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A Carroll Gardens diner is fighting to keep customers from fleeing after a stinging Health Department inspection.
City rules dictate that the Cobble Hill Coffee Shop on Court St. must post its "C" letter grade in the front window since it was slapped with 28 sanitary violations.
But alongside the orange letter grade, the owners have also taken the unusual step of dishing out an open letter to the neighborhood.
"Although we respectfully disagree with the letter grade which was issued by the Department of Health, we have addressed and corrected each of the issues raised, and are now awaiting the secondary inspection," a large sign in the front window reads.
"We are confident that with recent adjustments made to our systems and procedures, we will not only meet, but exceed, the Department of Health requirements."
In an area bursting with trendy bistros and old-school eateries, a "C" letter grade isn't very common.
"I do not accuse the inspectors. They do their job," co-owner Nick Karoutsos, 64, said of the Feb. 26 review. "But I have been in the restaurant business for more than 20 years. I know we serve good, clean food."
After running two other diners in Manhattan, Karoutsos and his cousin, Frank Karoutsos, took over this small coffee shop and revamped it three years ago.
It does steady business throughout the week and is packed during weekends. But the "C" grade has given some people pause.
"I see them stop, read and walk past now. I can't blame them," said Karoutsos, a Bensonhurst resident. "But I want to try and tell the neighborhood we are doing the best we can."
Many of the Health Department demerits were because food was found too warm. Karoutsos explained that the restaurant's two iceboxes had stopped working the same day as the random inspection.
Regulars didn't seem fazed. "I noticed the letter, and if I thought this was a very dirty-looking place, I would think, 'Oh, I'm not eating there anymore,' said longtime customer Laura Eng, 51, who was dining with her mother. "But I think it's very well-maintained."
"No way!" exclaimed Adam Ali, 20, when he noticed the "C" letter grade while walking past yesterday. "That's crap. "
But other neighbors were more cautious, given the plethora of nearby choices sporting "A's" in their windows.
"I probably wouldn't go in a place with a bad grade," said Peter Ferko, a yoga teacher and artist.
Health Department officials didn't respond to a request for comment.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_localnyc/20110602/ts_yblog_localnyc/brooklyn-resta...
City rules dictate that the Cobble Hill Coffee Shop on Court St. must post its "C" letter grade in the front window since it was slapped with 28 sanitary violations.
But alongside the orange letter grade, the owners have also taken the unusual step of dishing out an open letter to the neighborhood.
"Although we respectfully disagree with the letter grade which was issued by the Department of Health, we have addressed and corrected each of the issues raised, and are now awaiting the secondary inspection," a large sign in the front window reads.
"We are confident that with recent adjustments made to our systems and procedures, we will not only meet, but exceed, the Department of Health requirements."
In an area bursting with trendy bistros and old-school eateries, a "C" letter grade isn't very common.
"I do not accuse the inspectors. They do their job," co-owner Nick Karoutsos, 64, said of the Feb. 26 review. "But I have been in the restaurant business for more than 20 years. I know we serve good, clean food."
After running two other diners in Manhattan, Karoutsos and his cousin, Frank Karoutsos, took over this small coffee shop and revamped it three years ago.
It does steady business throughout the week and is packed during weekends. But the "C" grade has given some people pause.
"I see them stop, read and walk past now. I can't blame them," said Karoutsos, a Bensonhurst resident. "But I want to try and tell the neighborhood we are doing the best we can."
Many of the Health Department demerits were because food was found too warm. Karoutsos explained that the restaurant's two iceboxes had stopped working the same day as the random inspection.
Regulars didn't seem fazed. "I noticed the letter, and if I thought this was a very dirty-looking place, I would think, 'Oh, I'm not eating there anymore,' said longtime customer Laura Eng, 51, who was dining with her mother. "But I think it's very well-maintained."
"No way!" exclaimed Adam Ali, 20, when he noticed the "C" letter grade while walking past yesterday. "That's crap. "
But other neighbors were more cautious, given the plethora of nearby choices sporting "A's" in their windows.
"I probably wouldn't go in a place with a bad grade," said Peter Ferko, a yoga teacher and artist.
Health Department officials didn't respond to a request for comment.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_localnyc/20110602/ts_yblog_localnyc/brooklyn-resta...
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letsliveinpeace
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I would want to eat at a diner that's has a C letter in the front of their window, I would keep walking.
- 12 months ago
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letsliveinpeace
