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Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Trump Golf Club Received 18 Health Code Violations In May Inspection
One of President Donald Trump's New Jersey golf clubs received a 32 out of 100 health inspection score in May, the lowest grade in Somerset County, after it was flagged for 18 violations, including all three requirements in the 'food protected from contamination' category. Donald Trump during the 2007 launch of Trump Steaks at the Sharper Image in New York City. (Photo by ... More Stephen Lovekin/WireImage for Hill & Knowlton) The Somerset County Department of Health inspected Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster on May 6, according to the report, which is publicly available online. The club received a score of 32 out of a 100 possible points, with the inspector documenting 18 violations—nine of which were deemed critical, meaning they 'may result in an unacceptable health risk.' The club was out of compliance with all three requirements in the 'food protected from contamination' category, with violations including expired milk, raw meat stored improperly and a dishwasher that may not reach the required temperature (the first two problems were corrected during the inspection). The inspector also cited four separate hand-washing violations, including sinks without soap or paper towels, one lacking a required sign and another used to store a sanitizer bucket. The club was issued a 'conditionally satisfactory' C grade and required to display a placard with the grade in a visible location. Spokespeople for the Trump Organization and the Somerset County Health Department did not respond to inquiries. Of the roughly 115 retail food establishments inspected in Somerset County in May, Trump's club received the lowest score—32 out of 100. All but one other venue scored 60 or higher, according to a county records search. '[The person in charge] fails to demonstrate knowledge of food safety,' the inspector noted amid the volume and severity of the violations, which is a violation in and of itself under the health code. The club had until May 20 to correct the violations and now faces a follow-up inspection at an unspecified date. (If it has already occurred, the results have not been made public.) Under Bedminster's municipal code, a reinspection cannot result in a grade higher than B once a facility has received a conditional C. Trump owns the Bedminster golf club through a web of companies and the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, the same structure he used during his first term. Trump is the sole beneficiary of the trust, and can earn income from his businesses during his presidency. He spent more than 100 days at the property during his first term—second only to Mar-a-Lago—according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog. All retail food establishments in New Jersey, including those on private golf courses, are subject to at least one inspection per year under state law. 180—that's the minimum temperature required for a commercial dishwasher's final rinse under Somerset County guidelines. The gauge on Trump's kitchen dishwasher didn't even go that high, maxing out at 170 degrees. Trump described a Bedminster membership as 'an investment in life, luxury & leisure,' touting its 'top amenities & services' in a 2014 tweet. 'Observed household microwave in the main kitchen,' the inspector wrote. 'Must be removed. Only commercial grade equipment allowed in Retail food establishment.' Trump's Bedminster club continues to serve alcohol nearly a year after New Jersey declined to renew its liquor license, citing questions over whether President Trump's felony convictions disqualify him under state law. The club has a temporary permit, which is set to expire on June 30. Forbes estimates Donald Trump is worth about $5.1 billion, with much of his wealth coming from his shares in Trump Media. SEC Drops Binance Lawsuit Days After Crypto Exchange Lists Trump's Stablecoin (Forbes) Trump Media's $2.5 Billion Bitcoin Bet Mirrors White House Crypto Strategy (Forbes) Trump's Golf Courses Keep Pushing Legal Boundaries With Presidential Seal Markers (Forbes) Trump's Properties Charged Defense Department $1 Million, New Documents Reveal (Forbes) Trump's New Partner For Crypto Venture Is KuCoin — An Exchange Banned In U.S., Fined $300 Million For Money Laundering (Forbes)
Chicago Tribune
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
David Petitti: Once nirvana for mall shoppers, Northbrook Court's time has passed
If the afterlife imitates art, when I die in my bed like the old lady in 'Titanic,' I will be ushered into a sweet hereafter centered on the most glorious, glamorous place I knew in the physical realm. For Rose, that was being back aboard the Titanic, welcomed by Jack with an outstretched hand, the stairways and balcony lined with the passengers of that fateful voyage looking on with love, smiles and a hearty round of applause. For me, the apotheosis of grandeur and scintillation was Northbrook Court in the 1980s. Like a temple for the North Shore, the shofar of Northbrook Court called out to its faithful — just about everyone from ages 12 to 20 — to come together as a community in a vast enclosed space as moving as a medieval cathedral and just as sacred. To live in close proximity (walking distance for me) to Northbrook Court — once one of the largest indoor malls in America — was akin to being born with a silver spoon in your mouth. At your literal doorstep was a veritable world capital of social connection, retail nirvana and eclectic dining opportunities. As I strode over those shiny teak floors like a boy king, tracing a finger along the tinted glass railings of the second floor, I felt a part of something big. A kid only had to get to the mall to get plugged into the greatest social scene in the '312' (or '708' after 1989). You may not have been part of a clique there, but proximity lent relevance. You were there. You were part of the scene, like Tony Manero at 2001 Odyssey in 'Saturday Night Fever.' The irresistible frisson of Northbrook Court was kicked up a notch by who you might see there. Anybody who was anyone in the Chicago metropolitan area could possibly be lurking. Mike Ditka, Michael Jordan, certainly a pre-famous Vince Vaughn, the Murray brothers, even Mary Tyler Moore! The possibilities of running into the famous were omnipresent at Northbrook Court. And sometimes, you negotiated the inconveniences of a movie or television production. The films 'Weird Science' and 'Ordinary People' found their stories elevated by the magic of this mall. The retail offerings of Northbrook Court provide a snapshot of long-gone merchants that etched their place in the mercantile history of America: Sears, Sharper Image, Arcadia and KB Toys. For sustenance, there was One Potato Two, The Great Fry Company, Egg Roll and Etc. — and then, a McDonald's followed closely by a Taco Bell. For a 12-year-old, this food court was like 15 Michelin-starred restaurants in one giant culinary clump — a Voltron in eatery format. What choices! McNuggets? A Royal Potato? A cookie, perhaps? What is that pungent smell? Ah, Gloria Jean's Coffees must be grinding some java for an adventurous soul looking to try something different than a cup of Brim or Sanka. But time and progress march on. With the pandemic and the rise of e-commerce, Northbrook Court now bears more resemblance to Cairo, Illinois, than to the Fifth Avenue — or even Michigan Avenue — of the northern suburbs. With the departure of Apple this month, the mall is now in its final days. A vast surface lot that once was filled nearly to capacity in November and December of any given year now has space enough for drivers to do doughnuts on a snowy Black Friday. Like the ghostly hulk of the Titanic below the surface of the sea, Northbrook Court is a quiet and cavernous relic — at the bottom of the retail food chain. There is no second act. It will be redeveloped, probably to accommodate people who can hit a bucket of balls and have an appletini and some calamari before retiring to their new townhome. Maybe some will know the hallowed ground on which they trod — how it was, at one time, the nexus of culture, local society and fine (albeit, perhaps greasy) dining as a paragon of the suburban mall. Things change because they must. Creative destruction is healthy. Time has passed for this American classic.
