Aug 14, 2008 10:45 am US/Central
Roach In Sandwich Closes Barbecue Restaurant
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
A call to 311 to report a cockroach in a sandwich led to the closure Wednesday of a Near North Side barbecue restaurant.
Hecky's of Chicago at 1234 N. Halsted St. was shut down Wednesday afternoon when city health inspectors discovered evidence of a cockroach infestation, according to a release from the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Hecky's was also cited for a wastewater backup in a three-compartment sink, a faulty "hot holding" unit that was failing to keep cooked food at 140 degrees or above, and cooked food held at unsafe temperatures (15 pounds of ribs and 15 pounds of chicken at 110 degrees, which were discarded), the release said.
The inspection was triggered by a customer who called 311 to complain of finding a cockroach in his sandwich, the release said.
In addition to having its business license confiscated, Hecky's owners face an administrative hearing on Sept. 18 and expected fines of $2,250, the release said.
The Halsted Street Hecky's is adjacent to a gas station on the northwest corner of Halsted and Division streets.
The Hecky's name is well known for the popular barbecue restaurant at 1902 Green Bay Rd. in Evanston. But the Halsted Street Hecky's outlet was not owned or operated by the Evanston restaurant's parent company, Hecky Powell Inc.
The restaurant company Flash in the Pan Inc. was operating the Halsted Street restaurant and had been using the Hecky's name under a licensing agreement, Evanston Hecky's owner Hecky Powell said in an e-mail.
Powell said he has been trying to revoke Flash in the Pan's license to use the Hecky's name due to "documented violations of the licensing agreement."
"For those of us at Hecky Powell, Inc. and Hecky's Barbecue, food safety and sanitation is always a top priority," Powell said in his e-mail. "If I open a new Chicago branch of Hecky's Barbecue, I will personally oversee and manage the location. Furthermore, my heartfelt apologies go out to the people of Chicago for entrusting my name to these individuals."
The action against the Halsted Street Hecky's marked the 148th time in 2008 -- and the third time in as many days -- that health inspectors have shut a food establishment for violations of the city Health Code.
The STNG Wire contributed to this report.
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