Cooked?
The French Lunchbox
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations3
- last inspectedMarch 6, 2019
- address131 N Clinton St, Chicago 60661
Is The French Lunchbox clean?
The French Lunchbox is currently listed as closed by Chicago Department of Public Health, as of its inspection on March 6, 2019. 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 The French Lunchbox?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on March 6, 2019, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 📋certified manager paperwork missingcriticalCity Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • NO CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED MANAGER ONSITE DURING THE INSPECTION WHILE TCS FOODS; DUCK HOLLANDAISE SAUCE AND SOUPS, ARE BEING PREPARED OR SERVED. INSTRUCTED TO HAVE A CERTIFIED MANAGER ONSITE AT ALL TIMES WHEN TCS FOODS ARE BEING PREPARED OR SERVED. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-012 CITATION ISSUED.
- 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcriticalManagement, Food Employee And Conditional Employee; Knowledge, Responsibilities And Reporting • NO EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY ONSITE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE THE CITY'S HEALTH POLICY OR SIMILAR DOCUMENTS USED TO DEMONSTRATE COMPLIANCE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-010 NO CITATION ISSUED.
- 🤒staff working while sickcriticalProcedures For Responding To Vomiting And Diarrheal Events • NO CLEAN UP KIT OR PROCEDURES ON SITE DURING THE INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE CLEAN UP KIT AND POST PROCEDURES FOR EMPLOYEES TO FOLLOW. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-005 NO CITATION ISSUED.
- 🧊cold food not cold enoughProper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED TCS FOODS IN THE PREP COOLER AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURES. 22 LBS OF GNOCCHI AT 5OF, VALUED $125. 5 LBS OF DUCK AT 50F, VALUED AT $200. 5 LBS OF SOUP (W/TCS INGREDIENTS) AT 50F, VALUED AT $160. 3 LBS OF PASTA AT 51F, VALUED AT $6. MANAGER VOLUNTARILY DISCARDED AND DENATURED FOOD. INSTRUCTED TO KEEP TCS COLD FOODS AT 41F OR BELOW. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
- 📄consumer advisory missingConsumer Advisory Provided For Raw/Undercooked Food • MUST ADD DISCLOSURE AND POST REMINDER STATEMENT ON MENUS REGARDING RAW OR UNDER-COOKED FOODS. SEE CODE INFORMATION ABOVE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-005 NO CITATION ISSUED.
- 🧫food prep surfaces dirtyProper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED PREP COOLER AT AN INADEQUATE TEMPERATURE OF 48F WITH TCS FOODS INSIDE. INSTRUCTED TO DISCONTINUE USING COOLER UNTIL SERVICED AND TEMPERATURE IS MAINTAINING A COLD TEMPERATURE OF 41F OF BELOW. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeFood & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • MUST REPLACE CUTTING BOARD ON PREP COOLER, Surfaces such as cutting blocks and boards that are subject to scratching and scoring shall be resurfaced if they can no longer be effectively cleaned and SANITIZED, or discarded if they are not capable of being resurfaced. INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN.
- 🚻bathroom / plumbing issuesPlumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • MUST REPAIR LEAKY PIPE UNDERNEATH 3-COMP SINK, INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN.
- 🥜allergen training missingAllergen Training As Required • ALLERGEN CERTIFICATES ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE A CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SANITATION LICENSE. INSTRUCTED TO COMPLETE THE ONLINE TRAINING AND KEEP CERTIFICATE ONSITE.
When was The French Lunchbox last inspected?
The French Lunchbox has 5 inspections on record going back to January 30, 2017.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| December 3, 2021 | closed by the city | |
| March 6, 2019 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| January 26, 2018 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| May 18, 2017 | Pass | |
| January 30, 2017 | Pass |
The French Lunchbox vs Loop
Loop runs 44% clean across 3,616 tracked restaurants — 1,566 clean, 332 mid, 1,687 cooked.
Against the 3,616 spots Cooked tracks in Loop, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.
Other spots in Loop
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 March 6, 2019. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.