Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
New Rules Would Spare Restaurants Some Of Those Crushing DOH Fines
By
Garth Johnston
Published Oct 9, 2012
Modified Oct 9, 2012
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 .
Courtesy Midtown Lunch
By
Garth Johnston
Published Oct 9, 2012
Modified Oct 9, 2012
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
Don't worry Lady Gaga's family, the City Council feels your pain. As WNYC notes, in the next few weeks the Council is mulling legislation that would give Department of Health inspectors a bit more leeway to just give warnings for non-threatening violations. The new rules would go along with Speaker Christine Quinn's previous promises to cut back on the Department's hefty fines.
In other words, things like "dimly lit storage closets," dented cans and improper signage won't necessarily cost a restaurateur between $200 and $2,000 a pop. The legislation the Council is considering wouldn't stop with the Department of Health, either. Instead it would also require the DOH and other city agencies to "identify any codes or regulations that should be eliminated or have become obsolete."
As for the promise of reduced fines, restaurateurs are skeptical. The Health Department says that its efforts have already been so successful that it expects revenues from fines to drop this year, so why cut the fines y'know? Last year the fines took in $48 million for the city, up 50 percent from 2009. "I don't think fines are going to go down. I don't," Paul Seres, co-owner of Lower East Side restaurants DL and Dinner told WNYC. "How are you going to take away millions of dollars in fines in a city that's broke? I mean, financially and fiscally, it doesn't make sense."
Tagged
City Council
department of health
doh
letter grades
restaurant inspections
Garth Johnston
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 .