Critical Violations

New Grading Rules Reduce Restaurant Fines

The times, they are <em>A</em>-changin'.
The times, they are A-changin’. Photo: NYC DOHMH

A few important, helpful changes to the letter-grading system: The city will inspect restaurants more often; allow owners to request penalty-free consultative inspections; and, most importantly, revert fines to the levels in place before it required restaurants to post letter grades in windows. This means that fines will drop almost 25 percent — good progress. Melissa Mark-Viverito, City Council Speaker, and Mary Bassett, commissioner of the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, broke the news on Friday, but it’s Christine Quinn who’s to thank for first initiating the legislative package. These new rules help make it so the grading system doesn’t pose an actual risk to the well-being of a business itself. [WSJ, Earlier, Earlier]

New Grading Rules Reduce Restaurant Fines