An "A" comes to Bayside.
Weeks after the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMN) letter grading system went into one staple of the Bayside community, Papazzio Restaurant and Catering, received the first “A” rating on Bell Boulevard.
“With how tough the board of health is right now, this is a great achievement,” said owner Dominick Bruccoleri who opened Papazzio in 1980. “I feel a great deal of accomplishment . . . this is for our patrons that have supported us and to our employees.” But some restaurant owners are trying to fight inspection scores that could force them to post B’s and C’s under the new A-B-C system. Other’s anxiously wait for a second inspection that could give them a chance to improve their previous low scores.
Through the new grading system restaurants will receive letter grades from the DOHMN, based on evaluations of food safety in their kitchens. Restaurants will be required to immediately post their grade on their front window, door, or outside wall where it will be clearly visible to the public.
Restaurants that score 0 to 13 violation points on an initial inspection will receive an “A” grade. Those scoring 14 to 27 points will receive a “B,” and restaurants with 28 points or more will receive a “C.”
A “C” indicates that while a restaurant has failed the sanitary inspection, its violations are not compelling enough to warrant closure.
Health Department officials anticipate it will be 14 months before all of the city’s more than 24,000 establishments are graded. The exact figures in Queens are not yet clear, according to a DOHMH spokesperson.
“Soon I will know where I can go and eat without having to worry about what happens inside the kitchen,” said Gurvinder Singh, a Flushing resident.
Since the DOHMH rolled out its controversial letter-grading system on July 27, it has conducted about 1,825 inspections. According to health department officials, a review of the first 250 completed inspections found that 49 percent received an A grade, 31 percent a B, 12 percent a C and 8 percent were closed down until they could correct health hazards. Many of the top-scoring restaurants are fast-food eateries and chains.
Letter-grading stakes are so high that some restaurants have hired consultants to do weekly walk-throughs. Others are avoiding putting most prepared foods on display, afraid of racking up temperature violations.
“If there was to be a minimum violation that is not usual the day they come, my restaurant will easily receive a bad grade,” said Estela Astorga, owner of Urubamba located in Jackson Heights. “Why create more inconveniences for people to work and achieve better for themselves? If I do badly, what can motivate me to continue with the restaurant. They are constantly here, they need to stop monitoring our every spill and give us space to work!”
Others like Jorge Franco, manager of Las Margaritas Restaurant and Sports Bar also in Jackson Heights said the inspections may cause many restaurants to go out of business, adversely affecting both the restaurant industry and the city’s economy at a time when the economy is already unstable.
“I believe this system is an abuse, many times small insignificant imperfections have affected us immensely,” Franco said. “I believe inspections are necessary, but not when they are negatively affecting hundreds of businesses.”
For more information about restaurants inspections, visit: www.nyc.gov/health.
With additional reporting by Bob Doda
