Boba tea shop grand opening draws scrutiny by Concord police

CONCORD -- On Sunday, the opening of a new boba tea shop in Concord, advertised on social media, raised fears about the size of the expected crowd. So, instead of the city being happy about the opening of a new small business, the store's owner said he was threatened by police for inviting car enthusiasts to join the festivities.

It was opening day for the Milk Tea Lab on Clayton Road in Concord and, as a first-time business owner, Iyanni Muniz knew he had to do something to get the word out.

"We're not a huge corporation so, in order for us to get our name and ourselves out there, we have to advertise," he said. "Now, with today's technology, social media is key. It's crucial and I have a bunch of buddies that I network with and they spread the word."

One of his buddies posted a public invitation on a TikTok site called "Bay Area Car Meets," calling on car owners to support the opening.  But it caught the attention of Concord police and Muniz said a lieutenant threatened him with fines and ticketing if he tried to hold an "unpermitted event."

"She came to my business just to let me know in my face that this is not gonna happen," Muniz said.  "And I said, you know what?  This is my grand opening. I have my attorney stating that we can still have our grand opening -- just not the car meet -- but people are more than welcome to join us at any time."

The tea lab is next to a long-shuttered Kmart and, about a week ago, Muniz found that the large, empty parking lot in front had been cordoned-off with caution tape and signs reading, "No Trespassing. No Unpermitted Events."

"I came out, this was all here," said Muniz. "So, I don't know who put it up but most likely it would be the police department of Concord because those are their quotation of words 'unpermitted events' -- 'no unpermitted events.'"

So, at 11 a.m., the car meet that wasn't a car meet began, with dozens of expensive vehicles arriving, their young passengers filling the boba shop with grand opening customers. Outside, the car enthusiasts didn't seem very surprised that they drew the suspicions of law enforcement.

"I don't know, I think everybody's suspicious of something they don't understand," said Chris Vincent from El Sobrante. "I think, if you're part of the car scene, there's nothing to be suspicious about. Just some like-minded people hanging out. No different from a bowling league, baseball team or a basketball team. It's the same thing."

"It's literally just a park-and-chill," said car owner Cesar Reyes from Brentwood. "This isn't rocket science. You can literally look to see what kind of car meet it's going to be. So, this isn't like they should see the post and think, 'Oh, this is going to be a sideshow.' These never turn into sideshows."

John Avila is Muniz's friend who posted the invitation online and said people often classify all car gatherings as illegal sideshows.

"I feel like that was a rude, disrespectful way of how they came here," he said. "And it just wasn't -- how do I say -- 'professional,' as it can be."

Muniz was never trying to pick a fight. He just did what he could to make his first day a success in a shopping center that has been pretty quiet for a long time.

"I just want them to know that this could be a good turnaround," he said. "And, at the end of the day, everything will be fine."

At the end of the day, everything was fine. Thanks to social media, the store enjoyed lots of new customers even though none of them had a permit to be there.

On Sunday evening, Concord police responded to say the signs were put up by the property owner who, they say, did not want the gathering to take place. Muniz disputed that, saying the owner had no problem with the gathering until approached by the police.