By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Despite fancy cocktail names and swanky sounding entrees, the Health Department wants Washington Heights residents to know that some of the area’s upscale restaurants don’t have one thing chain fast food joints seem to have: clean kitchens.
The Health Department’s newly released inspection ratings, which will soon be translated into letter grades to be displayed near eating establishments' entrances, found that high-end eateries like Altus Café on Broadway and Agave Azul, formerly Hispaniola Restaurant, on West 181st Street, were ranked more poorly than fast food chains, including McDonald’s, Burger King, Little Caesar and Papa John in Washington Heights.
With each point representing violations, the fast food establishments all received an inspection rating of 4 points or less, while Altus Café received 54 points and Agave Azul received 48 for violations like evidence of live mice or vermin, improper refrigeration of food and utensils used for food, which would be translated to a "C" grade once the new system is fully launched.
Management from Agave Azul did not immediately return calls for comment.
Altus Café is owned by Lenin Lopez, a member of the Mamajuana Café collective that also owns Mama Sushi and Papasito on Dyckman Street. Mamajuana Café also received a low rating in the new Health Department system.
Altus Café manager Nelson Baez said he felt frustrated by the new Health Department system and voiced concern that it will have a negative impact on business.
"I think it’s flawed, a scam by the city," he said. "I think it’s great they want to show the ratings of the storefront, but it’s going to affect business, it’s more for the city’s gain."
Baez contends the system is too subjective and left to the whim of individual inspectors, and said that different inspectors focus on different criteria, which makes it hard to know what is most important to fix.
Baez also said he was not surprised that fast food chains fare well in this system.
"Fast food chains have been around for years, so they’ve perfected it to a point where they have it down pat with systems in place, policies, training videos and procedures," he said. "Who knows, maybe I should think about hiring the people who work there in the future."
