LOGAN SQUARE — The city temporarily shut down Dill Pickle Co-Op after the Logan Square store failed a recent health inspection.
Dill Pickle’s license was temporarily suspended on Tuesday, according to the manager and city officials. Signs plastered to the grocery store, including a neon green Chicago Department of Public Health sign, said the grocery store at 2746 N. Milwaukee Ave. was closed Tuesday and isn’t allowed to reopen until Friday.
A spokeswoman for the city’s public health department said officials shut down the store because of the dismal results from an inspection on May 5.
City inspectors found seven dead mice, about 100 mice droppings and dead insects in the grocery store’s basement, according to city records.
Inspectors also found expired hummus and marinara sauce in the walk-in kitchen cooler. Management voluntarily threw out the expired products once notified, according to the report.
Officials also discovered Dill Pickle has no written employee health policy, which also is a health code violation. Officials instructed management to implement signed employee health policies for each employee, according to the report.
The city’s spokeswoman said health officials conducted a follow-up inspection Tuesday, prompting the closure.
“We’re making changes to comply with city regulations,” General manager I’Talia McCarthy said in an email. “As always, our priority is to ensure a safe and clean environment for our shoppers and staff. … In the meantime, Dill Pickle employees will be working their usual shifts to assist with this effort.”
Earlier this month, a small group of Dill Pickle workers took to the streets to protest the recent firing of two workers, and to demand that management recognize their union and give them more hazard pay amid the coronavirus pandemic.
At the time, McCarthy said management has been doing everything they can to protect workers during the coronavirus crisis, including implementing new safety measures, and that they do support the workers’ right to unionize.
Ariel Parrella-Aureli contributed to this report.
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