Shame Them Once, Shame On Me, Shame Them Twice . . . Oh, I’ll Probably Eat There Anyway

Since I don’t much care whether Joe’s Falafel Cart has adequate hand-washing stations or if his ingredients are stored too close together, I wonder whether this could perhaps work:

Restaurant-goers would know if they’re in for a fine or filthy din ing experience under a new A-to-F rating system proposed by a state lawmaker.

State Sen. Jeff Klein has reintroduced a bill that would overhaul the state’s restaurant inspection system, modeling it after California’s, which requires stricter inspections and violations posted right on the restaurant’s entrance.

“It’s a simple system that would allow people to see clearly what the grade is as they enter — A, B, C, D or F,” said Klein, a Bronx Democrat. “The only way to ensure cleanliness and food safety is to make a restaurant’s grade public knowledge. That forces the owner to get it right.”

The measure would allow the city Health Department to devise its own criteria.

The legislator criticized the city’s current inspections, which use a Byzantine scoring system that allows eateries to remain open even if live rodents or rat droppings are found.

This is what they do in Los Angeles County, and there eating at a “B” or lower is sometimes even considered a sort of badge of honor.