How Not to Handle Removing Health Department's "Neon Green Letter"

It's understandable that those puke phosphorescent green "license suspended" stickers the city Health Department plasters across the doors of restaurants and stores that fail inspections can be unsightly, not to mention bad for business if enough regular customers catch sight of them.

Remove the signs without fixing the violations that caused them to be posted in the first place, however, restaurant owners run the risk of having their pee-pees whacked. Such was the case for Fulton's on the River. Last Thursday they were shut down by the Health Department after an inspection &# 151 prompted by a 311 call from a customer claiming to have gotten sick eating oysters there — found a fruit fly infestation, some minor plumbing problems and loose floor tiles. What prompted the ire of Health Department Spokesman Tim Hadac was a news report that the 2' x3' sign had been removed, which could lead to a hefty fine from the Health Department.

By the way, if you're looking to hit Fulton's for dinner, wait at least a day. We placed a call to the restaurant and were told that they should be open for lunch tomorrow. [Tribune]

(Previous Chicagoist coverage of Fulton's on the River.)