Restaurant Inspection Survey Results

MARCH 7, 2012

Letter Grade SystemIn July 2010, New York City instituted the letter grading system, requiring food service establishments to post letter grades corresponding to their sanitary inspection scores.

Letter Grade Points

A 0-13

B 14-27

C 28+

Frequency of Inspection

Initial Inspection

0-13 Points

1 Year

14-27Points

Re-Inspection 5-7 Months

28+Points

Re-Inspection 3-5 Months

Restaurant Inspection Survey Results

• January 10, 2012, the New York City Council released its Restaurant Inspection Surveyo Administered online and in hardcopyo Offered in 7 languages

• 1,297 survey participantso Participants completed the survey in English, Spanish, Italian, Chinese &

Koreano Survey participants representing all 5 boroughs

• Manhattan 650• Brooklyn 264• Queens 166• Staten Island 63• Bronx 32

Restaurant Demographics

24.8%

18.3%

16.7%

12.7%

27.5%

How many employees work in your estab-lishment?

1 - 5

6 - 10

11 - 20

21 - 30

30+

4.1%15.6%

7.0%

38.2%1.0%

11.9%

22.1%

What type of establishment do you op-erate?

Bakery

Bar/Pub

Café/Coffeehouse

Casual dining restaurant

Entertainment venue with food concession

Fast food restaurant

Fine dining restaurant

19.5%

16.4%

17.6%11.9%

34.5%

Approximately how much does your establishment earn in gross annual sales?

$0 - $250,000

$250,001 - $500,000

$500,001 - $1,000,000

$1,000,001 - $1,500,000

$1,500,001+

Current Letter Grade

67.0%

14.6%

1.3%

17.1%

A

B

C

Grade Pend-ing

What is your establishment’s current letter grade?

Viewpoints Rating the Letter Grade

System

65.9%

19.7%

9.8%

3.0% 1.6%

1 – Poor

2 – Fair

3 – Good

4 – Very Good

5 – Excellent

On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate the letter grading system?

Viewpoints of “A” Restaurants

Viewpoints Increased Costs

68.0%

19.4%

4.6%

5.3% 2.7%1 – Yes, signif-icantly

2 – Yes, moderately

3 – Maybe

4 – No, not really

5 – No, not at all

On a scale of 1 to 5, has the letter grading system in-creased the cost of operating your establishment? (fines, expediters, consultants, improvements, etc.)

Viewpoints of “A” Restaurants

ViewpointsInteractions with

DOHMH• Professionalism of Inspectors

o “Have the inspector treat the business owner fairly and with respect.”

• Relationship with DOHMHo “I feel scared [to contact DOHMH], they have the power and can make your life a

misery. So why bother.”

• Communication with DOHMHo “I didn't know that I can contact DOHMH.”o “Generally, we have to leave several messages before someone gets back to you

sometimes weeks later. Or you have to go waste literally a half work day waiting to see someone at the office.”

• Experience with DOHMH versus Health Regulators in Other Citieso “Yes, in Las Vegas, the Health Department is tough but act as your partner to ensure

food safety. In New York they act like we’re the enemy.”

ViewpointsSample Violations Believed to

Have No Bearing on Health and Safety

• Inadequate lighting• Employees drinking

beverages• Plates/utensils improperly

stored• Leaky faucets

• Broken tiles• Open doors• Food Protection Certificate

holder not present at beginning of inspection

ViewpointsReform

Recommendations • Improve the consistency of the inspections

• Create a partnership between restaurants and DOHMH

• Provide restaurants with an opportunity to make corrections on the spot

• Reduce the amount of each fine