Jun 14, 2024 - Food and Drink

Detroit restaurant sign ordinance a long time coming

Annalise Frank

An example of what the food safety placards would look like. Screenshot: Courtesy of the city of Detroit

City Council approved member Scott Benson's "Dining with Confidence" ordinance this week that requires restaurants to post food safety compliance signs.

The big picture: Benson's proposal, in the works for six years, was revamped several times. Two barriers to its passage were the pandemic and major opposition from some restaurant businesses over how it may unfairly hurt their bottom lines.

How it works: Previous versions required restaurants to post green, yellow or red signs showing whether they were in compliance after health department inspections.

The latest version, which passed, takes away the yellow option in order to give restaurants more flexibility to correct their mistakes without them being made publicly visible.
The only way to get a red sign is if the restaurant is shut down for violations.

The intrigue: After the ordinance was approved unanimously, a couple of council members fist-bumped and clapped for Benson, with council President Mary Sheffield saying this was a "long time coming" and that Benson "put a lot of work in."

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Detroit restaurant sign ordinance a long time coming

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