Stefan Mileschin

Yelp is great for sizing up unvisited eateries, and soon some users will be able to complement review results with a side of hygiene inspection ratings. "Health Scores" will be added to listings in New York and San Francisco over the next few weeks, with Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago next in line. The most recent rating will show up on the restaurant hub, but go deeper and you'll find a history of recent inspections, including notes on any violations. A "new open data standard" called LIVES (Local Inspector Value-entry Specification) is behind the feature, allowing local authorities to add inspection outcomes straight into Yelp. We're sure users will appreciate the extra info when scoping out new places, or even checking up on old favorites -- but they might not like what they find. One example restaurant linked in Yelp's blog post has a Health Score of 92 out of 100, which sounds all good until you see one of the most recent violations was due to "Rodents / Roaches / Flies / Other Animals." Tasty!

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/17/y...giene-ratings/