Central General Merchadise

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedJune 9, 2023
• address326 N Central Ave, Chicago 60644
• cuisineGrocery Store

Is Central General Merchadise clean?

Central General Merchadise is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on June 9, 2023. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Central General Merchadise?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 9, 2023, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • OBSERVED NO CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER ON SITE WHILE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOODS (NACOS CHEESE, ICE CREAM) ARE BEING PREPARED AND SERVED. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN A CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER ON THE PREMISES WHILE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOODS ARE BEING PREPARED AND OR SERVED. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-012. CITATION ISSUED
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS STORED ON FLOOR IN DRY STOREAGE AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ELEVATE ALL FOOD SIX INCHES OFF FLOOR.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS STORED ON FLOOR IN DRY STOREAGE AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ELEVATE ALL FOOD SIX INCHES OFF FLOOR.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED MILK CRATES BEING USED AS SHELVING THROUGHOUT THE SALES FLOOR, BEHIND THE FRONT COUNTER, AND IN THE REAR STORAGE AREAS. MUST REMOVE AND PROVIDE SHELVING THAT IS 6" OFF THE FLOOR AND PROVIDES FLOOR ACCESSIBILITY TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FACILITY CLEANING.
• ⚠️Hot & Cold Water Available; Adequate Pressure • OBSERVED NO HOT WATER THROUGHOUT ESTABLISHMENT. FOUND IMPROPER HOT WATER TEMPERATURE AT HAND WASHING SINK IN FRONT AT 63.5F, HOT WATER TEMPERATURE AT 3-COMPARTMENT SINK FOUND AT 65.3F, HOT WATER TEMPERATURE AT HAND SINK IN BATHROOM FOUND AT 78.5F. INSTRUCTED MANAGER PROPER HOT WATER TEMPERATURE AT HAND WASHING SINKS MUST BE AT A MINIMUM OF 100.0F OR HIGHER THROUGH A MIXING VALVE OR COMBINATION FAUCET. HOT WATER TEMPERATURE AT 3-COMPARTMENT SINK MUST BE AT LEAST 110.0F TO PROPERLY WASH, RINSE AND SANITIZE UTENSILS AND EQUIPMENT. PRIORITY VIOLATION. 7-38-030(C). CITATION ISSUED. HOT WATER BECAME AVAILABLE DURING INPECTION WHILE TYPING MY REPORT AT 2:25PM. HANDSINK HOT WATER GOT TO 100.3F. 3 COMPARTMENT HOT WATER GOT TO 110.1F AND WASHROOM GOT TO 101.2F
  Hot & Cold Water Available; Adequate Pressure • OBSERVED NO HOT WATER THROUGHOUT ESTABLISHMENT. FOUND IMPROPER HOT WATER TEMPERATURE AT HAND WASHING SINK IN FRONT AT 63.5F, HOT WATER TEMPERATURE AT 3-COMPARTMENT SINK FOUND AT 65.3F, HOT WATER TEMPERATURE AT HAND SINK IN BATHROOM FOUND AT 78.5F. INSTRUCTED MANAGER PROPER HOT WATER TEMPERATURE AT HAND WASHING SINKS MUST BE AT A MINIMUM OF 100.0F OR HIGHER THROUGH A MIXING VALVE OR COMBINATION FAUCET. HOT WATER TEMPERATURE AT 3-COMPARTMENT SINK MUST BE AT LEAST 110.0F TO PROPERLY WASH, RINSE AND SANITIZE UTENSILS AND EQUIPMENT. PRIORITY VIOLATION. 7-38-030(C). CITATION ISSUED. HOT WATER BECAME AVAILABLE DURING INPECTION WHILE TYPING MY REPORT AT 2:25PM. HANDSINK HOT WATER GOT TO 100.3F. 3 COMPARTMENT HOT WATER GOT TO 110.1F AND WASHROOM GOT TO 101.2F
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • NOTED EMPLOYEE WASHROOM ON PREMISE WITH GARBAGE RECEPTACLES AND NO LIDS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE TRASH CANS WITH LIDS AT ALL WOMEN WASHROOMS AND UNISEX WASHROOMS.
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • NOTED EMPLOYEE WASHROOM ON PREMISE WITH GARBAGE RECEPTACLES AND NO LIDS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE TRASH CANS WITH LIDS AT ALL WOMEN WASHROOMS AND UNISEX WASHROOMS.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED SOILED MOP HEADS NOT PROPERLY STORED. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO HANG MOP HEADS TO PREVENT INSECT BREEDING. • OBSERVED MISSING AND DAMAGED FLOOR TILES ON THE SALES FLOOR. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR TO CREATE A SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE SURFACE. MUST MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES. • OBSERVED DEBRIS ON FLOORS ALONG WALLS AND CORNERS THROUGHTOUT FACILITY. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.

When was Central General Merchadise last inspected?

Central General Merchadise has 4 inspections on record going back to June 16, 2020.

Central General Merchadise vs Austin

Austin runs 65% clean across 770 tracked restaurants — 493 clean, 148 mid, 121 cooked.

Against the 770 spots Cooked tracks in Austin, this one comes out cleaner than 22% of them.

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How Chicago grades restaurants

Chicago does not use letter grades. Every inspection ends in one of three official results: Pass, Pass with Conditions, or Fail. Pass with Conditions means violations were found but corrected on the spot or under a deadline — the restaurant is open, with homework. A Fail means serious violations went uncorrected, and it usually brings a re-inspection within days. Chicago also flags “priority” violations, the ones most likely to actually make someone sick. Cooked reads Pass as clean, Pass with Conditions as mid, and Fail as cooked, and shows the itemized violations behind each result.

Source: Chicago Department of Public Health via Chicago Data Portal. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated June 9, 2023. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.