Health inspectors in Chicago cited multiple sanitation violations at the Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago after finding wastewater on the kitchen floor, fly infestations and improperly sanitized dishes during a December inspection, according to food safety records from the Chicago Department of Public Health.
The violations were identified during a routine inspection on Dec. 17, 2025, when a city health inspector reviewed food preparation areas at the Near North Side property. According to inspection data published on the Chicago Data Portal, the findings resulted in citations against two of the hotel's food outlets: the main kitchen and the rooftop restaurant Terrace 16, formerly known as Sixteen.
The inspection results were first reported by NOTUS, which reviewed the public health records documenting the violations.
According to the inspector's report, several sanitation issues were discovered inside the hotel's main kitchen. Three preparation sinks were draining directly onto the floor, leaving standing wastewater across parts of the workspace.
The report also found problems with the commercial dishwasher used to sanitize dishes and utensils. The machine was not reaching the required temperatures or chemical levels needed to properly disinfect kitchenware.
At Terrace 16, inspectors observed pest activity around the bar and dishwashing areas. The inspection report stated that more than ten small flies were present near the bar area, along with additional insects in the dishwashing section.
According to the report, the inspector "instructed manager to service all areas affected by pests."
Other sanitation concerns were noted during the visit, including a cracked lid on an ice machine and debris accumulation inside a preparation cooler and on the floor beneath sinks.
Inspectors also observed staff handling food without protective gloves while preparing items including sushi toppings and burger buns. In addition, the employee restroom used by kitchen staff lacked hand soap during the inspection.
The property was instructed to correct the violations before a follow-up inspection scheduled for Dec. 23, 2025.
During that follow-up visit, inspectors cleared the main kitchen and Terrace 16 after most of the issues had been resolved. One item remained unresolved: the cracked lid on the ice machine had not yet been repaired or replaced.
The Chicago property has faced similar inspection issues in the past. Records reviewed by The Independent show that the hotel's kitchens also failed a health inspection in January 2024, when inspectors cited problems with temperature controls and food handling practices.
In that earlier inspection, officials found a chef reusing cleaned mollusc shells to serve oysters, a practice prohibited under food safety rules. The violations were later corrected after a subsequent inspection.
The Chicago findings are part of a broader series of health code issues reported at Trump-branded properties in recent months.
Health inspectors in Westchester County, New York, cited Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor for five violations following a Nov. 20, 2025 inspection, according to state health records reviewed by NOTUS. Inspectors reported insects and rodents at the property, along with sanitation issues including uncovered food and improperly stored ingredients.
Earlier in May 2025, the Somerset County Department of Health inspected Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and issued 18 health code violations, including nine classified as critical.
The violations cited at the Bedminster club included:
- Expired milk stored in refrigeration units
- Raw meat placed above ready-to-eat food
- Dishwashers failing to reach the required 170-degree Fahrenheit sanitation threshold
- Missing soap and paper towels at sinks
The inspection initially resulted in a score of 32 out of 100, the lowest recorded grade among 115 establishments inspected that month, according to local records.
David Schutzenhofer, general manager of Trump National Bedminster, disputed the findings in comments to NJBIZ, saying the report amounted to "clearly nothing more than a politically motivated attack."
Hours after Forbes published its report on the inspection results, health officials returned to the Bedminster club and raised its score from 32 to 86.
The Chicago property has also faced regulatory scrutiny unrelated to food safety. In September 2024, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thaddeus L. Wilson ruled that the hotel's operating entity, 401 North Wabash Venture LLC, violated the Illinois Environmental Protection Act.
The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed by then-Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and later joined by Friends of the Chicago River and the Illinois chapter of the Sierra Club. The plaintiffs alleged that the building's cooling water intake system drew large volumes of water from the Chicago River, harming fish and other aquatic life.
According to the court's findings, the building's system was capable of pulling up to 21 million gallons of river water per day and had underreported the volume of heated water discharged back into the river by roughly 44% for more than a decade.
