Sams's Food

• resultFail
• critical violations2
• last inspectedMay 6, 2020
• address2801 S Christiana Ave, Chicago 60623
• cuisineGrocery Store

Is Sams's Food clean?

Sams's Food is currently listed as closed by Chicago Department of Public Health, as of its inspection on May 6, 2020. A closure means inspectors found conditions serious enough to stop service — it is not the same as a restaurant choosing to shut down, and the listing can change once the problems are fixed and re-inspected.

What did inspectors find at Sams's Food?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 6, 2020, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcritical
  Management, Food Employee And Conditional Employee; Knowledge, Responsibilities And Reporting • 2-102.14(O) OBSERVED NO EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY ON SITE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-010.
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • 6-301.14 OBSERVED A HAND WASHING SIGN IS NEEDED AT THE 1ST FLOOR HAND WASHING SINK. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE.
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Thermometers Provided & Accurate • 4-302.12 OBSERVED NO METAL STEM THERMOMETER ON SITE TO TAKE TEMPERATURES OF COLD AND HOT FOODS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-005.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • 6-501.111 OBSERVED SPIDERS IN THE TOILET ROOM LOCATED ON THE WALLS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND SANITIZE AFFECTED AREAS. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-020(A). • 6-202.15 OBSERVED A 1/4 INCH GAP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FRONT ENTRANCE DOOR. INSTRUCTED TO MAKE SAID DOOR TIGHT FITTING.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • 5-205.15 OBSERVED THE HOT WATER KNOB IS IN POOR REPAIR. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • 6-501.114 OBSERVED UNUSED EQUIPMENT (NACHO MACHINE) LOCATED AT THE FRONT CUSTOMER COUNTER. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE. • 6-501.12 OBSERVED ACCMULATED DIRT AND DUST DEBRIS UNDER THE CUSTOMER SERVICE COUNTER AND IN THE REAR UNDER THE 2 COMPARTMENT SINK AS WELL AS UNDER AND IN BETWEEN REFRIGERATION UNITS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN.

When was Sams's Food last inspected?

Sams's Food has 8 inspections on record going back to August 13, 2012.

Sams's Food vs South Lawndale

South Lawndale runs 32% clean across 668 tracked restaurants — 216 clean, 40 mid, 409 cooked.

Against the 668 spots Cooked tracks in South Lawndale, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in South Lawndale

• ✓ La Esperanza
  cooked · July 7, 2023
• ✓ K & G Supermarket
  cooked · July 11, 2013
• ✓ Teresita Food
  clean · August 27, 2012
• ✓ Sacramento Food & Liquor
  cooked · June 21, 2016
• ✓ Sacramento Food & Liquor
  clean · October 10, 2012
• ✓ Supermercado La Tapatia Carniceria
  cooked · May 27, 2015

See every restaurant inspection in South Lawndale →

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 May 6, 2020. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.