Health Standards Grading Codes for Restaurants in North Carolina

Most states have some restaurant rating codes for restaurant inspections. These are rating codes issued by the health department in that state and the restaurants are graded on sanitation and cleanliness of the establishment. After they are inspected and graded most restaurants are required to hang then in a place where you can see then when ordering the food. It is then up to you to decide if you want to eat at the restaurant or not depending on the grading system of the state. While every state has different rating codes, here is how it breaks down in North Carolina.

The State of North Carolina uses both a letter and a number when grading. "A" is a score above 90 which is excellent, meaning they only had minor infractions. A "B" is 80-89 "C" is 70-79 numerical score. If they received below a 70 the restaurant is usually closed till it is brought back up to safety codes for health standards. While you can see the codes on the wall, it doesn't tell you why they didn't make a perfect score. I for one would like to know what wasn't correct in the kitchen to keep them from getting the score. After all if they are a restaurant, shouldn't they know the rules and follow them?

Looking over the requirements that the restaurant must maintain there are numerous violations that would cause the restaurant to receive a lower grade. It is up to the inspector to determine how many points to take off for the violation. It can be zero to on half point or up to a full point. In North Carolina if you receive less than 70 your will be closed until a re-inspection.

In North Carolina you can still get an "A" grade with numerous minor violations. While a violation may be minor if you have many violations it could result in illness cause by the food eaten there. If the restaurant has less than a 90 and a "B" grade how safe is the food there to eat. Websites can be found to see what the violations are at each restaurant but if you are out and eating on the run, it would be nice to know exactly what the violation was that prevented the restaurant from receiving a perfect score.

While it is great to have the grading cards in plain view when your ordering, they need to put on the grading cards the more than just minor violations. Then consumers can make a more educated choice about where they want to eat.

Souces:

http://www.deh.enr.state.nc.us/ehs/food/fudlinks.htm