Restaurant letter grades have been the law of the land in New York City for a year now, though not every restaurant has gotten a grade yet, and many C-graded spots are not loving it—just look where some of them put their grades! "It's killing us," a host at a Washington Heights restaurant told the Daily News. "People see the C and they walk away." But not everyone is as worried about bad health scores. At least not when there is a celebrity chef attached.

To wit: Marcus Samuelsson's Obama-approved Harlem hotspot Red Rooster recently got inspected by the Department of Health and walked away with a 31, the equivalent of a C. But it isn't worried. The restaurant has applied for a re-inspection, is hanging a "grade pending" sign and is watching the money roll in ("Obama ate here," one customer told the News. "The guy who graded it must have been a Republican."). So what were Red Rooster's infractions? Here you go, straight from the Department of Health:

1) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
2) Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.
3) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
4) Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
5) Food contact surface not properly maintained.


Of course, Red Rooster is not the first well-respected restaurant to get a C on its first go. As Eater notes, "high-end restaurants like Corton, Le Bernardin, Telepan, and Aureole all received C-level scores on their first inspections, and eventually got A-grades."

Meanwhile, the New York State Restaurant Association is fretting on behalf of the less famous badly-graded joints, saying those C's are kiling their businesses. Says the group's director of operations: "I've spoken to several C restaurants, and they've told me their business is down and their loyal customers question their food safety." Maybe those places should have kept cleaner shops? Or at least asked for a re-inspection and made sure to ace the second one? Anyway, while they wait for their next inspections, we think badly graded joints really ought to get these shirts and aprons for their staffs.