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

• Wendy's at 7 E. 111th St. in the Roseland neighborhood on the South Side was ordered shuttered due to a roach infestation, city officials said. The city said more than 80 live roaches were found throughout the restaurant's prep areas, around the ice machine, around hand sinks and on prep equipment. Multiple dead roaches were also found throughout the restaurant, the city said.
• Latin American Rest & Lounge at 2743 W. Division St. in the Humboldt Park neighborhood was ordered closed after health inspectors discovered a rat infestation in the restaurant, the city said. The details of the infestation were not available on 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.

Lead image via Serghei Starus/Shutterstock