What To Pay Attention To

Hey everyone! Before I start suggesting restaurants, I want to give you guys a heads up about some of the basic things you should pay attention to.

First, the DOH (Department of Health) visits restaurants randomly at least once a year to rate the cleanliness of the kitchen. They check that the restaurant is in compliance with regulations regarding food handling, personal hygiene, vermin control and other guidelines that are listed here:
https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/about/healthcode/health-code-article81.pdf.

Every time a DOH officer spots a violation, he/she gives a certain amount of points. If a certain amount of points are reached, then the DOH can shut down that restaurant immediately. Otherwise,
at the end of the inspection, the points are totaled and a grade is given. The grading scale is A, B or C, with A being the highest score. The letter must be displayed in the window out front of the restaurant. Look for it!

Another thing to pay attention to is the staff. Restaurants are usually controlled by two sections. Front of House (FOH) and Back of House (BOH). The FOH staff are the people that you usually see, such as servers, bartenders, hosts and busboys. The BOH staff are the people who are actually preparing the food; usually consistent of a Chef de Cuisine, Sous Chef and the line cooks. If the initial impression given by the FOH staff is unimpressive or dissatisfying, it is usually a good reflection of the culture of that restaurant. If FOH isn't passionate about their position, it usually means that BOH doesn't care either- which will reflect in the quality of your meal.

Last, paying attention to how long a restaurant has been open can tell a lot about the quality. Due to the competitive nature and expensive rent in NYC, there is a 3 year mark in which many restaurants go out of business. Therefore, if a restaurant has made it past that three year mark- it is probably something worth considering as a viable dinner option.