When third-year communication studies student Raffi Sarkissian goes out to eat, he always checks for the restaurant’s letter grade posted near the entrance.
“If the grade is as low as a B, I’m willing to go in with some skepticism, but if it was a C or lower, I would avoid eating there,” Sarkissian said.
The letter grades are given to restaurants and eating facilities by the Los Angeles County Health Department, and serve to determine the safety and cleanliness of the business.
Restaurants and eating facilities start out with a 100-point score and gradually lose points if various violations are found, said Hector De La Cruz, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Health Department.
“Facilities with major risks lose six points per violation, while minor risks range anywhere from one to four points,” De La Cruz said.
Since a business could have a designated “major risk” and still get an A grade, De La Cruz said the health department acts to close down businesses when the “major risk” is a threat to human safety, such as a broken refrigerator.
De La Cruz added that the grades are determined in a similar manner as university coursework, with 90 percent or above equaling an A. Any business with lower than 70 percent does not receive a letter grade and is instead designated by a number.
“If the business has something like improper food temperatures or a rodent infestation, we automatically shut them down and remove the letter placard, even if they have an A grade,” he said.
When the letter placard is taken away, the health department puts up a sign stating the reason for closure.
A search at the health department’s rating page showed that even the popular, A-rated In-N-Out Burger in Westwood had numerous violations.
The rating detailed offenses such as improper cleaning and an insect presence, but the eatery had a score of 91 out of 100.
De La Cruz said that Los Angeles County does not inspect dining halls on the Hill since they are government owned, but noted that they are rigorously inspected by the state of California. Dining halls in private universities are still inspected by the county and receive letter grades.
Cindy Bolton, the director of Associated Students UCLA Restaurants, said ASUCLA-operated restaurants are subject to the same state health inspector as the dining halls and are not given letter grades because the restaurants are affiliated with the university.
However, four eateries that the association rents space out to ““ Jamba Juice, Panda Express, Sbarro and Rubio’s ““ are inspected by Los Angeles County and have letter grades posted. The Espresso Roma Cafe in the UCLA Anderson School of Management, which is independently owned, also receives a letter grade.
All ASUCLA-operated restaurants keep health inspections on file, and these records are available to any customer who requests to see them.
Bolton said her restaurants have not had any major health violations in recent years and said the operation ensures that all food service managers go through nationally certified food safety training.
De La Cruz said everybody has different standards of health and cleanliness, which is why he says he encourages students to go onto the health department’s Web site and read the summary for any food business.
“Customers can also ask for a copy of the latest health inspection at the facility and decide if the violations are something to be personally concerned about,” he said.