City officials revoked the service license for Calumet Fisheries, after the beloved Southeast Side seafood restaurant failed health inspections, but the owners are hoping to reopen in the next few weeks.
“We haven’t been in business for over 75 years to close down for a small violation,” co-owner Mark Kotlick told the Sun-Times.
The Chicago Department of Public Health shut down Calumet Fisheries, the well-known seafood spot along the Calumet River, Oct. 31 after finding evidence of rodents.
Health inspectors found more than 150 droppings of mice and rats in storage areas and in the basement, according to public health records. The shop at 3259 E. 95th St. was given a week to correct the violations but when health inspectors arrived on Monday, they said they still found evidence of pests.
An aerial view of Calumet Fisheries at 3259 E. 95th St. along the Calumet River, Friday afternoon. The location recently had its license suspended by the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Brian Ernst/Sun-Times
On Friday, signs reading “closed for remodeling” and one with “license suspended” were seen covering the shop’s windows.
“We think we got a bad deal from the health inspectors but we’ll go through and fix everything that was put on the list,” Kotlick said. “We hope to get back up and running soon.”
Kotlick said he expects to reopen in the next couple of weeks after remodeling is finished. The shop with have a new paint job and new flooring when it does.
Inspectors also cited the fishery for about a dozen other minor issues that needed to be corrected.
Vice President Kamala Harris stopped by the shop during her visit to Chicago in January. The vice president picked up two bags of food, including smoked salmon and trout, and told a Calumet Fisheries employee that trout was her husband’s favorite.