ProofNotFluff

Free sample, updated every Monday

Chicago Restaurant Inspection Leads

118 Chicago food businesses failed or passed with conditions in the last 30 days, and 130 had the license inspection Chicago does before it issues a food license. For pest control, hood cleaning, grease trap and commercial kitchen cleaning companies, and vendors to new restaurants.

New list every Monday. Cancel any time.

Failed or conditional
118
last 30 days
Opening soon
130
license inspections
Failed more than once
23
2 or more fails in 90 days
New this week
53
inspected in the last 7 days

City records through Oct 16, 2026, pulled Oct 18, 2026. Refreshed every Monday.

Leads by trade this week

Places on the failed or conditional list, by the violation category that fits your work, and places that had a license inspection.

  1. Pest controlwith a pest violation82
  2. Hood and exhaust cleaningwith a hood or exhaust violation23
  3. Grease trap and drainswith a grease trap or drain violation13
  4. Kitchen cleaningwith a cleaning violation94
  5. POS, linen and new-account vendorswith a license inspection130

Failed or conditional: a sample

The members' list names each place, with its address, its 24-month City inspection history and the City's violation codes. This public sample shows the record without the name.

City result: Fail

Name and address on the members' list

Restaurant in Grand Boulevard
Categories
Pests, Cleaning
Inspected
Oct 16, 2026, Complaint

City result: Fail

Name and address on the members' list

Restaurant in Lake View
Categories
Pests, Grease trap and drains, Cleaning
Inspected
Oct 16, 2026, Complaint

City result: Fail

Name and address on the members' list

Restaurant in West Elsdon
Categories
Pests, Cleaning
Inspected
Oct 15, 2026, Complaint

Opening soon: a sample

Chicago inspects a food business before it issues a food license, so many of these places are about to open or just opened. A new food business usually needs pest control, cleaning, linen and a point of sale, and many need hood and grease service. This public sample names only places that passed.

License inspection: Pass

La MichoacanaRestaurant
Where
2740 W 59th St, Gage Park
Inspected
Oct 16, 2026, License

License inspection: Pass

Da's Catering LLCRestaurant
Where
7117 S State St, Greater Grand Crossing
Inspected
Oct 15, 2026, License

License inspection: Pass

Gibsons TavernRestaurant
Where
925 W Fulton Market, Near West Side
Inspected
Oct 15, 2026, License

How to use this list

Pick your category. A pest violation is a pest control lead, a ventilation or hood violation is a hood cleaning lead, and a waste water or grease trap violation is a grease trap lead.

Call within a few days of the inspection date, during a quiet hour (2 to 4 pm suits most kitchens). Name the City's public record and its date, and leave any judgment out of it.

Offer what helps before the re-inspection: a service visit, a service log or a cleaning record the inspector can see.

Work the openings list early. A place that just had its license inspection is choosing every vendor for the first time.

Get the full list every Monday

Every place on all three lists, named, with its address, community area, the City's result and date, our violation category with the City's violation codes, and its 24-month inspection history: in a members' web app with a map, filters by category, result, area and date, and CSV export, and in an Excel file. Plus a pitch kit: a call opener and an email for each trade.

Get the full list, $39 a month

Secure checkout by Gumroad. Cancel any time.

Questions

Where does this data come from?

The City of Chicago Data Portal's Food Inspections dataset. We pull it every Monday and keep the last 30 days of inspections up to the newest one the City has published, because the City posts results a few days late.

What do the categories mean?

They are our reading of the City's violation codes: Pests is violation 38 (insects, rodents and animals) and any inspector note naming pests; Hood is violation 56 when it names a hood, filter, exhaust or grease; Grease trap and drains is violation 52 and any note naming a grease trap, interceptor or clogged drain; Cleaning is violation 49 and cleaning notes under 53, 54, 55 and 60.

Who is left out?

Schools, colleges, day care and other children's sites, hospitals, nursing, rehab and senior sites, shelters, mobile vendors, and places the City last marked out of business or not located are left out. So is a place whose business name reads as only a person's name: a first and last name, with or without LLC or Inc, or a title and a first name, such as "Chef Maria". A name with a business word or a possessive, such as "Garcia Bakery" or "Maria's Kitchen", stays. Names are checked against lists of common first names and surnames, so the check can miss one; if a business on the list goes by a person's name, write to hello@proofnotfluff.com.

Does a place on the list have a problem today?

Not necessarily. The list repeats the City's result on the inspection date. Many places pass a re-inspection within days, and the members' list shows that newer result next to the old one.

Do you contact these businesses for me?

No. You make your own calls and emails. We never contact anyone on your behalf, and no business listed has endorsed or works with ProofNotFluff.

Why doesn't this page show names?

On this public page we never name a business with a failed result. Members get the full list, licensed to their own business for its own sales calls.