New grades easier read for diners

Boston restaurants are now getting letter grades from city health inspectors — replacing the old number scores, in a move that ultimately will lead to prominent public posting of the grades.

“This is a simple way you’ll be able to know what the sanitary grade of the restaurant is,” said Inspectional Services Commissioner William Christopher. “We want it to be as simply interpreted as possibly can be. An A is better than a B.”

Inspectors began issuing letter grades yesterday, with Mayor Martin J. Walsh ceremonially awarding the first — an A — to Stash’s Pizza in Dorchester. The inspections under the letter grade system began in August.

The grades only go from A to C. Lower scores can lead to a temporary closure. Each inspection begins with 100 points, with the most critical violations lopping off 10 points for each violation and minor violations costing 2 points. A score of 94 or above will mean an A grade, between 81 and 93 points is a B, while 80 or lower is a C.

Restaurants have the chance to up their grades with re-inspections. Stash’s, for example, was marked for two violations in its inspection Oct. 4, losing 12 points, but had addressed both issues when inspectors went back Oct. 18.

“It’s important for us as a city to make sure we have good, high-quality restaurants,” Walsh said.

Walsh said he hopes Boston’s new system can replicate New York City’s success. After 18 months, 41 percent of New York restaurants received A grades, up from 27 percent six months after the policy went into effect.

But unlike in New York, grades won’t have to be posted on an outside window. Instead, they will have to be displayed prominently inside, and even that won’t be required for a year. For now, health grades will be online at Boston’s website.

“As you enter the establishment, you’ve got to be able to see it immediately,” Christopher said. “It’s so much easier to have the letter grade visible so when someone comes in, they’ll know what the status is.”

The Massachusetts Restaurant Association lobbied for that change, calling letter grades overly simplistic, with outdoor postings affecting restaurants’ aesthetics. The city and the MRA together worked for a year on the program.

“We think there will be many questions that arise as the letter grading system gets implemented, that is why the one-year pilot program is so important,” said MRA spokesman Steve Clark. “We are concerned with the public’s perception and understanding of what actually goes into a health inspection report and hope that the dining public understands that every health inspection report regardless of a letter being attached to it or not represents a snapshot in time.”

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2016/11/eatery_rating_easy_as_a_b_c