Tough on Food

There's a new letter grading system being put into place (2010) that will display a restaurant's cleanliness for all to see from outside the establishment. It's probably a good thing.

following taken from the NY Times
- “I’m Inspector Williams from the department of health, and you’re going to have your inspection today,” said Corey K. Williams, holding out badge No. 3042

- Mr. Kim, 62, like thousands of owners of food-service establishments, lives in fear not only of fines and their effect on his thin profit margin, but also of being shut down immediately and forced to post the dreaded yellow closing notice. “They are so strict,” he said. “They cost me, $2,000, $3,000, easy, each time they come.”

In July 2010, the stakes will be even higher, with the results posted for customers to see: a blue A, a green B or a yellow C on an 8-by-10-inch inspection placard.

- Some restaurateurs tentatively endorsed the plan. “I think the letter grading is probably a good system,” said Bobby Flay, proprietor of Mesa Grill and Bar Americain in Manhattan. “But if a restaurant gets a bad grade due to a paperwork technicality, the consumer will be misled.”
Paranoid Bobby probably wasn't an "A" student in school... LOL

for the full story, click here.