered clear of additional temporary closures.
A majority of the owners declined to address inquiries for this story or could not be reached.
One said the business was under different ownership during the temporary closure. Another said they have always maintained professional pest control, an internal maintenance team and high standards for cleanliness and food safety.
Parakeet Juicery, at 1138 Orange Ave., is where the rodents were found on Aug. 16, 2022 and then temporarily closed upon site investigation due to vermin infestation.
According to a report, the inspector responded to a complaint.
“Specialist observed rodent droppings in the mop sink closet, … 4 dead rodents contained in activated traps in the overhead box storage area as well as gnaw marks on cardboard boxes,” the report says. “No food contamination observed at time of inspection.”
During an inspection the following day, the specialist reviewed pest control invoices over the prior 24 hours and conducted a thorough search of the facility, specifically in areas where vermin activity was previously observed.
After no evidence of an ongoing infestation was observed during that re-inspection, the facility was approved to re-open, the closure sign was removed and replaced with a grade “A” card.
Night & Day Cafe, at 847 Orange Ave., also temporarily closed due to vermin on June 13, 2022: “Observed several live cockroaches in the kitchen and ware washing areas,” the report says.
The manager of the facility then was able to show pest control invoices dating from two weeks prior. Three days later, the business earned a letter “A” card from the same inspector, who found zero health violations in a re-inspection.
Gallegos Esquer, the current owner of Night & Day Cafe, said the vermin issue occurred before she and her husband took over ownership.
“Since then,” she added, “we’ve had zero incidents.”
As an extra precaution, Gallegos Esquer said, the couple sealed a small attic space and added a tighter spring to the cafe’s back door so it stays closed.
“We take a lot of pride in the fact that we’ve had — and continue to maintain — zero activity or incidents at Night & Day since then,” she added. “Cleanliness and compliance have always been a top priority, and we’ve worked hard to keep our space safe, clean, and welcoming for both our team and our guests.”
Five other Coronado eateries have been temporarily shut down by health inspectors during the past three years for vermin, according to a list maintained by the county:
- Village Pizzeria, at 1206 Orange Ave., temporarily closed on Nov. 6, 2023, after inspectors found rodent droppings beside machinery, alongside the front service counter, a storage area not connected to the main kitchen and in the basement. The facility reopened the next day earning an “A” card.
- Fonda Don Diego, the former business name of a facility currently operating as “Rosemary Trattoria,” at 120 Orange Ave., temporarily closed more than once in 2024 due to a German cockroach infestation beginning on Feb. 28. The facility reopened on March 1 with an “A” grade card, but was shut down again Aug. 8, 2024. The restaurant failed reinspections on Aug. 9, Aug. 10 and Aug. 12. On Aug. 14, the restaurant reopened with an “A” grade.
- Saiko Sushi, at 116 Orange Ave., temporarily closed on June 4, 2024, following an inspection where rodent droppings and dead roaches were observed in multiple locations. The facility reopened the next day with an “A” grade.
- Danny’s Pub, at 965 Orange Ave., temporarily closed July 31, 2024 due to major violations like holding temperatures, adulterated food and proper sewage disposal system. It reopened on Aug. 8 with an “A” grade, but closed again Sept. 5 due to a German cockroach infestation and noncompliance with cleanliness, vermin-proofing and structure requirements. The facility reopened on Sept. 10 with an “A” grade.
- Nicky Rottens, at 104 Orange Ave., temporarily closed on Oct. 23, 2024, due to rodent droppings found atop a storage rack, underneath electrical panels and in the corner beside a refrigerator. The report also says dead German cockroaches were found on glue monitors in an upstairs dry storage area. The facility reopened the following day with an “A” grade.
“Vermin is a San Diego thing, especially a Coronado thing that we see,” said Rogers, who co-owned Shore Duty. “So long as you don’t see people closing because of hand-washing or temperature or hygiene issues, that speaks volumes. … As much as it hurts restaurants, I completely understand and agree with the standards that the health department’s trying to impose.”
