City shuts down Aroma on Randolph for smoking ban violation, cockroaches, etc.

The Chicago Department of Public Health shut down a restaurant in one of the city's main restaurant corridors today: Aroma snuffed: City shuts down West Loop restaurant for roaches, ashtrays. Just like in other closings, they detail a stomach-turning, face-contorting litany of civic sins:

...inspectors found dozens of cockroaches in the kitchen, particularly in the drip pan of a stove.

The restaurant also was cited for raw sewage backing up from a floor drain in the basement kitchen, no hand washing sink in the basement kitchen, a non-functioning hand washing sink in the kitchen on the main floor, no soap or hand towels at any sink on the premises, employees laying their shoes and clothing on top of plates and utensils, houseflies and fruit flies in the kitchen, and a poorly maintained outside garbage area (grease on top of and on the ground around the grease box).

The thing that caught my eye, though was the citation for violating the ban on smoking in restaurants and bars in Chicago:

CDPH inspectors also cited Aroma on Randolph for two violations of Chicago’s Clean Indoor Air Ordinance. Inspectors found two dozen dirty ashtrays hidden behind the bar. The second citation was issued because management had failed to post “No Smoking” signs as required by law.

The Aroma on Randolph web site states, “Our restaurant has a smoking area…”.

Pwned.

I hadn't heard of any violations since the ban was in place. I spoke with Joel Affick, President and CEO of the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago to see what he thought. He said that it was "very unusual" for such a violation to be issued. He further states that "our understanding is that restaurants and bars are in substantial compliance with the ban. They may not have embraced the ordinance when it passed, but they are following the law for the most part. That is similar to other states and cities that have gone smoke-free."

You can't blame Aroma for placing the "we like smokers" notice on their Web site, though -- would you expect a city department with a URL like this: http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalEntityHomeAction.do?entityName=Health&entityNameEnumValue=21 to be using the Web to gather evidence against you? $4,400 in fines later, Aroma might be consider a site update.

Once again, a vigilant, grossed-out customer called 311 to initiate the inspection:

Today’s inspection was triggered by a customer who contacted CDPH via the City of Chicago web site to allege that she had found a cockroach in her food.

Aroma's administrative hearing is set for August 28.