Letter Grade System Results in Cold Sandwiches, Frozen Sushi

One of the immediate repercussions of the new restaurant inspection letter grade system that diners will notice: freezing cold deli sandwiches. In a WSJ , deli owners in Midtown note that they're now keeping salads, sandwiches, and sushi extra cold to avoid getting violation points under the new system: "Customers have noticed, complaining at Café Metro in Midtown, for example, of frozen sandwiches and ice-cold cheese...Avoiding violations, Mr. de Leon says his bosses have told him, is more important than catering to customer preferences."

Meanwhile, sit-down restaurants are ramping up cleaning schedules, with some like Ed's Chowder House doing weekly walk-throughs "to make sure the entire staff is aware of what you need to do to be in compliance with regulations."

The round of new inspections take place later this month. We'd love to hear when the first scarlet letters are spotted.
· Restaurants Chase Grade [WSJ (with sub)]