Queens, NY — Gao Qunsheng, a Chinese restaurant located at 135-32 40 Road in Flushing, received a score of 49 during a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) inspection conducted on April 2, 2026. The score places the establishment in Grade C territory under the city's restaurant grading system. Inspection data was released publicly on April 6, 2026.

The inspection resulted in one non-critical violation. No critical violations were recorded during this visit.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors documented one violation under Code 10H, classified as non-critical. The violation pertains to single-service article handling: specifically, that single-use items were not adequately protected from contamination during storage, transport, or dispensing. In this instance, inspectors noted that drinking straws were not completely enclosed in individual wrappers or dispensed from a sanitary dispensing device.

While this type of violation does not indicate direct contamination of food, it represents a failure to meet standards designed to prevent the transfer of contaminants to customers through items that come into contact with the mouth. Proper single-service article management is a routine compliance area under city food safety rules.

Food Safety Context

NYC Health Code Article 81 governs food service establishment operations across the five boroughs and sets requirements for the handling of food contact surfaces and single-service items. Under these standards, items such as straws, napkins, and disposable utensils must be stored and dispensed in ways that minimize contamination risk.

The FDA Food Code, which informs many local health regulations, similarly requires that single-service and single-use articles be stored in their original protective packaging or kept in covered dispensers until use. These standards exist to reduce transmission of pathogens from environmental surfaces to customers.

A score of 49 points is notable, as a single non-critical violation would not typically generate such a high score on its own. NYC DOHMH scoring assigns point values to each violation based on its risk category and severity. The score recorded here suggests the violation may have been assessed at a higher point value due to the circumstances observed, or that additional scoring factors applied during the inspection.

Inspection History

Gao Qunsheng has been inspected multiple times in recent months. The prior inspection record is as follows:

  • May 14, 2026: Score 23 (Grade Z)
  • January 28, 2026: Score 4 (Grade N)

Grade Z is a designation used by DOHMH in specific administrative contexts, and a score of 23 would fall within Grade B range under the standard grading scale. The January 2026 inspection produced a score of 4, which falls in the Grade A range, reflecting strong compliance at that time. The April 2026 score of 49 represents a significant increase in points from that earlier visit.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City requires that restaurants post their most recent letter grade in a visible location. Grades are assigned based on inspection scores as follows:

  • A: Score of 0 to 13 points — indicates a high level of compliance
  • B: Score of 14 to 27 points — indicates generally acceptable compliance with some areas needing correction
  • C: Score of 28 or more points — indicates multiple or more serious compliance concerns

A Grade C is the lowest grade issued before a restaurant may face additional administrative action. Restaurants that receive a score above a certain threshold during an initial inspection may be re-inspected, at which point a letter grade is finalized and must be posted.

Consumers can look up the full inspection history of any NYC restaurant through the DOHMH online search tool at nyc.gov/health, which provides scores, violation details, and grade history for all permitted food service establishments.

More About This Restaurant

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