NYC began requiring that all of its 24,000 + restaurants post huge letter grades representing their most recent health inspection results. And the city’s inspections are getting tougher. The Health Department conducts unannounced inspections of restaurants at least once a year. Inspectors check for compliance in food handling, food temperature, personal hygiene and vermin control.

Certain types of food service establishments—including restaurants, coffee shops, bars, nightclubs, and most cafeterias MUST post letter grades that correspond to their sanitary inspection scores.

Each violation of a regulation gets a certain number of points. At the end of the inspection, the inspector totals the points, and this number is the restaurant’s inspection score—the lower the score, the better the Grade.

A score of 0-13 points results in a grade of A

B score of 14-27 points results in a grade of B

C score of 28 or more points results in a grade of C.

The frequency of inspections depends on a restaurant’s score.

Restaurants with A grades are inspected less often than those with B or C grades.

Frequent inspections of poorer-performing establishments enable the Health Department to closely monitor their food safety practices, while giving them more opportunities to improve their grades.

The Health Department may order a restaurant to temporarily close to correct a public health hazard that cannot be corrected before the end of an inspection or when the restaurant is operating without a valid permit. A restaurant may also be closed if it scores 28 or more points on three consecutive inspections. Prior to closure, an inspector will contact a supervisor, who will determine whether to order the establishment closed. If it is closed, Health Department closure signs must be immediately posted in the window(s)and/or door(s), all operations must cease, and the restaurant must remain closed for business until it is authorized by the Health Department to reopen. The Department will monitor the establishment to ensure it remains closed and issues additional violations for not complying with the closing order.

Don’t let the Department of Health destroy your reputation. Rodents, cockroaches and flies can be a significant problem for your business establishments. When a pest problem gets out of control it damages your reputation and violates health codes. It is estimated that 95% of restaurant closings are due to pest related violations. Why wait until this happens. You can’t afford it. You could lose thousands of dollars!!

We can help you achieve an “A” grade. AAV American Pest Control will take you step – by – step to avoid the closing of your establishment and prevent pest control problems. We understand the inspector’s methods, so we can help. We have an IPM treatment specifically designed for the food service industry.!

People usually don’t eat at a restaurant that receives lower than an “A.” A restaurant clearly loses points for some significant violations, if they were marked all the way down to a C, and those are very real safety considerations that a consumer takes into account.

That’s because the process that determines a restaurant’s DOH rating is often a nightmare for the business under examination: at best confusing, and at worst entirely devastating to a hard-earned reputation. The inspector may visit anytime the restaurant is receiving or preparing food or drinks, or when it is opened to the public.

The way the Department of Health implements this grading system is a catastrophe for your business, but AAV AMERICAN PEST CONTROL is your friend and we know the methods used by inspectors. We want to help your establishment stay in business. Our advise and experience will help.