Is a Pass/Fail grading system good enough for your gullet?

Hey there, food lovers expecting a sanitary environment with which to consume it in. Lately there's been some criticism on the DOH's restaurant grading system. Park Slope Patch reports that critics of Bloomberg's A-F grading system, including Executive Director of Park Slope's BID Irene LoRe, are claiming that it's unfair.

“Regarding letter grading, the DOH will say that an establishment with a ‘B’ or ‘C’ is acceptable and does not endanger the public health. They even try to convince restaurants that a ‘B’ or ‘C’ grade will not hurt,” LoRe wrote in a statement she sent to the City Council, which held a Department of Health oversight meeting on Wednesday. “In my opinion that is simply not the case on the face of it. Potential customers passing two restaurants, similar prices and menus but one has a B and the other an A, what choice do you think will be made?”

LoRe believes that a pass/fail system will be more fair for restaurateurs, but patrons are speaking up and saying that a change like this isn't safe for the public. One commenter told the Patch, “I don't leave my health to ‘Pass/Fail.' If I'm putting your food in my mouth, I want to know it's nothing but the best.”

Having worked in bars and restaurants before, both in places with "grades pending" and A's, I know that when you're eating at a restaurant, you're not necessarily 100% safe from anything. However, implementing a "pass/fail" system totally leaves out that gray area for you to decide which end of the spectrum you want to eat on, likely giving you a false sense of security of what you're stuffing your face with. Bottom line: if you own a restaurant and don't want a pending grade or grade lower than an A, get your shit together and keep it clean. No?