Lake View hospital kitchen reopens after license pulled for 'cockroach infestation,' other violations

Illinois Masonic Medical Center's cafeteria and kitchen has reopened after it was shuttered earlier this month when a “cockroach infestation” contributed to a failed health inspection, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.

The kitchen had its license suspended Oct. 16 for failing the inspection, and multiple citations were issued, but it was reinstated Thursday after a follow-up inspection, the department said in a statement Friday.

In the report published earlier this month, city inspectors said they observed more than 200 live cockroaches in multiple areas, which included food preparation areas, the grill and deep fryer areas, dry storage and the main dish room, per city records. Dead roaches were found under the dry storage racks for a second time after staff were instructed to clean them during an inspection earlier this year.

It also detailed black slime accumulating inside a cooler until it dripped onto ice being used for the cafeterias. Inspectors also observed utensils being improperly stored, old food on walls and a mounted can opener. There were leaky pipes and accumulations of dust, grease, and dirt throughout the kitchen and storage areas.

Other previous violations were also said to have not been corrected.

The follow-up inspection shows the hospital had exterminators at the premises and remedied all other violations, according to city documents. Advocate Health, which operates Illinois Masonic, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Rendezvous Cafeteria and patient kitchen at the hospital passed an inspection with conditions April 15. City officials noted the dead cockroaches in the dry storage area and said the kitchens were storing raw chicken above 56 degrees and other foods at similarly high temperatures. A manager, the inspection said, disposed of $250 in food on the spot, though citations were still issued.

The hospital’s Ecos Cafe also faced citations for storing food at high temperatures and having the handwashing sink in its prep area obstructed by clutter, among other issues, per a separate April 15 report. In that case, employees disposed of nine pounds of food that inspectors had marked as improperly stored.

It's the fifth time since 2010 that a kitchen at the hospital has failed a health inspection, per city records.

The hospital last failed a city inspection in August 2023, when inspectors once noted the buildup of black slime in the ice machines and on food — such as salmon and chicken — being stored at improperly high temperatures, per the report.