CDPH inspectors didn't have to go far yesterday to put in a full day's work.
Health Violations Unacceptable
Two restaurants in the Albany Park neighborhood remain closed after being shut down Tuesday afternoon by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).
Salam, 4636 N. Kedzie, was shut down after CDPH inspectors found no hot water on the premises, mold inside an automatic ice machine, food at unsafe temperatures (14 pounds of raw chicken and 15 pounds of raw pork sausage at 46 degrees, which was ordered discarded), grills and fryers in need of detailed cleaning, cutting boards that need to be replaced or re-surfaced, and no certified food manager on duty.
Gyros Stop, 4634 N. Kedzie, was shut down after CDPH inspectors found food at unsafe temperatures (three pounds of raw chicken at 44 degrees and a whole cooked chicken at 121 degrees, which was ordered discarded), a faulty refrigeration unit that was no colder than 57 degrees (well under the required 40 degrees or colder), rodent feces in a food storage area, floors in need of detailed cleaning, a hole in a back wall that needs to be fixed, and no certified food manager on duty.
Tuesday’s visits to Salam and Gyros Stop by CDPH inspectors were routine, unannounced inspections.
Each restaurant will remain closed until it has corrected all violations and passed re-inspection.
The enforcement actions were the third and fourth times in 2009 that Health Department inspectors have shut a food establishment for violations of the Chicago Health Code. Representatives from both restaurants will have to explain themselves at administrative hearings next month and pay fines expected to total $1,750 each.
Chicagoans who believe that a restaurant or any other licensed food establishment is operating in an unsafe manner are encouraged to report it by calling 311 or visiting www.cityofchicago.org.