Bronx, NY — A Burger King location at 961 East 174th Street in the Bronx was closed by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) following an inspection conducted on May 20, 2026. The restaurant received a score of 47, placing it in the C range under the city's restaurant grading system. Data from the inspection was released publicly by DOHMH on May 22, 2026.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors documented one critical violation during the May 20 visit. No non-critical violations were recorded.

The critical violation cited was Code 05F: insufficient or no hot holding, cold storage, or cold holding equipment to maintain Time/Temperature Control for Safety Foods (TCS) at required temperatures. TCS foods include items such as meat, poultry, dairy products, cooked vegetables, and other foods that must be kept at specific temperatures to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.

According to DOHMH, violations requiring immediate action were addressed at the time of the inspection. The establishment was nonetheless ordered closed due to the severity of the conditions identified.

Food Safety Context

Temperature control is one of the most closely monitored areas of restaurant food safety inspections. Under NYC Health Code Article 81 and the FDA Food Code, TCS foods must be held at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below for cold storage, or at 135 degrees Fahrenheit or above for hot holding. Failures in this area create conditions that can allow pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria, and Staphylococcus aureus to multiply to unsafe levels.

Code 05F violations are considered critical because the absence or inadequacy of temperature control equipment is not a one-time lapse — it reflects a systemic deficiency in the kitchen's ability to maintain food safety standards across all items handled in that space. When equipment cannot maintain required temperatures, every TCS food item stored or held using that equipment is potentially affected.

DOHMH inspectors are authorized under NYC Health Code to close an establishment immediately when they determine that conditions pose a public health risk. In this case, inspectors exercised that authority while also requiring that violations be addressed on site before any reopening could occur.

Inspection History

The East 174th Street Burger King had maintained a strong compliance record in the years prior to this closure. Its recent inspection history is as follows:

  • 2025-05-12: Score 10, Grade A
  • 2024-03-29: Score 5, Grade A
  • 2023-09-07: Score 11, Grade A
  • 2023-05-22: Score 12

The restaurant's prior scores placed it consistently in the top tier of NYC's grading scale, with scores well below the 14-point threshold for a B grade. The jump to a score of 47 at the most recent inspection represents a significant departure from that record, driven entirely by the single critical equipment violation.

It is not uncommon for a restaurant with a strong inspection history to receive a closure order if inspectors identify a condition that poses an immediate risk to public health, regardless of past performance.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City requires restaurants to post their most recent letter grade in a window visible to the public. Grades are assigned based on the point score received during an unannounced DOHMH inspection:

  • A: 0 to 13 points — meets or exceeds food safety standards
  • B: 14 to 27 points — some violations identified
  • C: 28 or more points — significant violations found

A score of 47 falls well into C territory. When a restaurant is closed by DOHMH, it is not eligible to display a letter grade until it has passed a re-inspection. Restaurants may request a re-inspection after correcting the conditions that led to the closure.

Additional Resources

Consumers can look up inspection records for any NYC restaurant through the DOHMH restaurant inspection results portal. Records include dates, scores, violation codes, and action taken for all inspections on file. The database is updated regularly as new inspection data is released.

More About This Restaurant

View the full inspection history for Burger King including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.