Surprise: People Don't Want To Eat In C-Grade Restaurants

It's not like you didn't know you were making a sanitary gamble when you ordered from that Chinese place the size (and smell) of your bathroom, but now that they've got a government-issued C hanging in their window, you may be taking your loyalties elsewhere. Welcome to the harsh light of the restaurant grading system, which is leaving New Yorkers everywhere confused and hungry. "There's no D, right? C is the worst you can get?" asked Tanya Ross at the American Taste coffee shop on East Fordham Road. "I'm scared of that C. That's gross. Thankfully, I only go there for coffee, but I'm not going to anymore."

American Taste is one of the newly-christened "Filthy 15" the Post named yesterday, and a second check showed that all but two have not posted their C grades in the window. But Jose Peres of Boulevard Pizza says the grades aren't fair. We're working very hard. Keeping it clean, doing everything...We have no complaints about the food." They scored 33 violation points for things like cold food items being held above 41 degrees, and "inadequate personal cleanliness." Then again, DiFara got just 26 violation points, and they had evidence of mice and flies.

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By Jaya Saxena in Food on November 9, 2010 5:26 PM

Comments [rss]

fuboy

Most people also didn't think posting the calorie count of restaurants would change anything. Lo and behold, people noticed that their usual lunch was way to many calories, so they changed their eating habits.

It might not matter to you, but some people do care about the conditions their food was prepared in. Or you could wait until you get a meal that had bugs crawling in the food. Which has happened to me.

BotanistPrime

I don't really think that having these grades posted on the front of a restaurant is doing us any good. I mean the difference between a B and a C grade could be something like leaving an ice scoop in the ice bucket.

Also, most of our homes wouldn't pass the test either. Check out this NYT article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/29/dining/29inspector.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=home%20restaurant%20grade&st=cse

justthinkin

If your restaurant gets graded with a C, you might as well just add "rap" to the end of it and call it a day.

matty

c stands for clean, that's good enough for me.

it also stands for cookie, which is good enough for the cookie monster

Donot

C also stands for crack, which by the way is what Cookie Monster seems to be on.

SP's Ghost

"if they're going to require something to be posted publicly, why not the complete report?"

the full reports are publicly posted on the DOH wesite.

jaycjay

Yes, they are. So are the letter grades (or they will be, though I haven't seen any actually show up yet -- just a placeholder so far), so that doesn't change my point.

juliec

I don't understand how the same government that does nothing about carbon emission regulation can care so much for our health as to close down small businesses. Great job!!

dept54321

Uh. Because it's not the same government ... ?

jaycjay

"I hope you have good health insurance then."

Very few of the violations that result in points would present any significant health risk. That's part of the problem with the letter grading system, if they're going to require something to be posted publicly, why not the complete report?

While some improvements have been made in what is a violation and how many points each brings, a lot of it is still minor things and dependent upon the interpretation of a particular inspector. That doesn't get completely taken out of the picture if you read the specific violations that were reported but the fact is that it's very possible that a place would have a violation that would convince me personally to avoid it but still squeak by with B grade, while another would be hit with a bunch of points for minor picky things that I wouldn't care about at all and end up with a C.

"There's no D, right? C is the worst you can get?"

Actually, C is not the worst you can get. It's the worst you can get and remain open for business.

soxinthecity

Eat at home more often, you will save money. Also, you know when the last time was that you washed your hands, and your dishes.

BoerumHillJo

Place by me has this in their window:

Grade Pending

LOL

Yeah, like nobody will figure out you got the lowest possible grade and appealed it.

Brooklyn

No such thing as truly clean in this shithole of a city, or even in this superbug-infested world.

I say eat up.

exnyer

Come on...you have been eating the food all along, once your stomach gets used to the dishwater bacteria it`s fine, as for the "C" it`s entire city.... rats, cockroaches, bedbugs and who knows what else in epidemic proportions.

Donot

Exactly. If you been a patron of an C establishment for years, most likely you've built up a tolerance. So now all of a sudden they get poorly graded you stop eating there?

Potty Boy

That view may not be as silly as it seems. Yes, nothing in reality has changed but now someone is telling me about it and it makes me think. Given the choice, I would have preferred to remain blissfully ignorant.

SP's Ghost

Meh. Maybe yuppies and tourist and hypochondriacs don't eat in C restaurants. But some ofmy favorite greasy holes in the wall have C grades and I don't give a shit.

Potty Boy

With you on that. They were what they were eons ago. Never bothered me.

dept54321

Congratulations. Way to keep it real.

Kojak

Exactly. Besides, I'm sure C's will clean up their act ASAP in order to ditch the rating taped to the wall. I'll eat at a C. I ain't no pussy

Enough with people's holier than thou attitude towards these restaurants.