Health Department Confirms Grading System Does Not Currently Penalize Structural Fires; Landlord Notes Building Is “Technically Standing”
Reported by Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat.
NEW YORK, NY — A Midtown restaurant received an A grade from the New York City Health Department on Tuesday, less than four hours after a kitchen fire that required two fire trucks, one foam suppression deployment, and a brief evacuation of the dining room that customers described as “unscheduled but brisk.” Health Department officials confirmed that the grading inspection, which was coincidentally scheduled for that morning, proceeded as planned, and that the restaurant’s A grade is valid, current, and based on criteria that do not include “whether there is currently a fire.”
“Our inspection criteria cover food handling, storage temperatures, pest control, sanitation, and equipment condition,” said a Health Department spokesperson. “We do not have a specific code violation category for ‘kitchen fire in progress’ because that falls under the jurisdiction of the FDNY, not the Health Department. Our inspector found the food handling practices to be exemplary.” The inspector completed the inspection. The foam was still being cleaned up.
The Inspection System, Explained
New York City’s restaurant grading system, implemented in 2010, gives restaurants letter grades based on Health Department inspections, with an A indicating 13 or fewer violation points, a B indicating 14 to 27 points, and a C indicating 28 or more. The grades are required to be posted in the window facing the street, giving diners a simple signal about a restaurant’s food safety compliance.
The system has improved food safety outcomes measurably, according to DOH data, which shows a reduction in foodborne illness hospitalizations since implementation. It has also produced a city in which 94 percent of inspected restaurants display an A, which either means New York’s restaurants have become extraordinarily safe or means that the grading system, like all high-stakes grading systems, generates strategic behavior that optimizes for the metric rather than the underlying condition. Probably both.
“The grade tells you about the food handling on the day of inspection,” said a restaurant industry consultant who has helped multiple clients prepare for inspections. “It does not tell you about the day before the inspection. It does not tell you about the day after. It tells you: on this Tuesday at 10am, the temperature log was current and the cutting boards were clean and the inspector was there.” She paused. “For what it’s worth, most kitchens clean before an inspection the way most people clean before a dinner party.”
The Fire, for Context
The fire at the Midtown restaurant (which requested anonymity, which we are respecting because they have already had a difficult Tuesday) originated in a ventilation hood above the range, a common source of restaurant fires that typically result from grease accumulation in ductwork. The FDNY confirmed the fire was contained to the kitchen area, that no injuries occurred, and that the building was cleared for reoccupancy within 90 minutes of the incident, which is a testament to the professionalism of FDNY Ladder 4 and the remarkable durability of commercial kitchen construction.
The restaurant reopened for dinner service. The A grade, posted in the window, remained in place. Several customers who arrived for the dinner service saw the A grade, did not see the residual smoke smell as a grading concern because it was not one, and ate their meals. The meals, witnesses report, were fine.
What the Grade Does and Does Not Mean
The NYC Health Department restaurant grading page explains clearly what the inspection covers. It covers the things that cause foodborne illness: improper temperatures, cross-contamination, pest evidence, inadequate handwashing facilities, and related food safety violations. It does not cover structural integrity, electrical compliance, fire safety, or whether the landlord has addressed the HVAC issues that the tenant reported three months ago and which may or may not be related to the ventilation hood situation.
The FDNY has separate inspection authority for fire safety compliance. The Buildings Department has separate authority for structural and electrical issues. The Health Department has its lane. The FDNY has its lane. The Buildings Department has its lane. The restaurant operates at the intersection of all three lanes and the A grade represents one-third of the relevant assessment, a fact that is technically available in the public record and practically invisible to anyone who looks at the letter in the window and concludes that all is well.
The Takeaway
The A grade system is good and has improved food safety. It does not cover fires. If you see an A in a window and smell smoke, these two data points are compatible and should be evaluated separately. New York City is a city of specialized information systems, each of which is accurate within its domain and which together constitute a partial portrait of reality that citizens are invited to synthesize on their own time, at the door, before deciding whether to eat.
The restaurant has an A. The kitchen had a fire. The food was reportedly good. This is New York, and all of these things are true simultaneously.
For dining experiences with unexpected drama, see NewsThump.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/