Seven NYC Restaurants Shut Down

New York City health officials ordered seven restaurants closed between May 15 and May 22 after inspectors found conditions including mice, flies, temperature-control failures and contaminated food, according to the city’s inspection system and a Patch roundup published Friday. The New York City Health Department says it conducts unannounced inspections at least once a year and can order immediate closure when inspectors find unresolved public-health hazards. (patch.com) The city’s restaurant grading system assigns violation points during those inspections, with lower scores producing better grades. Patch reported the seven closures across multiple boroughs in the week ending May 22. (nyc.gov) ### Which violations triggered the shutdowns? Patch said the closures stemmed from conditions the city classifies as serious food-safety hazards, including vermin, sanitation failures and unsafe food handling. The Health Department says inspectors check compliance with city and state food-safety rules and assign points for each violation they find. Immediate closure can follow when hazards cannot be corrected during the inspection. Crepe House at 103 Dyckman Street in Manhattan was closed on May 11 with 52 violation points, according to an inspection report carried by Poughkeepsie Journal’s restaurant-inspection database. Inspectors cited contaminated or cross-contaminated food, evidence of mice, unsanitary food-contact surfaces and conditions conducive to pests. (patch.com) Lello’s Pizza at 4018 Glenwood Road in Brooklyn was closed on May 18 with 55 violation points, according to a USA Today inspection record. Inspectors cited hot food held below the required temperature, evidence of mice, contamination risks and drainage or sewage-system problems. (patch.com) ### Why does the Harlem restaurant stand out? Harlem Halal Food Court at 66 W. 116th Street posted 97 violation points in Patch’s list, the highest total among the seven closures. Patch said inspectors found filth flies or other nuisance pests, inadequate hot- or cold-holding equipment, and no Food Protection Certificate held by a manager or supervisor of food operations. (data.poughkeepsiejournal.com) Ninety-seven points is far above the threshold for the city’s lowest posted letter grade. The Health Department says restaurants are graded on a point system in which lower scores are better, and scores of 28 points or more correspond to a C grade. (data.usatoday.com) ### How does the city’s grading system work? New York City’s Health Department says it inspects the city’s roughly 29,000 restaurants and posts the results through ABCEats, its public lookup tool. Inspectors arrive unannounced at least annually, record violations and assign points tied to those conditions. The city says restaurants that receive violations may face penalties, hearings and re-inspections, depending on what inspectors find. (patch.com) Operators can also access guidance on summonses, hearings and food-safety compliance through the Health Department’s inspection-process materials. (nyc.gov) ### Where can diners check whether a restaurant reopened? ABCEats is the city’s public database for restaurant inspection results, grades and inspection histories, according to NYC Health. The site allows diners to search by restaurant name and review the most recent inspection outcome. Third-party databases that mirror city inspection data also showed recent closure records for some of the restaurants on Patch’s list, including Crepe House, Lello’s Pizza and Matter at 170 Crosby Street in Manhattan. (nyc.gov) Matter’s May 19 re-inspection record in Record Online’s database listed 22 points and cited contaminated food, contamination risks, garbage-handling issues and missing hand-washing signage. (nyc.gov) ### What happens after a closure order? A closure does not necessarily mean a restaurant is shut for an extended period. The Health Department’s inspection materials say restaurants can undergo re-inspection after cited conditions are addressed, and updated results are posted through the city’s system. (nyc.gov) As of May 23, the next public step for the seven restaurants is a new inspection record or grade update in ABCEats. Diners can find those updates in the city’s restaurant inspection lookup as the Health Department posts them. (nyc.gov) (data.recordonline.com)