Schiff explains re-inspection process for restaurants without an A

When an establishment doesn't get an A, what is the process around that?

So the program that we set up in 2010 for restaurant grading provides two opportunities for restaurants to get an A grade.

And I will say that we think of the inspection as an open book exam to go along with those grades.

So we list every condition that the inspector will look for in a checklist, and we make that available to restaurants.

We train them on it, and we encourage them to take that checklist and conduct a self-inspection.

Every day, every week, as frequently as they can, so they are ready for that inspection.

So we go for an initial inspection, and if the restaurant earns an A at that time, they get that A grade.

When we issue an A grade at the time of inspection, there's no summons, there are no fines, all part of an incentive structure because we really want restaurants to be motivated to meet the city's high food safety standards.

If they don't earn an A at that inspection, we come back for a re-inspection.

And that's a really important moment for the restaurant to take a look at what we found that didn't result in an A, make those corrections, and then we come back and do that re-inspection.

Again, if they earn an A at the time of inspection, they will get that A.

There's no summons.

There's no fines.

If it's not an A, then we give them, depending on the score, a B or a C, and that grade pending card that you've seen in some restaurants.

How much?

Time elapses between when they get less than an A and then you come back.

It can vary.

We will not come back before a week.

We want there to be enough time for them to come back.

So it really does vary.

Our goal is about a month when we're fully staffed.

Okay.