Restaurant inspection grades are a summary of how a food business did on its most recent health inspection, turned into a letter or number the public can read at a glance. An inspector from the local health department checks how food is stored, cooked and handled, records violations, and the total becomes a score. Some places convert that score into an A, B or C card that must be posted where passersby can see it. The grade is useful, but it is a snapshot of one visit, and each city or county uses its own scale.
Key takeaways
- There is no single national grading system in the US; cities and counties set their own.
- In New York City, fewer violation points means a better grade; in Los Angeles County, the score starts at 100 and drops.
- Grade cards must be posted where the public can see them in both systems.
- A grade reflects food safety on inspection day, not the quality of the food or service.
Where restaurant inspection grades come from
Food safety rules for restaurants are set by state and local governments. Most of them build on the US Food and Drug Administration’s Food Code, which the agency describes as a model that local, state, tribal and federal regulators use “to develop or update their own food safety rules.” The FDA calls it its best advice for regulating restaurants and other retail food businesses. It is not itself a law; it becomes binding when a jurisdiction adopts it.
That is why grading looks different from one place to the next. Some health departments publish only inspection reports. Others add a letter grade or a numeric score and require the restaurant to display it. Two of the best-known US systems, in New York City and Los Angeles County, show how differently the same idea can work.
How restaurant inspection grades work in New York City
New York City has required restaurants to post letter grades since 2010. According to the city’s health department page on letter grading for restaurants, inspectors give violation points for problems they find, and the points add up to a score:
| NYC inspection score | Grade |
|---|---|
| 0 to 13 points | A |
| 14 to 27 points | B |
| 28 or more points | C |
In this system a low number is good. A restaurant with zero points had no violations recorded. The city requires that “grade cards must be posted where they can easily be seen by people passing by.”
How restaurant inspection grades work in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County works the other way round. Its grading and posting requirements say every inspection starts at 100 points, and points are deducted for violations.
| LA County score | Card posted | County description |
|---|---|---|
| 90 to 100 | A | Generally superior in food handling and facility maintenance |
| 80 to 89 | B | Generally good |
| 70 to 79 | C | Generally acceptable |
| 0 to 69 | Score card showing the number | Poor |
A facility that scores below 70 gets a card with its actual score rather than a letter. The county says places that fall below 70 twice within 12 months are “subject to closure and further legal action,” and that any facility with a critical violation may be closed regardless of its score. The card stays up until the next routine inspection, and the latest inspection report must be available to the public on request.
The system applies to restaurants, markets, bakeries, bars and other retail food facilities in unincorporated areas and in cities that have adopted the county ordinance.
What inspectors are looking at
The details differ by jurisdiction, but inspectors focus on the practices most likely to make people sick: food held at the wrong temperature, raw and ready-to-eat foods kept too close together, poor handwashing, pests and dirty equipment. A handwashing sink that is stocked with soap and paper towels and not blocked by boxes is one of the simplest things an inspector checks. If you have worked a kitchen station, our walkthrough on how to become a line cook explains why these habits are drilled into new staff from day one.
The UK offers a useful comparison. Its Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, run by councils with the Food Standards Agency in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, rates businesses from 0 to 5. Officers there score three areas: how food is handled, the condition of the premises, and confidence in management, meaning the training and systems that keep standards up between visits.
What a grade cannot tell you
A grade is a snapshot. It shows how a kitchen looked during one visit, which may be months old. It says nothing about taste, value or how friendly the staff are; the UK scheme states this outright. Two restaurants with the same letter may have had very different problems, so when you want the detail, read the full inspection report, which many health departments publish online.
Grades also matter to the people inside. Managers are responsible for keeping standards up between inspections, which is one reason the hosts, servers and bussers described in our guide to front of house roles are often given cleaning and food safety duties too.
Frequently asked questions
Is a B grade restaurant unsafe?
Not necessarily. LA County describes a B as “generally good,” and in NYC it means the score landed between 14 and 27 points. Either way, the inspector recorded more violations than an A would allow. Reading the inspection report shows whether the issues were minor or serious.
Why is there no grade in the window where I live?
Many US jurisdictions do not use letter grades or do not require them to be posted. Inspection results may still be public; check your city or county health department’s website.
Can a restaurant with a good grade still be closed?
Yes. In LA County, for example, any facility with a critical violation can be closed regardless of its score, and a notice of closure must be posted on the entrance until an inspector reopens it.
Read the card, then read the report
Use restaurant inspection grades as a quick filter, not a final verdict. If a grade surprises you, look up the full report on your health department’s site and see what was actually found. For more on how restaurants are held to standards, browse our menus and standards guides.
