Manhattan, NY — La Quinta Manhattan Midtown, located at 333 West 38th Street, received a Grade B following a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) inspection conducted on April 6, 2026. Inspectors recorded a score of 24, placing the establishment near the upper boundary of the B range and four points away from a Grade C designation. The data was released by DOHMH on April 8, 2026.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors identified one violation during the April visit, classified as critical:

  • Code 04A: A Food Protection Certificate (FPC) was not held by a manager or supervisor of food operations at the time of inspection.

Under NYC Health Code Article 81, at least one certified food protection manager must be present and responsible for food handling operations during all hours of operation. The FPC demonstrates that a qualified individual has completed an approved food safety course and passed a certification exam. The absence of such a certificate holder is classified as a critical violation because it represents a gap in trained oversight of food safety practices.

No non-critical violations were documented during this inspection.

Food Safety Context

The Food Protection Certificate requirement is grounded in both NYC Health Code Article 81 and guidance from the FDA Food Code, which emphasizes the role of a certified Person in Charge (PIC) in maintaining safe food handling environments. The PIC is responsible for ensuring staff follow proper hygiene, temperature controls, and sanitation procedures.

A score of 24 sits in the upper tier of the Grade B band. While the establishment did not receive a Grade C, the score reflects a meaningful gap from Grade A performance. A single critical violation of this category carries significant point weight under the DOHMH scoring system.

Inspection History

La Quinta Manhattan Midtown's recent inspection record shows variability in performance:

  • January 5, 2026: Score 39 (above Grade C threshold)
  • August 2, 2024: Score 12 (Grade A)
  • March 7, 2023: Score 13 (Grade A)

The January 2026 inspection recorded a score of 39, which falls above the Grade C cutoff of 28. The two prior inspections in 2024 and 2023 each resulted in Grade A scores, indicating stronger performance in earlier cycles. The April 2026 result represents an improvement from January but remains well below the establishment's previous Grade A benchmarks.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

DOHMH assigns letter grades based on inspection scores under the following scale:

  • Grade A: Score of 0 to 13 points
  • Grade B: Score of 14 to 27 points
  • Grade C: Score of 28 points or higher

Lower scores indicate fewer or less severe violations. A score of 24 falls within the Grade B range but leaves limited margin before reaching Grade C territory.

Inspection records for all NYC restaurants are publicly available through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database at the NYC Open Data portal. Consumers can search current grades, violation details, and full inspection histories for any permitted food service establishment in the five boroughs.

More About This Restaurant

View the full inspection history for La Quinta Manhattan Midtown including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.