» Restaurant Grades Coming Out; Some UWS Staples Hit with Low Grades

Restaurant Grades Coming Out; Some UWS Staples Hit with Low Grades

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

nyc-restaurant-grading After the New York City Department of Health decided to begin requiring a letter grade posted in all city restaurants to help patrons stay aware of compliance with health and safety regulations, pressure is mounting on the restaurants to get their act in gear and ensure that the dreaded B and C grades are not given. Inspections done after July 27th are now counted towards a letter grade, with 0 to 13 violation points earning an A, 14 to 27 points earning a B, and 28 or more points earning a C. As grades begin to come out, some of the more elite restaurants are surprising the public with lower grades. Upper West Side spots with noticeable health violations include Shun Lee (65th near Columbus), which got a B with 25 violation points; Big Nick’s (71st near Columbus), which got a C with 28 violation points; and Barney Greengrass (Amsterdam near 88th), which earned a whopping 55 violation points this week. You can search the full list of restaurants by area, name, and grade by visiting the Department of Health’s Restaurant Inspection website, and check out your favorite Upper West Side eateries and how they are faring. In the meantime, restaurants that earned a grade lower than an A are not required to post their letter grade until a second inspection is completed, and they can appeal the grade if it still is not to their liking. As a result, the public won’t see B and C grades posted until late August, and it may take over a year to finally start seeing grades posted in all restaurants. [Source: New York Post, New York Times, Department of Health]