Popeye's

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedJuly 17, 2026
• address4431 S Archer Ave, Chicago 60632

Is Popeye's clean?

Popeye's is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on July 17, 2026. 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 Popeye's?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 17, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HANDWASHING SIGNAGE POSTED AT HANDWASHING SINK IN DISHWASHING AREA. INSTRUCTED TO POST CLEARLY VISIBLE SIGNAGE AT ALL HANDSWASHING SINKS USED BY FOOD EMPLOYEES THAT NOTIFIES FOOD EMPLOYEES TO WASH THEIR HANDS.
• 🧊cold food not cold enough
  Proper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED COLD TCS FOODS, HELD AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURES RANGING BETWEEN 47.0-63.1F. OBSERVED COLD TCS FOODS, CHEESE SLICES(55.8F), BLUEBERRY LEMON CHEESECAKE(57.6-63.1F), COLE SLAW(53.7-54.9F)AND SHREDDED LETTUCE(47.0F)HELD AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURE. INSTRUCTED ALL COLD TCS FOOD MUST BE HELD AT 41F OR BELOW. CORRECTED ON SITE MANAGER VOLUNTARILY DISCARDED AND DENATURED FOOD VALUED AT $150 WEIGHING 10LBS PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Proper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED TWO COLD HOLDING UNITS IN FACILITY AT IMPROPER AMBIENT TEMPERATURE. OBSERVED SMALL ONE DOOR COLD HOLDING UNIT IN FRONT PREP AREA UNDERNEATH HOT HOLDING EQUIPMENT AT IMPROPER AMBIENT TEMPERATURE OF 57.6F. OBSERVED ONE DOOR REFRIGERATOR IN FRONT PREP AREA AT IMPROPER AMBIENT TEMPERATURE OF 48.3F INSTRUCTED ALL COLD HOLDING UNITS MUST BE MAINTAINED AT 41F OR BELOW. CORRECTED ON SITE HELD FOR INSPECTION TAGS PLACED ON SMALL ONE DOOR COLD HOLDING UNIT UNDERNEATH HOT HOLDING EQUIPMENT AND ONE DOOR REFRIGERATOR IN FRONT PREP AREA. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • MISSING COVERS FOR SHREDDED LETTUCE, SHREDDED CHEESE AND PICKLES IN TOP AREA OF SMALL COLD HOLDING UNIT IN FRONT PREP AREA NEAR FRYERS AND CHICKEN HOT HOLDING UNIT. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE COVERS TO PROTECT FROM POSSIBLE CONTAMINATION.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • MISSING COVERS FOR SHREDDED LETTUCE, SHREDDED CHEESE AND PICKLES IN TOP AREA OF SMALL COLD HOLDING UNIT IN FRONT PREP AREA NEAR FRYERS AND CHICKEN HOT HOLDING UNIT. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE COVERS TO PROTECT FROM POSSIBLE CONTAMINATION.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED DEBRIS ON FLOOR IN INTERIOR OF CABINET UNDERNEATH DRIVE THRU ICE BIN. OBSERVED DEBRIS ON FLOOR TO THE RIGHT OF SAFE UNDERNEATH FRONT COUNTER. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN FLOORS IN SAID AREAS AND MAINTAIN. OBSERVED BEIGE BUILDUP ON FLOORS, ALONG BASES OF WALL AND IN INTERIOR OF FLOOR DRAIN UNDERNEATH THREE COMPARTMENT SINK AND SHELVING UNITS IN REAR DRY STORAGE AND DISHWASHING AREA. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN FLOORS, ALONG BASES OF WALL AND INTERIOR OF FLOOR DRAIN IN SAID AREA AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED MISSING DOOR HANDLE FOR MEN'S WASHROOM DOOR. INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE DOOR HANDLE FOR MEN'S WASHROOM DOOR.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED DUSTY CEILING VENTS IN HALLWAY LEADING TO REAR EXIT NEAR UTILITY SINK. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN CEILING VENTS IN SAID AREA AND MAINTAIN.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED DUSTY CEILING VENTS IN HALLWAY LEADING TO REAR EXIT NEAR UTILITY SINK. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN CEILING VENTS IN SAID AREA AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Previous Core Violation Corrected • OBSERVED PREVIOUS CORE VIOLATION FROM INSPECTION REPORT #2631377 DATED 02/18/2026 NOT CORRECTED. INSTRUCTED TO CORRECT. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-42-090 CITATION ISSUED. AT TIME OF INSPECTION FACILITY PROVIDED NO PROOF OF ALLERGEN AWARENESS TRAINING CERTIFICATES FOR ANY EMPLOYEES WITH CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION CERTIFICATES. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE PROOF OF ALLERGEN TRAINING FOR ALL EMPLOYEES WITH CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION CERTIFICATES.
  Previous Core Violation Corrected • OBSERVED PREVIOUS CORE VIOLATION FROM INSPECTION REPORT #2631377 DATED 02/18/2026 NOT CORRECTED. INSTRUCTED TO CORRECT. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-42-090 CITATION ISSUED. AT TIME OF INSPECTION FACILITY PROVIDED NO PROOF OF ALLERGEN AWARENESS TRAINING CERTIFICATES FOR ANY EMPLOYEES WITH CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION CERTIFICATES. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE PROOF OF ALLERGEN TRAINING FOR ALL EMPLOYEES WITH CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION CERTIFICATES.

When was Popeye's last inspected?

Popeye's has 19 inspections on record going back to July 17, 2020. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Popeye's vs Brighton Park

Brighton Park runs 64% clean across 402 tracked restaurants — 254 clean, 80 mid, 66 cooked.

Against the 402 spots Cooked tracks in Brighton Park, this one comes out cleaner than 23% of them.

Other spots in Brighton Park

• ✓ Domino's
  clean · September 26, 2025
• ✓! Que Rico!
  mid · June 8, 2026
• ✓ Pinches Tacos Y Michoacana Inc
  clean · October 3, 2024
• ✓ Chilaca
  clean · August 25, 2021
• ✓ Lacoco's Pizza & Wings
  clean · January 7, 2021
• ✓ Mexicolombia
  clean · April 30, 2024

See every restaurant inspection in Brighton 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, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.