Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Bad Restaurant Letter Grades Are Almost Never Overturned
By
Nell Casey
Published Dec 16, 2013
Modified Dec 16, 2013
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
Nell Casey
Published Dec 16, 2013
Modified Dec 16, 2013
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
It's easier to get away with running over a tourist than it is to fight a bad grade from the Health Department. The Post takes a look at the numbers today, revealing that 97.2% of restaurant violation cases that come before an administrative court are upheld, leaving a scant 2.8% that were dismissed. Of the upheld cases, which are run by an independent health tribunal, 61.1 were sustained outright and 36.1 were settlements.
"It's a complex inspection system," says Andrew Rigie of the New York City Hospitality Alliance. "Plus the city incentivizes business owners to settle cases for reduced fines instead of going through the inconvenient tribunal process." Though the system underwent a major overhaul this year, which included drastic reductions of certain violations, the restaurant industry still feels it's being unfairly targeted by the revenue-hungry city agency; Health Department officials disagree. "Restaurants are cleaner since letter grading went into effect," says spokesman Levi Fishman. "The number of violations issued in the last two years has dropped nearly 20 percent, which has led to a fall in restaurant fines collected."
Compared with other city enterprises, restaurants take a markedly larger hit when it comes to the appeals process. Taxi and Limousine cases were upheld 67% of the time while agencies like Sanitation and Buildings clock in at around 57%. While some violations are definitely warranted, restaurateurs claim that most violations stem from non-critical things like a non-working lightbulb or a hole in the ceiling. Business owners are hoping they'll have an advocate in City Hall come next year, as the Bloomberg Administration proved it was out for blood, nearly doubling fines in the last decade. It's just so hard to live up to Nanny Bloomberg's standards.
Tagged
doh
health department
health tribunal
restaurant letter grades
Nell Casey
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Sep 12, 2026
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
By
Sonia Rao
Food
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
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
Can a congressional candidate's dumpling diplomacy win over Queens’ immigrant communities?
By
Caroline Shin
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 .