The Chicago Restaurants, Grocery Stores Ordered Closed Last Week

CHICAGO, IL — Dozens of Chicago restaurants and grocery stores are slapped with fines for health violations each week, but it takes a serious violation for a restaurant to be ordered closed, the city said. Places are ordered shuttered for reasons such as roach and mice infestations, major plumbing problems, food stored at the wrong temperatures and basic food safety rules not being followed, the city said.

Less-serious violations, which don't require closures, often include issues such as poor ventilation, inadequate lighting, worn seal on refrigerators, a few fruit flies and inappropriate materials like cardboard and paper sitting in the wrong places. Restaurants and stores are required to fix those problems immediately.

These were the restaurants and grocery stores that were ordered closed during the week of Aug. 20, according to the city's Department of Health:

• Dollar Tree at 4800 W. Fullerton Ave. in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood on the West Side was ordered closed after more than 200 rodent droppings were found throughout the store, health officials said. A live rat was caught in a trap in the basement during the inspection, the city said.
• Carniceria Jimenez - the grocery store at 4204 W. North Ave. in the Hermosa neighborhood on the West Side was ordered closed after inspectors found more than 800 rodent droppings throughout the store, the city said. A live mouse was found in the store's storage area, city officials said. More than 100 flies were also found throughout the store's basement storage rooms, according to the city's data portal.
• La Perla Tapatia Bakery at 4214 W. North Ave. in the Hermosa neighborhood was also closed after a rodent infestation was discovered, the city said. Health inspectors found over 140 rodent droppings throughout the bakery, the city said. More than 50 flies were found in the basement and toilet rooms, according to the city's data portal.

Information on which Chicago restaurants and grocery stores have been ordered closed is not available on the city's data portal. The city's public health department has committed to sending Patch weekly reports, and we will publish those as long as they are made available.

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