The New York City Health Department is considering putting QR codes on restaurant letter grades. The codes will give residents easy access to detailed information about the restaurants’ most recent inspection, as well as a rundown on what the grading system means. The information is already available online via the department’s website, but officials believe that using QR codes will encourage more people to look into the grades.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced earlier this week plans to implement the codes on building permits and has expressed that he wants to use the codes more prolifically. Response to the codes has already been favorable, and future ventures are likely to garner support.
“People can communicate and get information in ways that they never could before,” said Bloomberg. “This is just the beginning.”
The sanitation department already uses the codes on the sides of their trucks and Parks Commissioner, Adrian Benepe, said that he will be looking into QR. Benepe suggested that the codes could be used to help people book time on tennis courts or be attributed to statues to provide historic and artistic information.
There has been some concern that QR codes are nothing more than a passing fad, but they have proven that, if used effectively, they can be a powerful tool. Businesses have seen success in using the codes and they are quickly grabbing the attention of governmental and non-profit organizations around the nation.
