Hospital cafeteria back in service after cockroach inspection

The cafeteria at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center is open again as of Thursday.

City health officials confirmed the reopening after a follow-up inspection of the facility in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. The closure began in mid-October when inspectors found hundreds of live insects in the kitchen.

A report dated October 16 noted that both the Rendezvous Café and the patient kitchen failed to meet standards. Inspectors counted more than 200 live cockroaches in several locations. These areas included the main and rear food prep zones, the grill, the deep fryer, dry storage, and the main dish room.

The inspection also recorded black slime inside an ice machine and grease buildup on surfaces. Plumbing was leaking, and older sanitation issues had not been fixed. Previous citations included dead cockroaches, plus accumulations of grease, food debris, and dirt.

Hospital administrators said they were working to meet food safety standards. They stated that patients continued to receive meals during the closure through alternative preparation arrangements. The Chicago Department of Public Health said it approved the use of prepackaged food from an outside supplier to keep service running.

The department has not received any reports of infectious disease clusters linked to the incident.