Health inspector closes Tiffany's

SYCAMORE - For only the third time in the last 11 years, DeKalb County officials have taken possession of a restaurant's permit after uncovering a spate of major health code violations. Tiffany's Restaurant & Pancake House, 1598 DeKalb Ave. in Sycamore, was officially shut down at noon on Friday, according to DeKalb County inspector Christel Springmire. It's the second time the restaurant's permit has been taken since October and only the third time one has been pulled since Springmire began in her position. She said that among the more serious problems were a roof that leaked into food preparation areas, a "number of cockroaches," flies and a broken cooler. "They're eating pretty well in there," Springmire said of the roaches, adding that for every one that can be found out in the open, there are typically 100 more in the walls. Contacted at his other restaurant in Ottawa, the Oasis, Tiffany's owner Gus Brotsis said he plans to reopen the Sycamore restaurant in about a month after remodeling and possibly renaming it. He acknowledged there were some problems at the restaurant - he described them as "small things" - including the leaky roof, but said he had never seen any cockroaches. On Wednesday, the sign on the restaurant's front door said "Closed - Remodeling." The county's health department periodically allows restaurants and other licensed food service establishments to retain their permits but close voluntarily to address health code violations. Pulling a permit is a sign that the department has gotten to the "end of the rope" in trying to get an establishment to fix violations, Springmire said. Tiffany's has been getting poor marks on its regular health inspections since opening in March 2001, Springmire said. "I wouldn't say it's gotten worse," she said. "The roof has gotten worse over time." The restaurant's file is an inch thick with inspection reports and violation listings, she said. Chris Rickert can be reached at crickert@daily-chronicle.com.