Illustrated By Gabriela Alford.
Sometimes, the big blue "A" in a restaurant's window is what draws you in. Other times, you ignore the bright green "B" and continue to eat at your long-loved café. As New Yorkers, we know that every restaurant gets a rating — but, do we really understand the meaning behind those big, block letters?
A new interactive map from The New York Times offers detailed information about the ratings of every single NYC restaurant. The site explains its mission: "The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene performs unannounced sanitary inspections of every restaurant at least once per year. Violation points result in a letter grade, which can be explored in the map below, along with violations descriptions. The information on this map will be updated every two weeks."
This tool will certainly prove useful for those looking to avoid even the slightest of health hazards. And, while we applaud those with good rating, this map definitely has some serious gross-out potential. Will you stop going to your favorite restaurant because it doesn't have properly installed plumbing? Or, what about your go-to sushi spot, where the chefs don't wear plastic gloves? Unfortunately, it turns out that even "A"-rated restaurants have their faults here and there. Maybe, we'll stay in and cook tonight instead of dining out. (The New York Times)