Sqirl scandal: Moldy jam and rat-infested hidden 'illegal kitchen' sparks Internet outrage against LA bistro
Rats in the kitchen are fine in Disney movies, not in real life. Up until some ten-odd hours ago, the LA bistro Sqirl identified as a "Hip cafe that features global-inspired breakfast and lunch fare with housemade jams in a minimalist space." That was until Night Call Podcast host Molly Lambert posted on Twitter "the Sqirl mold scandal is keeping me cool on this hot Sunday." Being slammed with accusations of gentrification and offering moldy food, the economic breakfast place is now being outed on social media for having a bit of everything that makes for a juicy scandal.
Broken down by self-proclaimed 'food antagonist' Joe Rosenthal over his Instagram stories, the Sqirl scandal involves an illegal kitchen space within the establishment which was allegedly kept hidden from health inspectors and stored quarter-inch moldy that would be served to unsuspecting customers. Sqirl Chef Jessica Koslow has allegedly asked employees to just scrape off the jam, and even health inspectors told them the jam was good to go provided two inches were taken off. Rosenthal's stories also mention that employees were locked in this kitchen in the dark during health inspections. To add to that, there are alleged claims of rats being all over the place too.
While these claims are made on the internet and MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) cannot independently verify and does not support the claims made on the Internet, social media has exploded into a frenzy over the expose made by Rosenthal. "LA's hottest new club is the Sqirl Moldy Jam Kitchen. It's got it all: a secret entrance in a walk-in fridge, therapeutic spores circulated directly in the air, and artisanal wolfgooseberry preserves enhanced with organic probiotic mold served in 12 quart buckets," quipped a user on Twitter.
Lambert herself also shared: "Fun reminder that just because food is bougie and expensive doesn't mean they're following the health codes." Los Angeles-based public interest attorney Dough Smith also tweeted: "And, just because food is cheap and sold from a cart on the sidewalk doesn’t mean it is unsafe. But restaurants like Sqirl get an 'honor system' and street vendors still have outdated restrictions and threat of criminal enforcement."
With former employees and more exposing Sqirl's mismanagement to Rosenthal, a twitter user also asked: "My question is how did so many ppl know about #sqirl and nothing was done????" Another Twitter user found some irony in the scandal and pointed out: "Sqirl somehow f**ked up selling 3 dollars of bread and fruit for 17 dollars to millionaires."
Others mused about the situation stating, "Of course sqirl has been called out for being s**tty gentrifiers for years, and lately BIPOC employees have been speaking up about their work being stolen without credit and nothing, still a line out the door. but mold in the fancy jam and there’s outcry and a public statement."