Michigan Food Center Inc.

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations3
• last inspectedJuly 17, 2025
• address5539 S Michigan Ave, Chicago 60637
• cuisineGrocery Store

Is Michigan Food Center Inc. clean?

Michigan Food Center Inc. is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on July 17, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 3 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Michigan Food Center Inc.?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 17, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🧼hand hygiene slippingcritical
  Proper Eating, Tasting, Drinking, Or Tobacco Use • OBSERVED EMPLOYEE EATING ON PREP TABLE BEHIND FRONT COUNTER. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE DESIGNATED AREA FOR EMPLOYEE MEALS OUTSIDE OF PREP AREA.
• 📋no certified food manager on dutycritical
  Person In Charge Present, Demonstrates Knowledge, And Performs Duties • OBSERVED NO PERSON IN CHARGE WITH VALID CHICAGO FOOD SANITATION CERTIFICATE. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO DESIGNATE PERSON IN CHARGE DURING ALL HOURS OF OPERATION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION
• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • OBSERVED NO CHICAGO FOOD SANITATION MANAGER ON SITE OR VALID CERTIFICATE POSTED WHEN TCS FOOD (ITALIAN BEEF, GROUND BEEF) PREPARED AND SERVED. A CHICAGO FOOD SANITATION MANAGER MUST BE ON SITE AT ALL TIMES TCS FOOD PREPARED AND SERVED. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-012 CITATION ISSUED
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED BOX OF GROUND BEEF STORED ON FLOOR INSIDE WALK-IN COOLER AND CHIPS STORED ON FLOOR IN SALES AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ELEVATE ALL FOOD ITEMS SIX INCHES OFF FLOOR
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED BOX OF GROUND BEEF STORED ON FLOOR INSIDE WALK-IN COOLER AND CHIPS STORED ON FLOOR IN SALES AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ELEVATE ALL FOOD ITEMS SIX INCHES OFF FLOOR
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Wiping Cloths: Properly Used & Stored • OBSERVED SOILED WIPING CLOTHS STORED ON PREP TABLE AND HAND WASHING SINK. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO STORE WIPING CLOTHS IN SANITIZING SOLUTION BETWEEN USES.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED ONLY ONE STOPPER FOR 3-COMPARTMENT SINK. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE ADQUATE STOPPERS AND MAINTAIN. OBSERVED MISSING FAN COVER INSIDE WALK-IN COOLER. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REPLACE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED SPILLS AND DEBRIS ON INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR SURFACES OF COOLERS, SLICER, OVEN, PREP TABLES, HOLDING UNITS, SINKS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED LEAKING FAUCET AND DRAINPIPE ON HAND WASHING SINK BEHIND FRONT COUNTER. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REPAIR AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED TOILET AND SINK IN NEED OF CLEANING IN WASHROOM. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED TOILET AND SINK IN NEED OF CLEANING IN WASHROOM. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED CLUTTER INSIDE PREP COOLER BEHIND FRONT COUNTER AND IN REAR DISH WASHING AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ORGANIZE ALL AREAS AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED MOP HEAD STORED ON FLOOR IN REAR DISH WASHING AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROPERLY HANG MOP TO PREVENT INSECT BREEDING. • OBSERVED STAINED CEILING TILES IN SALES AREA AND DAMAGED FLOOR TILES IN DISH WASHING AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REPLACE AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED MISSING LIGHT SHIELD IN WALK-IN COOLER. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REPLACE.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED MISSING LIGHT SHIELD IN WALK-IN COOLER. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REPLACE.

When was Michigan Food Center Inc. last inspected?

Michigan Food Center Inc. has 6 inspections on record going back to May 10, 2018.

Michigan Food Center Inc. vs Washington Park

Washington Park runs 69% clean across 291 tracked restaurants — 196 clean, 52 mid, 36 cooked.

Against the 291 spots Cooked tracks in Washington Park, this one comes out cleaner than 13% of them.

Other spots in Washington Park

• ✓ King Poolo
  clean · May 21, 2018
• ✓ Super Fair Foods
  clean · May 23, 2018
• ✓! Osco Drur # 3082
  mid · February 1, 2019
• ✓ 59Th Fish & Chicken, Inc
  clean · June 24, 2019
• ✓! 2 Potz & A Pan Eatery
  mid · November 13, 2019
• ✓! Tjp Services, Llc
  mid · March 19, 2020

See every restaurant inspection in Washington Park →

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 July 17, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.