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Fast Food Joints Getting Straight A's from Health Dept.
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 10, 2010
Modified Aug 10, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 10, 2010
Modified Aug 10, 2010
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For almost a month, the Health Department has been issuing letter grades to restaurants that score in the "A" range on inspections. Those with 0 to 13 points qualify for an A; while 14 to 27 points results in a B; and 28 or more points equal a C. Restaurants that score below an A on their first inspection don't have to post the grade until a second follow-up inspection, so we haven't seen any Bs or Cs go up yet. But the As have arrived, and the Health Department's teacher's pets may surprise you. All of these eateries have zero violation points, making them as sanitary at the four star restaurant Per Se:
- The Pizza Hut on Northern Boulevard in Queens
- The Tasti D-Lite on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg
- The Subway on 18 East 170 Street in the Bronx
- The Burger King on 327 West 42nd Street
- The Taco Bell at 3545 Broadway
- The White Castle at 1677 Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx
- The T.G.I. Friday's at 1 Penn Plaza
Meanwhile, some more upscale restaurants are having a tougher time keeping their grades up. Crains sifted through the reports and found that Jean Georges restaurant received 15 violations and was busted holding cold food above 41 degrees and smoked fish above 38 degrees. The Palm at 837 Second Avenue recently received 20 violations, while the SoHo Grand Hotel racked up 25. And Balthazar in SoHo is looking at a solid B with 18 points on a recent inspection. You can look up your favorite restaurant here, and for more analysis check out Eye Heart New York, which determined that Chinese restaurants are among the least sanitary, averaging 18 violation points citywide.
Tagged
fast food
letter grading
Restaurant health inspection
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.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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