By Allen D. Payton

According to the Contra Costa Health Department’s Environmental Health Division, Hidden Dragon Chinese restaurant in Antioch was shut down last April for violations including insects, rodents referred to as rats and mice, birds or animals present. It was shut down again on Dec. 9th for some of the same problems. Both times the owners were instructed to, “Cease and Desist all food activities.”

Located at 4106 Lone Tree Way in the same shopping center at Dallas Ranch Road as the former Rite Aid and now closed Sherwin-Williams Paint Store, the restaurant reopened Dec. 12th following a re-inspection. Then, the owners voluntarily and permanently closed the restaurant in January. An Environmental Health inspector did not learn of that until attempting a re-inspection, yesterday, Monday, March 2, 2026.

The Food Facility Routine Inspection Report dated April 23, 2025, showed a Minor Violation for not having “6. Adequate hand-washing facilities: supplied and accessible. Minor Observations: A) Soap dispenser in employee restroom observed inoperative. B) No paper towels in wall-mounted dispenser in employee restroom. – Ensure all handwashing stations are accessible and stocked with soap and paper towels in mounted dispensers at all times. Corrective Action: Adequate facilities shall be provided for hand washing with soap & towels or drying device provided in dispensers; dispensers shall be maintained in good repair (113953, 113953.1, 113953.2).”

The Major Violation was listed as “22. No insects, rodents, birds or animals present.”

The Dec. 9th Inspection Report showed two major violations. It read:

13. Food in good condition, safe and unadulterated Corrected On Site

Observations: Observed 1 bag of adulterated walnuts (rodent chew marks on bag) on shelf in dry-storage room.

– Discard all adulterated food products.

– Inspect facility for adulterated food (e.g. with rodent chew marks) and immediately discard.

– Protect food from contamination.

*Corrected on site: Operator discarded adulterated bag of walnuts.

Corrective Action: Any food is adulterated if it bears or contains any poisonous or deleterious substance that may render it impure or injurious to health (113967, 113976, 113980, 113988, 113990, 114035, 114254.3).

22. No insects, rodents, birds or animals present

In addition, the report included details of the violations, including:

“A) Observed 1 dead rat on glue board on floor underneath shelving in dry storage area.

B) Observed 1 dead rat on glue board on floor underneath wooden cabinet behind front counter.

C) Observed 5 german cockroaches, and rodent fir on glue board placed on bottom shelf of prep table at cook line.

D) Observed 2 baited (and set off) wooden rat snap traps on drain board near high-temperature dish machine.

E) Observed rodent fur on wire shelving in dry-storage room.

F) Observed rat droppings”

The restaurant was again instructed to, “Cease and Desist all food activities.

– Remove dead rodents, dead cockroaches, and all rodent droppings from facility.

– Thoroughly clean and sanitize all affected areas (including but not limited to floors, shelves, dishes).

– Remove glue boards and snap traps from shelving and from dish-machine drain board. Do NOT place snap traps and glue boards on shelving or on drainboard for dishes.

– Obtain professional pest-control service. Email pest-control report to Daniel.Chavez@cchealth.org. Maintain copies of pest-control reports on site, available for review during inspections.”

County Health Staff Provide Details

When asked about the closure, Karl Fischer, Communications Coordinator for Contra Costa Health asked if there was a red placard in the window. When informed there was just a handwritten sign he said, “It sounds like they might have closed themselves. When we shut down a restaurant, we usually require them to post a red placard in the window.”

“Restaurants are required to close down if they don’t have water or if they have insects,” Fischer continued. “They might be shutting down because they know they have a problem and shouldn’t be serving food, right now.”

Contra Costa County uses a color-coded Placard Program for Permanent  and Mobile Retail Food Facilities to publicly report the results of food safety inspections, which includes green, yellow and red placards. Colors are determined based upon inspection findings with green meaning Pass, yellow meaning Conditional Pass and Red meaning Closed. A white placard stands for Placard Pending.

“As soon as they take care of it, they’re back in business. After a day or two, they’ll call us for a reinspection,” he added.

When informed of the report in April 2025 Fischer said, “The restaurant also got shut down on Dec. 9th for rodents.”

According to Kristian Lucas, the County’s Director of Environmental Health, “We regularly encourage all food facilities to self-close when there are any major issues that may affect public health and their food service as a result. Therefore, it may very well be that this facility chose to close on their own volition if Env Health did not officially close the facility.”

In an email, Tim Kraus, Supervising Environmental Health Specialist for Contra Costa Health then shared, “We did not close them permanently. It appears Inspector Daniel Chavez attempted an inspection yesterday and found the same sign mentioned below. His report indicates he communicated with the former owner via text message, who indicated they closed permanently in January of their own volition.  I’ve attached a copy of the report from yesterday since it doesn’t appear to have worked its way through to the website yet.  I’ve also attached the 12/9 routine inspection that resulted in a closure and the 12/12 reinspection where they were re-opened.”

“The last activity prior to yesterday’s inspection attempt that I see in our system was the re-opening inspection on 12/12/25,” he added.

The restaurant was incorporated as Sweet Rice Union, LLC. But the owners’ names are not listed on the Bizapedia page.

Nationwide breakfast giveaway available exclusively to all Chick-fil-A^® One Members

(ATLANTA) – Chick-fil-A^® is rolling out a nationwide giveaway guaranteed to make cold, winter mornings a little brighter. From now through Saturday, Feb. 28 during breakfast hours, Chick-fil-A One^® Members can claim a FREE Chick-fil-A^® Chicken Biscuit* through the Chick-fil-A App, no purchase necessary. 

“We love finding ways to surprise and delight our guests, especially during this years’ ‘Newstalgia’ celebration in honor of 80 years,” said Khalilah Cooper, vice president of brand strategy, advertising & media. “What better way to celebrate than by giving a breakfast classic to our Chick-fil-A One^® Members? It’s our small way of thanking guests for being part of our story, then and now.” 

The Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit is a breakfast classic, featuring a boneless breast of chicken, seasoned to perfection, hand-breaded and served on a buttermilk biscuit baked fresh daily at each restaurant. The breakfast entreé debuted in 1986, coinciding with the launch of the brand’s first ever standalone restaurant. 

For nearly four decades, Chick-fil-A has offered Guests a variety of delicious ways to start their morning. From the classic Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit to lighter options like the Egg White Grill and heartier favorites like the Hash Brown Scramble Burrito with Jalapeño Salsa, breakfast remains a favorite time of day for Guests of all ages.

Throughout 2026 Chick-fil-A is delivering a year of ‘Newstalgia’, celebrating its 80-year heritage of quality, service and care. The campaign serves up beloved classics and fresh new twists, fun Guest experiences and moments of surprise and delight, from the new Frosted Sodas and Floats to Classic Cups and all-new, retro packaging. 

Guests can download the Chick-fil-A App through their phone’s App Store or by visiting
Chick-fil-A.com/one. For more on our menu and information about Chick-fil-A’s food, people and Guests across the country, visit chick-fil-a.com. 

*The breakfast reward can be redeemed during breakfast hours, from restaurant open until 10:30 a.m., while supplies last, and is limited to one reward per person, per Chick-fil-A One^®account. 

About Chick-fil-A, Inc. 

Chick-fil-A, Inc. is the third largest quick-service restaurant company in the United States, known for its freshly-prepared food, signature hospitality and unique franchise model. More than 200,000 Team Members are employed by local Owner-Operators in more than 3,000 restaurants across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and Singapore.   

Chick-fil-A local Owner-Operators live and work in the communities their restaurants serve, each supporting local efforts and making a positive impact. Chick-fil-A gives back through programs including the Chick-fil-A Shared Table^® Program, True Inspiration Awards and Scholarships. The family-owned and privately held company got its start in 1946, founded by S. Truett Cathy. More information on Chick-fil-A is available at  www.chick-fil-a.com  and  Chick-fil-A Press Room. 

Monica’s Riverview is located 1 I (eye) Street on the pier in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown. For menu and more information see www.visitmonicas.com.

Join former 49er Jeremy Newberry for Newberry’s B.L.O.C.K. 2025 Toy Drive & Car Show! Sunday, Dec. 14. 11am– 3pm at Lumpy’s Diner at 5891 Lone Tree Way in Antioch.

Your $25 donation or unwrapped gift for a child gets you a delicious barbecue lunch by Kinder’s BBQ and entrance to the So-Low Riderz Car Show.

If you’re unable to make it, we also accept Venmo donations @NewberrysBlock we’re a 501c3 organization 100% of your donations go toward underprivileged children. Thank you.

Newberry’s B.L.O.C.K. is a non-profit organization providing underprivileged children the opportunity to participate in sports by sponsoring scholarships and equipment to youth programs Benefiting Leagues Offering Children Kindness.

For more information call (925) 783-6050, email newberrysblock@yahoo.com or visit www.facebook.com/NewberrysBlock.

Will have “the original menu…same feel, same ambiance. New bathrooms. More dining. More parking. New kitchen.” – Joe Martinez

New co-owner has history of buying, improving historic Antioch buildings

By Allen D. Payton

A post on the Mac’s Old House Facebook page on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, shared some good news for diners in Antioch and East County community.

It reads, “As most of you’ve heard…we have some exciting news. The legacy of Mac’s Old House will live on!

Mac’s has officially been purchased by Joe Martinez and Ron Harrison. We’re thrilled to share that their goal is to preserve Mac’s as much as possible, with some much-needed updates along the way. They’re aiming for a June 2026 reopening—exactly one year after closing!

As many of you know, the building needs major improvements, including bringing everything up to 2025 code. This is no small task, and we’re incredibly grateful that the new owners are committed to taking it on while honoring the history of the building.

When Mac converted his home into a bar on St. Patrick’s Day in 1956, and later a restaurant, none of us could have imagined how special this place would become. Gary Noe didn’t purchase the restaurant until 1983, and only then did the menu change into what everyone knows and loves today. Mac’s has needed a tune-up for quite some time and we’re all very excited to see the renovations and improvements (including expansion and more takeout options!!!)

Former head chef and manager Rick Cook will be lending his support and passing along all of Mac’s classic recipes.

We always did our best to keep prices as low as possible, and we know the new team is striving for that as well.

We all want the legacy of Mac’s to live on and be as successful as it can be. We’re looking forward to the future and cannot wait to see what 2026 has in store!!”

Martinez Offers Details

When reached for comment, Martinez offered additional details.

“I’ve been eyeballing this property. It’s iconic. It’s been in business for 42 years,” he stated. “I knew it was going to be a lot of work but a good investment for Mac’s Old House and the Antioch community.”

Asked about the menu he said, “We’re going to have the same menu.”

“Rick is going to go there and help with the recipes, show them how to cook the food to make sure we get everything right,” Martinez continued. “We have Sherry who runs Mel’s Diner in Antioch, she’s going to run it, basically. I told her the original menu, the original recipe. She can add a few things.”

About the improvements Martinez said, “We’re going to gut the whole thing. But it’s going to have the columns, the same feel, same ambiance. New bathrooms. More dining. More parking. New kitchen. It’s a substantial investment.”

“We want people to walk in and go ‘wow,” he stated.

A few new aspects will also be added.

“We’ll have a place on the side for DoorDash and we’re going to take credit cards,” Martinez added.

“It closed on the 22nd of June. So, I’m hoping to open a year-and-a-day after that. We might be ready a bit earlier,” he shared. “We’ll start with a soft opening.

“A couple of waitresses said they want to come back, one maybe part-time,” Martinez said.

History of Antioch Building Renovations

Martinez already has a history of buying and renovating buildings in Antioch, including five in downtown Rivertown.

The first one was the yellow painted “J. Ross building at the corner of G and W. 3rd Streets,” he shared. (That was the location of the first office for this reporter’s first newspaper, the Antioch Press).

Second was “the building where Blue’s Club was and Smash Burgers is located now” on the corner of W. 2nd and I Streets.

Third was “the old pool hall, the red brick building” on W. 2nd Street next to Smash Burgers.

Fourth was “the old Masonic Hall where the Antioch Armory is located, now” at the corner of W. 3rd and H Streets across from City Hall.

Then, he “bought and renovated the Casino Building” in Waldie Plaza, near the railroad tracks and river.

He likes to do mixed use with business below and apartments above, Martinez shared

“I’ve been downtown for 26 years, now,” he added.

Regarding the current renovations at Mac’s, Martinez said, “We have people driving by and they’ll honk and wave. We have people stopping by and sharing their stories, like one couple who said they got engaged there. It’s great.”

“It’s going to be nice. We’re excited,” he concluded.

Mac’s Old House is located at 3100 E. 18th Street in Antioch.

Donations, 10% of specific sales support effort through Dec. 31

By Allie Packer

Chick-fil-A Antioch at Lone Tree Way has partnered with Tunnels of Joy to bring the spirit of the season to life—one car at a time. The restaurant transformed its drive-thru into a “Tunnel of Joy,” complete with Christmas lights, festive décor and live carolers. This special effort is to support six-year-old Angelo Venegas, a local child bravely battling brain cancer. Guests will find QR codes on signage and in carry-out bags, providing them an easy way to donate for Angelo through Dec. 31. Additionally, the restaurant will donate 10% of the sale of all Peppermint Chip Milkshake sales to support Angelo during the same time frame.  

“We’re honored to partner with Tunnels of Joy to help bring light, hope and joy to families battling health challenges during the holiday season,” said Evan Hawthorne, local Owner-Operator of Chick-fil-A Antioch at Lone Tree Way. “We invite our community to join us in celebrating the season and supporting a cause that truly touches the hearts of so many people in our community. 

“Tunnels of Joy” is a Brentwood-based neighborhood group dedicated to raising funds and awareness for pediatric cancer patients and their families. Tunnels of Joy creates holiday light displays, featuring a walking path illuminated by lights and festive decorations. 

According to a post on the Tunnels of Joy Facebook page, “The reason for The Tunnels of Joy Season…ways to donate:

1. Venmo Donations go directly to the family.  Just scan the QR Code.

2. Donation Boxes are located at Tunnels of Joy on La Costa Dr and Torrey Pines…you can also drop off letters to Angelo here.

3. Chick fil A on Lone Tree is donating a percentage of its Peppermint Shake sales to Angelo, now through Dec 31st.”

Chick-fil-A Antioch is located at 5705 Lone Tree Way in the Slatten Ranch Shopping Center, is open 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed Sunday.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Monica’s Riverview is located at 1 I Street on the pier in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown. For menu and more information see www.visitmonicas.com.

^{Paid advertisement}