6 Chicago Whole Foods Stores Might Be Affected By Data Breach

CHICAGO, IL — Six Chicago Whole Foods Market locations might have been the victim of a security breach affecting stores with taprooms and full table-service restaurants. The upscale grocery chain has been investigating the breach after discovering unauthorized access to its payment card information through the point of sale system used at those locations, the business announced Tuesday. The primary store checkout systems — as well as payment cards processed that way — were not affected.

"When Whole Foods Market learned of this, the company launched an investigation, obtained the help of a leading cyber security forensics firm, contacted law enforcement, and is taking appropriate measures to address the issue," the chain said in a statement on its website, which also includes a searchable database of the possibly affected locations.

The security breach also did not involve any Amazon.com transactions, because those checkout systems are not connected to Whole Foods. The tech giant recently bought the grocery chain. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Chicago locations with taprooms and restaurants that might have been affected by the security breach include the following stores (the venues with potentially compromised point of sale systems are in parentheses):

• 6009 N. Broadway, Edgewater neighborhood (Cook Shack, wine bar, Real Good Juice)
• 959 W. Fullerton Ave., DePaul University campus (hamburger venue, pizza venue, Red Star Bar, sandwich venue, taqueria venue)
• 1550 N. Kingsbury St., Lincoln Park (poke venue, Real Good Juice)
• 3201 N. Ashland Ave., Lake View neighborhood (Cook Shack, Red Star Bar, wine bar, Real Good Juice)
• 255 E. Grand Ave., Streeterville neighborhood (Red Star Bar, Real Good Juice)
• 1 N. Halsted St., West Loop (Red Star Bar, Real Good Juice)

Other possibly compromised locations include stores in Chicago, Evanston, Willowbrook, Wheaton and Elmhurst.

Whole Foods is encouraging customers to monitor their payment and bank statements and report any suspicious or unauthorized charges to their financial institution.

Go to Whole Foods Markets' website for a seachable database of possibly affected locations across the country.

Six Whole Foods Markets locations in Chicago might have been affected by a security breach recently. (Photo by Scott Olson | Getty Images)

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