New Grade System for NYC Restaurants

As a mom and a somewhat foodie the new grades posted on my favorite local restaurants had me wondering. What exactly does a grade of an A or B mean? Can I still go to eat there and is the food safe? I can't help but cringe at the thought of a B restaurant because my thoughts wander to pests and nose pickers and I can't help but wonder why the owners wouldn't work harder to get their sanitary inspection grade up to an A.
Is a B grade ever good enough?

I know many others who have been wondering the same and I'd like to share some information I have found.

What are the grades, and what do they mean? 

Grades reflect how well a restaurant complies with the food safety requirements of the New York
City Health Code and the State Sanitary Code. When inspectors examine a restaurant’s sanitary
conditions and practices, they assign numerical points for different violations of the Health Code.
Different violations carry different numbers of points, depending on their nature and severity. The
total number of violation points provides a measure of the restaurant’s general condition. Under the
new system, the Health Department will use the scores from certain inspections to generate letter
grades that are easier to interpret. Here are the grades:

• Grade A. 0 to 13 points for sanitary violations. 
• Grade B. 14 to 27 points for sanitary violations. 
• Grade C. 28 or more points for sanitary violations. 
• Grade Pending. A restaurant’s B or C grade is not final until the restaurant has had the
opportunity to go before the Health Department’s Administrative Tribunal to contest the
violations cited against it. Until then, the restaurant has the option to post either the
preliminary grade or a card that says “Grade Pending.” Once the grade is final, the restaurant
must immediately post the letter grade card and take down the Grade Pending card.

How should consumers interpret grades of B or C?

In the first year or so of grading, we expect that most restaurants will earn a B grade. Restaurants
with B or C grades should improve their overall food safety practices, but the Health Department
immediately closes restaurants with conditions that may be hazardous to public health.

Where can I search for restaurants or learn more about a restaurant’s inspection history?

Visit nyc.gov/health/restaurants to see inspection details and to search for restaurants by grade,
neighborhood, cuisine and more.

Click here for more information - www.nyc.gov

Happy and Safe Eating!!!