Feb. 25 update:
The Bean has now reopened to served packaged food according to Kristin Claes Mathews, senior director of strategic communications at university communications. “Requirements put forth by the City of Chicago in order for The Bean to resume serving fresh beverage items in SAC are being assessed,” Mathews said.
Mathews added, “No pests were found on site at the Bean. Yesterday, the required Pest Control log was shared with the health inspector,” and “All dining service vendors on campus must meet the City of Chicago’s health code standards, and inspections are routinely conducted.”
—
An on-campus dining option, The Bean, in Lincoln Park was shut down on Friday, Feb. 20, after a canvass inspection from the Chicago Department of Public Health .
The Bean Caffe, housed in the Schmitt Academic Center, was found in violation of 13 health code statutes, according to CDPH records.
Some of these violations include no posting of required public health literature, employees seen handling food and drinks after doing other tasks without washing hands, none of the prep coolers having thermometers to ensure proper temperature and no log book maintained with proof of pest control.
The handwashing violation and lack of water connection to other hand washing stations were categorized as a “primary violation,” which CDPH considers to be “an immediate health hazard that carries a high-risk of causing food-borne illness,” according to CDPH’s website, which led to the license suspension.
The Bean was considered a medium risk establishment, with a moderate risk of food-borne illness based on what it served — including sandwiches, smoothies and coffee.
Once the vendor who runs The Bean, corrects all violations, they must sign an affidavit and schedule a follow up appointment with CDPH to resume operations.
“DePaul is committed to ensuring our students have access to safe, convenient food service,” Kristin Claes Mathews, senior director of strategic communications at university communications, said in a comment to The DePaulia. “We are working quickly to assess the issues flagged during the city health inspection.
Some students find this shut-down to be frustrating.
“I’m pretty pissed,” Andrew Ciarelli, a DePaul junior, said. “Honestly I still would’ve gone even after the health inspection came back negative. Coffee might actually be worth catching a cold.”
This is the first time The Bean has failed a health inspection. The last time the establishment received a citation was in 2017, for not having a grease trap installed in the dish sink and clutter.
Other DePaul coffee spots like Brownstones and The Bean in the Ray Meyer Fitness Center are still open for operation.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story said The Bean is a Blue Demon dining option. While the cafe is operated on DePaul’s campus it is not managed by Blue Demon Dining powered by Chartwells Higher Education. This error has been corrected. The bean is an independently operated vendor.
