Manhattan, NY — Bonnefont, an American restaurant located at 1 Margaret Corbin Drive in upper Manhattan, received a score of 55 during a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) inspection conducted on October 16, 2025. The score places the establishment well above the 28-point threshold for a Grade C designation, with all three violations cited classified as critical.
What Inspectors Found
The most serious finding documented during the inspection was evidence of rats in the establishment's food or non-food areas, cited under violation code 04K. The presence of rodent activity in a food service establishment represents one of the most significant public health concerns identified during routine inspections, as rodents can transmit pathogens including Salmonella and E. coli through direct contamination of food preparation surfaces and stored ingredients.
Inspectors also cited the restaurant under violation code 06C for failure to protect food, supplies, or equipment from potential sources of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, or service. This violation also noted that condiments were not maintained in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor, creating additional opportunities for cross-contamination.
The third critical violation, cited under code 04A, documented that no manager or supervisor of food operations held a valid Food Protection Certificate (FPC). New York City requires that at least one supervisory employee at every food service establishment maintain a current FPC, which demonstrates completion of an approved food safety training course covering proper food handling, temperature control, and contamination prevention.
No non-critical violations were recorded during this inspection.
Food Safety Context
Under NYC Health Code Article 81, all food service establishments are required to maintain conditions that prevent contamination of food and protect public health. The Food Protection Certificate requirement, established under Section 81.15, ensures that at least one person with formal food safety training is present during all hours of food preparation and service.
The FDA Food Code, which serves as the basis for many local food safety regulations, classifies rodent activity and inadequate food protection as priority violations due to their direct relationship to foodborne illness risk. Rodent contamination in particular is associated with the potential transmission of multiple diseases and is considered an imminent health hazard under federal food safety guidelines.
A score of 55 represents more than four times the 13-point maximum for a Grade A rating and nearly double the 28-point threshold where Grade C designation begins. Each critical violation carries a minimum of 7 points under the DOHMH scoring system, with additional points assessed based on the severity and extent of conditions observed.
Inspection History
No prior inspection history is available for this establishment in the DOHMH public database. This may indicate that the October 2025 inspection was the restaurant's initial inspection cycle, or that prior records are not currently reflected in the publicly available dataset.
It should be noted that this inspection was conducted on October 16, 2025, with the data released publicly by DOHMH on February 27, 2026. Conditions at the establishment may have changed between the inspection date and the publication of this report.
Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades
New York City assigns letter grades to restaurants based on violation scores from DOHMH inspections:
- Grade A: Score of 0 to 13 points
- Grade B: Score of 14 to 27 points
- Grade C: Score of 28 or more points
Restaurants that receive a Grade B or C on an initial inspection may request a re-inspection. During the adjudication process, a restaurant may display a "Grade Pending" card while awaiting a hearing or re-inspection outcome.
Consumers can verify any restaurant's current inspection status, grade, and violation history through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database, available online at the NYC Open Data portal. The database is updated regularly as new inspection results are processed and released.
More About This Restaurant
View the full inspection history for Bonnefont including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.