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Foodie Culture in New York City

The foodie culture is as big as ever in New York City. The streets are filled with restaurants serving food from all over the world and hundreds and thousands of people eating and snapping pictures of the delicious dishes. But anyone who's survived a bad case of food poisoning will know that the letter grade looming near the front of the restaurant means more than a piece of paper.

A restaurant's score is based on how well it complies with local and state food safety requirements, such as food handling, food temperature, personal hygiene and pest control. Each violation is assigned a set of points, which when tallied up result in a letter grade of either A, B or C. The lower the score, the better the grade.

Whether you're stopping at a deli for a quick bite or looking for a nice brunch spot with a friend, we hope our project can be a guide that provides some insight into the New York City food industry across different geographical locations and cultural differences within the Big Apple that impact the quality of the restaurants. Off we go!

How do the Scores Work and What do They Mean?

A restaurant's score is based on how well it complies with local and state food safety requirements, such as food handling, food temperature, personal hygiene and pest control.

Each violation is assigned a set of points, which when tallied up result in a letter grade of either A, B or C. A violation may fall under three different categories that vary in level of seriousness. The three different categories are: public health hazard, critical violation, and general violation. For each violation, the condition level can range from 1 (least extensive) to 5 (most extensive). The goal is to receive as little points as possible.

So how do all of these numbers turn into the grades we see posted outside restaurants? Once the restaurant has been inspected and the violation points counted, the total score will result in a grade of either A, B, or C. To earn an A, a restaurant must receive between 0-13 points. Earning a B means scoring between 14-27 points, and 28 points or more result in a C.

However, as you look at the scores, you may be concerned to notice that very few averages fall under 13. Where have all the Grade A restaurants gone?! Not to worry, they didn’t disappear overnight. Restaurants go through multiple inspections before they receive their final grade. A restaurant that may have done poorly in the first inspection is given a chance for re-inspection, where they are likely to finally receive that coveted A. Our averages represent a restaurant’s cumulative scores, which take into account not just how the restaurant scored in its final inspection, but how it’s been doing overall over the past few years.

Since our data is presented in average scores and not grades, it’s important to keep in mind that high scores do not mean high quality food. The lower the better!

Best & Worst: Food Safety in NYC

Here’s a sneak peek at some NYC restaurants with the best and worst inspection results.

Despite its historic vibe, cheerful staff, and nice comfort food, this uptown diner has managed to rack up over a hundred violations. I guess the decrepit building that looks like it came out of a 70’s movie is not exactly vermin-proof. Some of the restaurant’s violations include Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas, filth flies, and lack of hand-washing facilities in the restaurant. A bitter Yelp review calls it “a shining dump prized by only a few select perceptive observers in the same way that a paleontologist holds holy ancient goat midden”. Unfortunately (or fortunately), this place was closed by the Department of Health in 2013.

This restaurant boasts a full five-star rating on Yelp. A hero is a type of sandwich, but it might as well be the literal hero of countless sandwich-eaters in the Carnasie neighborhood and more. This Italian restaurant provides excellent service despite the long lines, and even though it has been in business for decades, 2 out of 3 inspections concluded, “No violations were recorded at the time of this inspection”. If you’re every in Brooklyn, this is definitely a place you should check out. They’ll treat you like family, except better (with fresh and delicious treats).