Would a posted "C" sanitation grade scare you off?

Yes, it would scare me off.

I would do an about-face and go somewhere else - too many good places. I would not research any of the details. C = No Go. If I went back the next week and they had an A, I'd go and the C would be forgotten.

...stick to a can of Vienna sausages and a sleeve of Saltines...that or maybe an R.C. and a Moon Pie.

Dag, Steve, I'm getting pleasant flashbacks from my childhood! Throw in an afternoon snack of a grape Nehi, Tom's BBQ potato chips & a Black Cow.

I'm with those who've noted that a letter grade does little to tell a potential patron if it is a violation that he or she would find a deal breaker or just something that the nitpickers get their panties in a bunch about. I'd be surprised if the city inspector came to our house that we'd ever even get a "C" because, you know, we live like normal people. Amazing how after flirting with death for over half a century my wife and I are still alive! Probably because we don't do anything that is genuinely stupid in a food / beverage safety sense.

I don't want to put down the inspection process per se and am grateful that it does a lot to keep the overall level of hygiene at acceptable levels. But I would and have eaten at a place with a "C" without hesitation and will do so again partly because it probably still means they have less violations than the kitchen IN OUR HOUSE. In the past I've even noted places with a "C" as ones we need to eat at soon because 1) the restaurant is on notice and trying to get the rating improved and 2) we assume a lot of people probably are, in fact, put off by the letter grade and so it actually represents an opportunity to eat with a small crowd and no wait.

My expectation is in the advanced or wealthy countries, whatever we want to call them, that a restaurant would be closed pending address of any violation dangerous enough to keep me from eating there.

I mentioned some of the funky things that used to go on in restaurants back in the sixties and seventies, Here are a few more that never raised an eyebrow. The pot where wait staff put all the used butter crocks from the table and was later picked through to remove bits of bread or food and then recycled back into clarified butter and such. The steamer bread drawer where all the uneaten rolls were returned to and used again. And the unnamed top notch place I worked where the last salad of the night was retrieved from the garbage, washed off, and served again. So thank your lucky stars we have some semblance of food safety in today's world. Did I mention soaking browned lettuce in a sink with MSG to bleach out the dark spots and then served to customers. These were all common occurrences at one time. So a C is disturbing, but like has been said, it can be for something quite innocent and fixable on the spot. Oh yeah, the chef who made me scrub the bad, ammonia smelling shrimp with lemon juice to cover up the smell and then on to the saute pan. Its a miracle we are all alive. Tenderloins soaked in MSG overnight to tenderize and flavor....and man did people dig those. I could go on. Enjoy.

Probably not. Depending on the location, maybe. But if I am hungry and I want to eat something, I'm going to eat..... Period. Grow your own, or kill it and fix it yourself, and if you can't, eat what they are serving. Or starve.

I don't eat at a "C" restaurant. If I see a "B", I try to find out the reason, and I check the past ratings before I make a decision.

Like some others, it would depend on the restaurant since the violations that earn you a C can be silly. I say this based on my experience working in a restaurant in high school. The place was clean and proper standards were maintained, so only once did they not earn an A on their rating while I was there. They got a C once when an inspector came mid-afternoon. The slow period between lunch and dinner was typically used for cleaning and someone was mopping the kitchen when the inspector showed up. Due to the presence of the mop bucket, the inspector noted "raw sewage in kitchen" on his inspection form and the restaurant was given a C.

Tenderloins soaked in MSG overnight to tenderize and flavor

Sounds awesome

[Robin Garr]

Due to the presence of the mop bucket, the inspector noted "raw sewage in kitchen" on his inspection form and the restaurant was given a C.

Perhaps the restaurateur failed to recognize this as his invitation to brandish a $20 and ask, "What would it take to make this go away"?

LOL LOL So you think these guys could be swayed by a mere $20? That was the problem, he wanted $100. These are government employees, (aren't they?) they can't take bribes!!! I remember when the chef was opening mail one day and pulled out the placard and says, "Oh look, we got an A". It is all truly "sewage".

Since we are telling tales, my inspection was yesterday. I got a 95 A. I lost points for a leak on the cold water tap on a hand sink in the bar area, a carton of 2 eggs on a shelf above RTEs (stupid mistake on my part, the cooler was packed for Mardi Gras and space was a premium, I got sloppy), and lack of sanitation test strips (apparently the weekend crew failed to report using the last of them).

I moved the eggs immediately, but lost points "as a reminder." That's ok. It was my mistake.
Test strips were purchased promptly yesterday afternoon and I am working on the sink today.

It's not hard to stay in compliance with HD regs, but even when you think you are doing a top notch job, there are little things that can ding you.

I cannot fathom getting a C though.

No I wouldnt eat there. Ive watched the disgusting kitchens on Restaurant Impossible one to many times.

I thought this was all about the fact that both Havana Rumba and Loop 22 are sporting "C" grades in their windows. (The Douglass Loop has become a happening place!) We drove by both places on Friday night and they were PACKED!

Before anyone asks, I didn't see the violations.

I thought this was all about the fact that both Havana Rumba and Loop 22 are sporting "C" grades in their windows. (The Douglass Loop has become a happening place!) We drove by both places on Friday night and they were PACKED!

Before anyone asks, I didn't see the violations.

I have a feeling this thread is going to get interesting with these 2 restaurants getting "C"!

[Robin Garr]

I thought this was all about the fact that both Havana Rumba and Loop 22 are sporting "C" grades in their windows. (The Douglass Loop has become a happening place!) We drove by both places on Friday night and they were PACKED!

Before anyone asks, I didn't see the violations.

I actually didn't know this, but today's LEO review will reveal that the extensively discussed Alwatan was sporting a C last week.

I saw it, read the fine print, ate there anyway, and lived to tell the tale. I'll post the review later, after LEO hits the streets.

See. The one time I got a C, I posted a note underneath explaining it (plumbing on hand sink no where near food production area), for this very reason.

Why the C's? What are these folks getting wrong? Is it a major food handling violation or something like plumbing? And furthermore, are these restaurants (their owners and staff) just blasé about getting the C's or are they totally freaking out (like the should be). Given the sentiments expressed in this thread they should be totally freaking out!