(Old) Which Restaurants Will Get a Passing Grade?

Beginning in July of 2010, New York City Restaurants may have to post a card with the grade their restaurant received during a health inspection, as per a new proposal by the Health Department. The cards will need to be placed in an easily visible location at the entrance of the restaurant.

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is considering establishing the requirement as a way to “reduce restaurant-related food-borne illness.” They have an FAQ page detailing the plan and the improvements that it will have over the current system.

Although restaurant inspection results are available online, the Health Department says, “window signs are accessible to everyone” and the information becomes available on the spot.

Restaurants can be graded A, B, or C, with A being the highest (less than 14 demerit points against the health code) and C the lowest (28 or more points). The grades mirror the restaurant’s compliance with the food safety requirements of the New York City Health Code, as well as the State Sanitary Code. The grade is based solely on food safety and will not be affected by technical or administrative violations.
The Health Department states that currently “about 30% of the city’s restaurants would qualify for A grades, 40% would get Bs, and 26% would get Cs.” The goal of the program is to raise the grades of the restaurants, as patrons are less likely to visit if they have a low grade.

Establishments that receive a B or C grade are re-inspected within a month of receiving their initial grade, so as to give them a chance to improve the grade. The second inspection’s grade will have to be posted unless the restaurant wants to fight the grade in court.

Restaurants are typically inspected about twice a year. With the proposed system, the higher the grade, the fewer inspections the restaurant will receive. Failing to post the grades would result in written violations and fine