If it feels like grade school all over again, you are not far from the truth. Health inspection grading systems follow time honored methods that communicate to managers and the public how good a job your establishment is doing.
Each violation on the inspector’s checklist is attributed with a certain number of points. Critical violations are worth more points than non-critical, as they represent areas of the restaurant that are potentially more hazardous to the customers. At the end of the inspection, violation points are tallied and used to assign a specific grade to the restaurant.
The actual grading display system can vary greatly between counties and states, but each method is designed to easily inform the owner and public of a restaurant’s most recent inspection results. Listed are some of the most common inspection grade systems:
- ABCs: These are just like grade school. Violation points are subtracted from the total possible, and a percentage is given that falls into an ABC (sometimes D and F) grading scale. Grades A and B signify few or no violations, and C, D or F grades represent restaurants that have enough violations to cause worry and might be shut down.
- Colored Tags: Green, yellow, red and white tags are used to show most recent inspection results. Green shows very few or no violations. Yellow means a restaurant had some critical violations. A red tag means there have been several critical violations and the restaurant is probably closed until further notice. The white tag signifies that a restaurant is on probation after previously being closed for critical violations.
- Risk Index: This type of system is similar to the ABC method and rates restaurants on a scale of potential risk for causing foodborne illness. Violation points are tallied and the restaurant will fall into categories ranging from Excellent (little risk) to Inadequate (high risk).
With recent food recalls there is a growing anxiety over food safety. In response to this concern, many health departments are requiring restaurants to post their most recent inspection on the front door. Counties and dedicated Web sites are also compiling results for easy online access.
Receiving a high grade is important from both a business and public health standpoint. Lower grades can drive customers away to the point that a business has to shut down due to lack of sales. If too many violations are found, the inspector can order a restaurant to close as it poses a public health threat.
Note: This article is a generalization of the health inspection process. Please reference your local Food Code or health department for specific governing rules and procedures.
FoodServiceWarehouse.com was founded in June 2006 to provide businesses with a wide selection of high-quality foodservice equipment and supplies from the world's best-known brands. They have since become the
restaurant supply leader, empowering customers to make their own businesses more successful. The site offers a wide range of articles, research materials and products for the conscientious foodservice operator.