Every restaurant in New York has a grade. Lots of people decide where to eat based on those grades but what do they really mean? Where do they come from?
Students from Lyons Community School worked with CUP teaching artist Leigh Davis to go behind the letters on the wall. They interviewed restaurant owners and workers from neighborhood joints and Michelin-starred sensations, spoke with inspectors from the Department of Health, and paid a visit to the Public Advocate’s office. They took what they learned about the system (especially who’s apt to have an advantage) and made a booklet on making the grade.
Students presented their work at Colors Restaurant, the only restaurant in New York that is cooperatively owned and operated by its workers. Students showed off their interview skills in a live interview with a Colors representative about the fairness of the inspection process.