Tune into WNYC NOW! In New York City: 93.9 FM
They're talking about Di Fara. Right now!
Outside Gotham (if you care): http://www.wnyc.org/
Update
It's over. Was only a short 10-minute segment at 10 a.m. EDT. New York State Senator Jeff Klein was a guest on the show, and he had some more info on the situation at Di Fara.
Klein: "The Department of Health right now may be overreacting. Because of the Taco Bell incident, they're going out and giving violation after violation."
Senator Klein said he had been studying California's system as an example, in which a grading system is used to identify cleanliness levels at restaurants.
Klein: "They have seen in California a substantial decline in food-borne illness. And business has increased. Restaurants that get an A or B have increased business by 15 to 20 percent."
So would a Cali-style DOH grading system help Di Fara?
No, Klein said. Di Fara is "somewhat of a special case" because of the multiple inspection failures (five of six failures in the past 18 months).
"If you fail two in a row," Klein said, "You go on an accelerated program—inspections every six months, every three months—and you have to pass two inspections in a row to get out of the [accelerated] program.
"They went on the program, and they didn't do it."
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