A year after the city started giving letter grades to restaurants, those forced to post a C in their storefront windows say it’s eating into profits.
“It’s killing us,” said a host at Reme Restaurant in Washington Heights, who did not want to give his name. “People see the C and they walk away.”
At Joe’s Gourmet in lower Manhattan, corporate orders for delivery have been down since the spot was handed a C in February, manager Kwan Cho said.
“Now clients want to cancel their accounts. They say when you get an A, call me,” said Cho, who blamed his bad grade on leaky water pipes.
This month marks a year since the Bloomberg administration began using letter grades to rate eateries’ cleanliness and safety. Owners must prominently display the grades – A, B, C – or a “grade pending” sign if they’re challenging the inspection results.
As of the end of last week, there were 1,538 restaurants required to post C’s.
The New York State Restaurant Association says the letter grades are making it difficult for small business owners to survive.
When Cheryl Smith opened her restaurant, Cheryl’s Global Soul, on Underhill Ave. in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, five years ago, she knew she was taking a big risk.
Making it in the rocky restaurant business was tough enough. But Smith, a well-known New York chef who had her own show on the Food Network, had chosen a sleepy, residential part of Brooklyn without much foot traffic.
“This area was uncharted,” said the Jamaican-born Smith.
Five years later, Cheryl’s Global Soul is still standing — and it has helped put Prospect Heights on the map.
“Since Cheryl Smith opened her restaurant a stone’s throw from the Brooklyn Public Library and the Brooklyn Museum, her brand of eclectic homestyle comfort food has become a favorite for local residents and visitors alike,” said Rob Walsh, commissioner of the city’s Department of Small Business Services. “
Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find And Keep Love is available as a digital audiobook from Audible.com. The title, provided by Gildan Media Corp and authored by Amir Levine, Rachel S. F. Heller, has also become an American Consumer News favorite..
The digital audiobook Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find And Keep Love, narrated by Walter Dixon, has received an average rating of 0 stars on Audible.com. The title has a running length of 7 hours and 9 min. The audiobook was first released in December 2010 and a sample is available for download.
Audible.coms description of the audiobook is Is there a science to love? In this groundbreaking audiobook, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Amir Levine and psychologist Rachel S. F. Heller reveal how an understanding of attachment theory the most advanced relationship science in existence today can help us find and sustain love.
Americans spent more than $48 billion on pet products and services last year, according to the American Pet Products Association. Consumer Reports says you can provide the care your pet needs while curbing some of your expenses, too.
Tomorrow the BLS will release the June Employment Situation Summary at 8:30 AM ET. Bloomberg is showing the consensus is for an increase of 110,000 payroll jobs in June, and for the unemployment rate to hold steady at 9.1%.
Last month I argued the consensus for payroll jobs added seemed too high; this month I think the consensus is too low. Note: Recently I’ve mostly been correct when I’ve taken the “under” for payroll jobs, but only right about half the time when I’ve taken the “over” – so flip a coin!
Here is a summary of recent data:
The final June Reuters / University of Michigan consumer sentiment index decreased to 71.5 from the preliminary reading of 71.8. This is down from 74.3 in May.
This is frequently coincident with improvements in the labor market – but also strongly related to gasoline prices.