Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Restaurant DOH Letter Grading System Up for Public Comment
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 17, 2009
Modified Dec 17, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 17, 2009
Modified Dec 17, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Earlier this year the Board of Health began weighing a plan to require restaurants to prominently display a letter grade of A, B or C, depending on the sanitary conditions. (Those restaurants receiving Bs and Cs would be inspected more often than those inspectors' pets with the As.) A similar public grading system has been used in LA for years, and NYC's 24,000 restaurants will soon get with the left coast. But first, the Board of Health wants to hear your opinion!
A public hearing on the new restaurant grading system will be held on February 5th (details tba here), and the Board of Health is expected to vote on the measure in March, 2010. Under the new rules, restaurants receiving 0 to 13 violation points would receive A grades. Those with 14 to 27 points would get Bs, and those with more than 28 points would get Cs. Currently, about 30% of the city’s restaurants would qualify for A grades, 40% would get Bs and 26% would get Cs. When LA began the letter grading system, the proportion of restaurants meeting the highest food-safety standards rose from 40% to more than 80%, the Health Department says.
It's also worth nothing that the plan being considered would not require a restaurant receiving a B or C to post its grade immediately. These establishments will be re-inspected within a month, giving them a chance to improve. The grade from the second inspection would have to be posted, but the restaurateur could also elect to not post the grade until it has had the opportunity for a hearing. And while the restaurant’s inspection results are under review, the restaurant would post a card indicating that its grade is pending, leaving it up to diners' imaginations.
Tagged
doh
grading
health department
nyc
public hearing
restaurant
sanitary
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .