NYC Restaurant Letter Grades (2010)
New York City required restaurants to post letter grades from health inspections — A, B, or C — where customers could see them. The grading system tied a violation score to a public-visible rating.
Restaurant compliance jumped in the first year as owners chased A grades; the share of A-rated spots climbed sharply.
The model spread to other cities and made health inspection results a factor in where people choose to eat.
Illustrates how a health department functions as gatekeeper for food businesses — the county's permit list is the first gate a new restaurant must pass.
