Starting at 100
Every restaurant begins with a perfect score of 100 points. Points are deducted based on violations found during official health inspections. The fewer and less severe the violations, the higher the score.
Violation Point Deductions
High Priority — 10 points each
Direct health hazards: unsafe food temperatures, improper cooking, cross-contamination, poor hygiene, contaminated equipment.
Intermediate — 5 points each
Potential hazards that could escalate: missing food manager certification, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper food labeling.
Basic — 2 points each
Best practice violations: minor cleanliness issues, signage requirements, equipment maintenance.
Recency Weighting
SafeDine considers up to 3 most recent inspections, but weights them differently. Recent inspections reflect the restaurant's current state more accurately than older ones.
100%
Latest inspection
60%
2nd most recent
30%
3rd most recent
Time Decay & Freshness
Older inspections automatically carry less weight. An inspection from 2 years ago has only 50% impact compared to a recent one. Inspections older than 4 years are excluded entirely.
Additionally, if a restaurant hasn't been inspected in over 6 months, a freshness penalty is applied to prevent outdated data from maintaining artificially high scores.
Score Grades
85-100: Excellent
Minimal or no violations. Strong food safety practices.
70-84: Good
Some violations found but generally maintaining safe conditions.
Below 70: Needs Improvement
Significant violations found. May need multiple improvements.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the SafeDine score calculated?
Every restaurant starts with a perfect score of 100 points. Points are deducted for violations found during official health inspections. High Priority violations (direct health hazards) deduct 10 points each, Intermediate violations deduct 5 points, and Basic violations deduct 2 points. The score considers up to 3 most recent inspections, with the most recent weighted 100%, the second at 60%, and the third at 30%.
What is a good SafeDine score?
Scores of 85-100 are rated "Excellent" (Grade A), meaning the restaurant has very few or no violations. Scores of 70-84 are "Good" (Grade B), with some violations but generally safe. Scores below 70 indicate the restaurant "Needs Improvement" (Grade C) and has significant violations.
How often are scores updated?
SafeDine scores are updated automatically when new inspection data becomes available from official government sources. This typically happens within days of a new inspection being published. Florida data syncs weekly, while other cities sync on their own schedules.
What does the trend indicator mean?
The trend shows whether a restaurant's score is improving, declining, or stable based on its recent inspection history. A difference of 5+ points between inspections triggers an "improving" or "declining" trend. This helps you see if a restaurant is getting better or worse over time.
Can community reviews affect the score?
Yes, but only slightly. When a restaurant has 3 or more community reviews, the average user rating can adjust the SafeDine score by up to 5 points (positive or negative). This ensures the score primarily reflects official inspection data while incorporating real diner experiences.
Where does SafeDine get its data?
SafeDine uses official government health inspection data from state and local health departments. Sources include the Florida DBPR (Division of Hotels and Restaurants), NYC DOHMH, Chicago CDPH, Detroit Health Department, Dallas Code Compliance, and King County (Seattle) Public Health. All data is publicly available government records.
What is the freshness penalty?
If a restaurant has not been inspected recently, a freshness penalty is applied to reduce the score. Restaurants inspected within the last 6 months have no penalty. After 6 months, penalties increase gradually — up to 25 points for restaurants not inspected in over 24 months. This ensures restaurants with outdated data don't maintain artificially high scores.
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