Queens, NY — A Subway sandwich restaurant at 13240 Metropolitan Ave in Richmond Hill, Queens, was closed by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) following an inspection conducted on April 15, 2026. The establishment received a score of 54, placing it well within the C-grade range under the city's restaurant grading system. Inspection data was released by the agency on April 17, 2026.

Inspectors cited two critical violations and one non-critical violation during the visit. The closure order required that violations demanding immediate action be addressed before the restaurant could resume operations.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors documented three violations during the April 15 inspection, two of which were classified as critical under NYC Health Code Article 81.

The first critical violation, cited under Code 04H, found that food at the location was adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with the establishment's Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan. Under HACCP principles — a federally recognized food safety framework — food handlers are required to identify and control biological, chemical, and physical hazards at every stage of food handling. A finding under Code 04H indicates that food may have been rendered unsafe for consumption and was not properly managed or disposed of according to required protocols.

The second critical violation, cited under Code 02G, recorded that cold temperature-controlled for safety (TCS) food items were held above the required 41°F threshold. Proper cold holding temperatures are a foundational requirement of both the NYC Health Code and the FDA Food Code, which mandates that perishable foods be kept at or below 41°F to inhibit the growth of pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli. Foods that fall outside required temperature ranges for extended periods can enter what food safety regulators call the "danger zone" — between 41°F and 135°F — where bacterial growth accelerates significantly.

A non-critical violation was also recorded under Code 20-01, which found that a food allergy information poster was not conspicuously posted in the food preparation area. Under New York City regulations, food service establishments are required to display allergy awareness materials where food workers can readily reference them. This requirement is intended to reduce the risk of allergen cross-contact and to ensure staff are informed about the city's food allergy awareness guidelines.

Food Safety Context

The violations identified during this inspection fall under NYC Health Code Article 81, the primary regulatory framework governing food service establishments in New York City. Article 81 establishes standards for food handling, storage, temperature control, sanitation, and worker practices across the city's more than 27,000 permitted food service establishments.

Critical violations — those coded and weighted at 5 to 7 points each under the DOHMH scoring system — reflect conditions that directly contribute to foodborne illness risk. When a combination of critical violations produces an immediate public health hazard, DOHMH inspectors are authorized to order an establishment closed until corrective action is taken and verified.

The FDA Food Code, which serves as the basis for many state and local regulations, classifies improper cold holding and food contamination among the five most common risk factors associated with foodborne illness outbreaks in retail food environments. Both violations documented at this location fall within those categories.

The non-critical violation related to allergy posting, while lower in point weight, reflects an area of increasing regulatory focus in New York City following the enactment of local allergen awareness requirements in recent years.

Inspection History

According to data released by the DOHMH, no prior inspection history is available for this location in the city's publicly accessible records. This may indicate a newly permitted establishment, a recently transferred permit, or a gap in publicly released historical data.

  • April 15, 2026: Score 54 (C grade), closed by DOHMH; 2 critical violations, 1 non-critical violation cited

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City's letter grading system is based on a point-score model assigned during unannounced DOHMH inspections. Lower scores reflect fewer violations and better compliance with health code standards:

  • A: Score of 0–13 points — indicates a high level of compliance
  • B: Score of 14–27 points — indicates some violations were found
  • C: Score of 28 or more points — indicates significant violations were documented

A score of 54 is more than four times the threshold for an A grade. Establishments that receive scores above 13 on an initial inspection are typically subject to re-inspection before a grade is officially posted. If the re-inspection score also falls in the B or C range, the letter grade is posted publicly at the establishment.

Closures ordered by DOHMH are separate from the grading process. An establishment may be closed at any point during an inspection when inspectors determine that an imminent health hazard exists. The restaurant may reopen once the DOHMH has verified that cited conditions have been corrected.

More About This Restaurant

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