New York, NY – The city’s new restaurant letter-grading plan, which will hand out As, Bs and Cs for the first time, received a big F from restaurateurs.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Vincent Mazzone, owner of the Chicken Masters restaurant in Brooklyn, called the idea “sophomoric, and punitive and demeaning to restaurateurs, as if they are schoolchildren who must be graded,” according to The New York Times’ Diner’s Journal blog.
The letter-grading program, which begins in July, will improve the quality of restaurant meals, the city’s Health Department insisted. The city will provide placards to restaurants, which will be rated with a blue A, a green B or a yellow C. The signs must be displayed in a prominent place in the restaurant’s vestibule or front window.
Landmarc chef-owner Marc Murphy said that if diners saw a C grade, they wouldn’t enter the restaurant, reports The New York Times.
“Everyone in our business is not against health inspections,” Murphy said. “But we don’t want bad letter grades from trivial infractions.”
The controversial plan, proposed more than a year ago, will affect more than 24,000 restaurants here. The board voted 6 to 2 in favor of the plan (with one abstention).
A similar system has been in place in Los Angeles for more than 10 years and according to a study by that city’s health department, 91% of people approved of it.
Restaurateurs here have not been entirely supportive. The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce even called the grades “a scarlet letter that will keep people from eating out,” according to spokesman Geoff Kravitz.
Health department officials said they’d gotten 280 written comments on the hearing, and that some 273 were in favor of the letter grading system. Yet not one of the 80 people who went to the hearing spoke up to defend the plan, according to The New York Times.
Being in the restaurant business I can tell you that there are some inspectors that are literally out to get you.. you wouldn’t believe some of the things they take points for in places that are perfectly clean and sanitary.. its going to kill business I guarantee it
They have this in LA and it is GREAT!!!!!
is that the reason some restaurants don’t display their hechsher? cuz it’s “sophomoric, and punitive and demeaning to restaurateurs”?
If you display an ‘A’, you won’t have a problem, in fact, you’ll probably make it as conspicuous as possible. The problem is with those that will receive a ‘C’, nu, hu geefe kasheh?
I dont think that should b done its not right to the store owners
We will be so proud of our Kehilla’s restaurants when they all receive A+ Grades.
Im not in the restaurant business, but ive seen these inspectors come to friends restaurants. They fine and take points for the most rediculous things. For example, one fine which had me on the floor was, he got points because the scoop for the ice machine was in the ice, and not hanging outside of the machine.
He also got points and fine because he wasnt in the store when the health inspectors showed up (there are no apointments, health inspectors just randomly come by) since he was the one that the certificate is under. Between these two alone he probably would be rated a B.
And there are hundreds of infractions similar to these.
If they use the grades based on some kind quality guideline i would be for it, but not for rediculous petty stuff that they come up with.
A perfect opportunity for an increase in corruption(bribes)!
I think it is a great idea as long as those restaurants that do get a bad rating have a chance to have their rating improved within a relatively short period of time. There are even some restaurants that have a glass wall so you can see from the street what is going on in the kitchen. Unfortunately I don’t recall seeing kosher restaurants that have this.
An inspection is a reflection of the mood the inspector is in, and not about the quality of the store.
I think these grades are great! As it is I have stopped going to restaurants that are not clean enough, so they are already losing business. If these grades make more people aware of the cleanliness, they’ll clean up hopefully just so that they won’t lose business.
I live in Los Angeles and I can tell you that this makes the Kosher resturants strive to keep their places as clean as can be, it is also used
in other food establishments such as bakeries and fruit stores.
Good luck New York
I’m selling “A” certificates for only $125 they look real & no one will know the diff.!!!