Is It Safe In Your Favorite Chicago Restaurants?

The City of Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) has added an exciting new feature to their website. After several months of delay, the CDPH has placed restaurant inspection results on its web site. The department announced plans back in November of last year to post the restaurant inspection results online by the end of 2002. Red tape and administrative delays slowed the electronic postings until recently. The information is now available at www.cityofchicago.org/health.

The CDPH Food and Dairy Division manages this site under the “Food Protection Division – Food Inspection Reporting System.” The search engine allows you to locate information by restaurant name, address, and zip code. It will also establish identify of restaurants by a name they may be “Doing Business As”, and any alias under “Also Known As”. The name by which you know a business may be under any of these headings, so they have all been listed for your convenience.

Information on the last inspection date, inspection results, and license status has been posted. There is also a note, which explains that the eatery license status refers only to the Department of Public Health activity. An establishment may be in good standing with the Health Department, but may still have its license suspended by another City department, such as the Fire Department.

If a restaurant passed inspection with extenuating conditions, this information is also noted. You may want to call your favorite restaurant and let them know you have accessed this information online. It should help to keep them “on their toes” concerning food safety and sanitation.

This is a wonderful web site, but it would be even better if expanded to include more information about inspections and temporary restaurant shutdowns. Be sure and leave your comments on this latest effort by the city to make food eaten away from safer.

June 2003
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