Ray's Food Market

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedSeptember 4, 2013
• address8645 S Cottage Grove Ave, Chicago 60619
• cuisineGrocery Store

Is Ray's Food Market clean?

Ray's Food Market is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on September 4, 2013. 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 Ray's Food Market?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on September 4, 2013, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Lighting: Required Minimum Foot-Candles Of Light Provided, Fixtures Shielded • REPAIR OR REPLACE BLOWN LIGHTS ON SALES FLOOR.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Premises Maintained Free Of Litter, Unnecessary Articles, Cleaning Equipment Properly Stored • ELIMINATE CLUTTER IN REAR STORAGE AREA.
• ⚠️Previous Serious Violation Corrected, 7-42-090 • THE FOLLOWING PREVIOUS SERIOUS VIOLATION NOTED 8-20-13 ON REPORT# 920372 NOT CORRECTED: -18- 20-30 MICE DROPPINGS OBSERVED SCATTERED ALONG THE BASES OF THE WALLS THROUGHOUT PREMISES. CLEANED AND SANITIZED ALL AFFECTED AREAS THROUGHOUT DURING RE-INSPECTION. CITATION ISSUED-CRITICAL FOR NON COMPLIANCE WITH EXISTING VIOLATION 7-42-090.critical
  Previous Serious Violation Corrected, 7-42-090 • THE FOLLOWING PREVIOUS SERIOUS VIOLATION NOTED 8-20-13 ON REPORT# 920372 NOT CORRECTED: -18- 20-30 MICE DROPPINGS OBSERVED SCATTERED ALONG THE BASES OF THE WALLS THROUGHOUT PREMISES. CLEANED AND SANITIZED ALL AFFECTED AREAS THROUGHOUT DURING RE-INSPECTION. CITATION ISSUED-CRITICAL FOR NON COMPLIANCE WITH EXISTING VIOLATION 7-42-090.
• ☠️toxic items stored near food
  No Evidence Of Rodent Or Insect Outer Openings Protected/Rodent Proofed, A Written Log Shall Be Maintained Available To The Inspectors • SEE VIOLATION #14
• ⚠️Dish Washing Facilities: Properly Designed, Constructed, Maintained, Installed, Located And Operated • NO HOT FOOD BEING PREPARED OR SERVED. 3 COMPARTMENT METAL SINK IN REAR STORAGE AREA NOT CONNECTED. MUST INSTALL THE 3 COMPARTMENT METAL SINK WITH DRAINBOARD AND GREASE TRAP SO ALL MULTI-USE UTENSILS AND EQUIPMENT CAN BE WASHED, RINSED, AND SANITIZED. NO CITATION ISSUED AT THIS TIME. MUST CORRECT THIS VIOLATION IF LEASE IS RENEWED IN ORDER TO SELL SNOW CONES AND COOK AND SERVE HOT FOOD.
  Dish Washing Facilities: Properly Designed, Constructed, Maintained, Installed, Located And Operated • NO HOT FOOD BEING PREPARED OR SERVED. 3 COMPARTMENT METAL SINK IN REAR STORAGE AREA NOT CONNECTED. MUST INSTALL THE 3 COMPARTMENT METAL SINK WITH DRAINBOARD AND GREASE TRAP SO ALL MULTI-USE UTENSILS AND EQUIPMENT CAN BE WASHED, RINSED, AND SANITIZED. NO CITATION ISSUED AT THIS TIME. MUST CORRECT THIS VIOLATION IF LEASE IS RENEWED IN ORDER TO SELL SNOW CONES AND COOK AND SERVE HOT FOOD.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Food And Non-Food Contact Equipment Utensils Clean, Free Of Abrasive Detergents • CLEAN THE FOLLOWING: ALL DISPLAY AND STORAGE SHELVES THROUGHOUT, ALL SINKS IN REAR, INTERIORS AND EXTERIORS OF ALL COOLERS AND FREEZERS, AND ALL OTHER UNCLEAN SURFACES THROUGHOUT.
• ⚠️Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • REPLACE ALL MISSING FLOOR TILES THROUGHOUT. DETAIL CLEAN ALL FLOORS THROUGHOUT ALONG ALL WALL BASES, IN CORNERS, UNDERNEATH AND BEHIND ALL HEAVY EQUIPMENT.
  Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • REPLACE ALL MISSING FLOOR TILES THROUGHOUT. DETAIL CLEAN ALL FLOORS THROUGHOUT ALONG ALL WALL BASES, IN CORNERS, UNDERNEATH AND BEHIND ALL HEAVY EQUIPMENT.

When was Ray's Food Market last inspected?

Ray's Food Market has 6 inspections on record going back to October 27, 2011.

Ray's Food Market vs Chatham

Chatham runs 62% clean across 443 tracked restaurants — 275 clean, 85 mid, 81 cooked.

Against the 443 spots Cooked tracks in Chatham, this one comes out cleaner than 24% of them.

Other spots in Chatham

• ✓! Grand Chinese Kitchen
  mid · March 23, 2016
• ✓ Dfl Managment Llc
  clean · January 15, 2015
• ✓! Big Mikes Gyros
  mid · January 12, 2016
• ✕ Red Snapper Fish & Chicken
  cooked · November 17, 2015
• ✓! Harolds #82
  mid · June 24, 2020
• ✓ Garrett Popcorn Shops
  clean · September 15, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in Chatham →

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 September 4, 2013. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.