Health Concerns

Gramercy Tavern Wouldn’t Say It’s ‘Fighting’ a ‘C’ Grade, Exactly …

Yesterday it was reported that Gramercy Tavern was among the many restaurants awaiting a follow-up inspection in order to prevent being socked with a “C” grade, and today the Times wonders whether the new letter-grade system doesn’t put fine-dining restaurants at a disadvantage, since, well, there are more cooks in the kitchen. Meanwhile Danny Meyer’s people have sent us a response to the NBC New York story. Pop a Dramamine, because it’s time for some spin!

In response to recent news stories about the Department of Health Letter Grade System, we want to clarify some facts regarding the inspection process and also to correct some misleading information in the story regarding Gramercy Tavern. Gramercy Tavern’s preliminary inspection, under the new DOH Letter Grade System, was conducted on December 8th, 2010. We have addressed and corrected each of the issues raised, and are now awaiting the secondary inspection, the results of which will determine our letter grade. While we were extremely disappointed with our preliminary inspection results, it is erroneous to report that the restaurant is now fighting a C grade, as it has not yet had its second inspection, and therefore has not received any letter grade. Our team has worked diligently to address any issues noted in the preliminary inspection, and we are confident that with recent adjustments made to our systems and procedures, we will not only meet, but exceed, the DOH requirements. Maintaining the cleanliness of Gramercy Tavern has been and will always be a top priority and nonnegotiable aspect of our business.
Gramercy Tavern Wouldn’t Say It’s ‘Fighting’ a