The Health Department is conducting targeted, unannounced inspections to ensure that restaurants comply with conspicuously posting sanitary inspection letter grades.
The Department began the letter grading program last July to help consumers make informed choices about where to eat and to provide a new incentive for restaurants to maintain the highest food safety standards.
Restaurants that meet that standard are awarded an A. Almost a year into the program about three-fourths of restaurants have received a graded inspection and should therefore be posting either letter grades or “grade pending” cards.
Regular inspections by the Health Department, however, have revealed that some restaurants are not posting their required cards; the Health Department has issued more than 800 violations related to letter grade posting, 704 for not posting a grade and 100 for not posting in a clearly visible place. By law, the letter grade card must be on a front window, door or outside wall where it is easily seen by people passing by, and within 5 feet of the entrance and from 4 to 6 feet off the ground or floor.
In addition to the ongoing targeted inspections, the Department’s Bureau of Food Safety and Community Sanitation inspectors check at every sanitary inspection that a restaurant’s required letter grades is posted. The agency also responds to complaints made to 311 about restaurants that are not posting their grades or not posting them conspicuously.
Any restaurants found not posting is issued a violation that can result in a fine of up to $1000 for the first offense. Repeat violations can result in greater fines. Fines are ultimately decided at the Administrative Tribunal.
Consumers are encouraged to look for letter grades near restaurant entrances and view complete inspection information on the agency’s website. If the correct grade is not posted or it isn’t near the restaurant’s entrance, diners should notify the Health Department by calling 311.
Shouldn’t all restaurants maintain the highest of standards all of the time? We know that they don’t, in some cases, so surprised or not, restauranteurs should get it together if they need to. If they don’t need to, then bravo! Much respect and appreciation to you! To others: learn from these exemplars, and remain appropriate thereafter, and we will all be happier and healthier!
the article is not about inspections, it’s about checking if the restaurants are following the new regulation of placing the paper on their front window.
who cares if the restaurants are warned….at least we know that they will be on their toes trying for an “A” grade and we will have healthy conditions in our food preparation.
the whole point they r coming is to INSPECT!!
if u tell them they will prepare for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:P:P:P:P
it’s so dunb to warn them also in a school they know when they’re having inspections so they’re nice…and once they leave it’s the opposite same too with resturants!
to keep them on their toes
why would u warn the restaurants, they should be graded properly who wants to eat at a unsanitary
y are you warning stores, this kind of defeats the whole purpose of a “surprise” inspection! its about time that ch stores clean up their act!!!