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 Nov. 26, according to the city's Department of Health:

• Star Light Food Market at 2832-38 S. Wentworth Ave. in the Armour Square neighborhood on the South Side was ordered closed after health inspectors found mouse droppings throughout storage, sales and prep areas, the city said. Two dozen live roaches were found in the market's main kitchen cooking area, inspectors said. The market was also forced to throw out around 45 ducks and half a pig after inspectors said the meat was being stored at unsafe temperatures.
• Tiffin at 2536 W. Devon Ave. in the West Ridge neighborhood on the North Side was ordered shuttered after a pest infestation was discovered, the city said. More than 25 mouse droppings were found on an electrical closet shelf in the restaurant, the city said. Around 15 small flies were also found in the eatery, according to the city.
• Wingstop at 1637 N. Milwaukee Ave. in the Bucktown neighborhood was ordered closed after the restaurant failed to correct previous violations, the city said. Health inspectors found the hot water in the restaurant's dishwashing sink between four to seven degrees lower than regulations require, according to the city. The restaurant also failed to clean a dirty wall around the mop sink, the city said.
• Mama Luna Restaurant at 5109 W. Fullerton Ave. in the city's Belmont Cragin neighborhood on the West Side was ordered closed after health inspectors found a rodent infestation, the city said. More than 600 droppings were found throughout the restaurant, the city said. Health inspectors also said that a live mouse was found on a glue trap in an unused pizza oven, and two live roaches were found in the storage area.

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.

Lead image via Serghei Starus/Shutterstock