Bloomberg Praises Restaurant Inspection Grades After First Year
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Officials at City Hall say the Department of Health’s restaurant rating system has been a success in its first year, but others are pushing for improvements. NY1’s Courtney Gross filed the following report.Mayor Michael Bloomberg is claiming that restaurant grades have taken a bite out of some kitchens' bad habits.
In the first year of the city's restaurant rating program, 69 percent of eateries got an A, Bloomberg said Monday, while 15 percent got Bs and 4 percent have Cs. Twelve percent are waiting for their final marks.
"Our restaurant grading system is definitely making the grade with both customers and restaurants alike," said Bloomberg.
Those on the honor roll have saved about $3 million since the city waived any inspection fines for A-rated restaurants.
Despite the high marks, not everyone thinks the program is five-star, like Harry Sim, the owner of Mee Noodle Shop in Hell’s Kitchen.
"You cannot tell anything from the grade. The only way that I think it's fair for the public is to post all of the violations," said Sim.
He barely received a B on his last inspection.
The city has issued grades for 90 percent of its 24,000 restaurants, but another 5,000 establishments don't get report cards. These are food trucks.
Councilman Dan Garodnick wants to force the city to expand its report card program and grade the meals on wheels.
"If we are truly concerned about public disclosure of the level of food cleanliness and safety in New York City, why wouldn't we make those same rules applicable to the people selling food on the street?" said Garodnick.
Health department officials say any expansion to these roaming restaurants would be complicated, and some driver-chefs agree.
"How would you grade them? How would you know who they are?” said Nick Karagiorgos of Uncle Gussy’s, a truck dealing in Greek cuisine. “Would you say Uncle Gussy's? What if I just changed the name?"
Nevertheless, the idea sits well with Bloomberg.
"Personally, I would love to see, before I buy from a cart, a sign up there telling me whether or not the guy washed his hands before he reaches in and pulls out the hot dog."
Until the Department of Health signs off on the proposal, food trucks will just have to hold their grades.