Trump Chicago Hotel Restaurants Fail Health Inspection, Pass on Reinspection

Inspectors from the Chicago Department of Public Health arrived at Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago on December 17, 2025, and found the kind of violations that would trouble any kitchen: more than 10 small flies in the rooftop bar area, three more in the dish area, wastewater pooling on the main kitchen floor as prep sinks drained, and a dishwasher failing to properly sanitize dishes and utensils. Citations were issued that day against Terrace 16, the hotel's rooftop restaurant, as well as the main kitchen and room service areas.

The inspection records detail a broad range of failures. Perishable foods in one kitchen were being held at temperatures between 46 and 53 degrees Fahrenheit, well above safe holding thresholds. Raw shellfish kept in their shells, classified as shellstock, was stored in the main kitchen without a sold-or-serve-by date. Inspectors also found debris built up inside a prep cooler and on the floor beneath a sink, along with a cracked ice machine lid. The employee bathroom lacked handsoap, and multiple food handlers were observed preparing food without gloves, including workers assembling sushi toppings and handling burger buns.

The inspector instructed hotel management to "service all areas affected by pests" and directed them to address the full list of violations before a follow-up visit.

When the Chicago Department of Public Health returned on December 23, both Terrace 16 and the main kitchen passed reinspection. One item did not get resolved: the cracked ice machine lid was still in place, and the inspector again told management to replace it. Other hotel areas, including a banquet room and a lounge, were found compliant during the inspection period.

Neither Trump Hotels nor The Trump Organization responded to requests for comment, according to Notus.

The December failures are not an isolated event. According to inspection records, the restaurants at the property have failed health inspections multiple times since the hotel opened in 2009. The Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago has faced separate scrutiny as well: in 2024, a judge found the property violated environmental laws protecting wildlife in the Chicago River, following a lawsuit by then-Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan alleging the building's cooling intake system trapped and killed thousands of fish. The Trump Organization said at the time that the decision was politically motivated.

The six-day turnaround from failure to passing reinspection shows the kitchen teams can move quickly when citations land. Whether the fixes hold, and whether the cracked ice machine lid ever gets replaced, is a matter for the next scheduled inspection.