Manhattan, NY — Schnipper's Quality Kitchen, a hamburger restaurant located at 620 8th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, received a Grade B following a health inspection conducted on March 17, 2026. Inspectors recorded a score of 23, placing the restaurant near the upper boundary of the B range and within four points of a Grade C designation. The data was released by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on March 19, 2026.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors documented one critical violation during the visit, classified under Code 06C. The violation cited a failure to protect food, supplies, or equipment from potential sources of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, or service. Specifically, condiments were not stored in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor as required.

Critical violations are those that pose a direct risk to public health. Under NYC Health Code Article 81 and the FDA Food Code, condiment handling practices are regulated to minimize the risk of cross-contamination — particularly in high-volume food service environments where self-service condiment stations can expose products to multiple points of contact.

No non-critical violations were recorded during the inspection.

Food Safety Context

Code 06C violations address the exposure of food and related materials to contamination pathways that may not be immediately visible to customers. The FDA Food Code establishes standards for how condiments must be presented and dispensed in commercial food service settings, and NYC Health Code Article 81 incorporates and enforces these provisions locally.

A score of 23 falls within the Grade B band, but its proximity to the 28-point Grade C threshold is notable. Each additional point in a reinspection cycle can affect the restaurant's posted grade and public standing. Restaurants scoring in this range are typically subject to a follow-up inspection to determine whether violations have been corrected before a grade is officially posted.

Inspection History

Schnipper's Quality Kitchen has received mixed scores in recent inspection cycles:

  • November 25, 2024: Score 13, Grade A
  • May 9, 2024: Score 24
  • February 24, 2023: Score 13, Grade A
  • November 4, 2022: Score 18

The restaurant has previously demonstrated the ability to achieve Grade A scores, making the current 23 an increase from its most recent inspection cycle. The May 2024 score of 24 and the current score of 23 suggest a pattern of elevated scores in alternating inspection periods.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City's restaurant grading system is based on the total number of points assigned during a DOHMH inspection:

  • Grade A: 0–13 points
  • Grade B: 14–27 points
  • Grade C: 28 or more points

Grades are required to be posted prominently at restaurant entrances. Inspection reports, including violation details and scores, are publicly available through the DOHMH Restaurant Inspection Results database at nyc.gov/health.

More About This Restaurant

View the full inspection history for Schnipper's Quality Kitchen including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.