Macy's Food Court Closed Down by Health Officials
On Monday, 16, at about 1:30 p.m., the lower level food court of Macy's State Street store in the Loop, Chicago, was shut down. This was as a result of various health violations of the City Health Code.
A week earlier, inspectors from the Chicago Department of Public Health had found the place infested with fruit flies and also observed a number of unsanitary conditions there.
A spokesman for the Chicago Department of Public Health, Tim Hadac, stated that the inspection followed a complaint by a customer that Monday, who had phoned in to the city's 3 11 center complaining of illness after consuming a prepackaged salad there over the weekend.
Initially the restaurant had been fined. But when the department returned for a reexamination they found an additional number of infringements.
Hadac said, "Not only did they not do anything, the problems seemed to get worse…It was a surprising and disappointing lack of adherence to basic food safety regulation. . . . We stopped counting fruit flies when they hit 200."
On examination, the lower level of the food court was found to be ridden with fruit flies. Besides this, the waste water meant to flow out through a floor drain was found to be backing up, and a three compartment sink was found to be leaking. The trash area indoors was also poorly maintained with grease and food remains scattered on the walls and floor around a garbage bin.
Macy's spokeswoman, Jennifer McNamara, said the MarketPlace food court and adjoining Starbucks coffee store had been closed by 1:30 p.m. Monday. Neither well patronized Walnut Room on the 7th floor, or any of the department's other restaurants has been involved in the occurrence.
Hadac pointed out that no other incidents of illnesses with regard to Marketplace had been reported.
Hoping to reopen the next day, Macy's worked zealously to address the problems.
Representatives of the food court will have to attend an administrative hearing on Aug. 23, make their case and pay a fine that is expected to add up to $1,000.
In the meantime, as McNamara reiterates, “We are fully committed to maintaining high standards with our food safety.”
The Health Department said 2007 had already had its fair share of health violation incidents with this being the 163rd time this year that a food establishment had been shut down for unhygienic circumstances.
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