The problem with associations is, they strive for the lowest common denominator. Whether it’s state growers, regional restaurateurs or national retailers, there’s too many members to keep happy – too many dues paying members.

Robert Bookman, legislative counsel for the New York City chapters of the New York State Restaurant Association — the operators’ trade group — told the New York Times this morning the NYC Board of Health decision to mandate prominent letter grades be displayed in the city’s more than 24,000 restaurants “will be more misleading than helpful,” adding that “it will be unfair and a black eye to this industry in the restaurant capital of the word.”

I’m not sure what that’s based on. Yes, inspectors can be malicious, callous, unreasonable and unscientific. So can customers who can effectively kill a restaurant with a strategic blog attack. It’s a tough business.

There are also many inspectors who are devoted to public health and fewer people barfing because of the food they eat. When restaurant spokesthingy Geoff Kravitz told the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce last month that the grades would be “a scarlet letter that will keep people from eating out,” and that restaurants posting anything less than an A would be treated by the public like Hester Prynne at a public shaming, he was absolutely right. The available research has shown that the percentage of B, or yellow or whatever restaurants decreases significantly as soon as the eateries are asked to publicly up their game.

Michael White, chef and owner of Alto, Convivio and Marea, got it right when he told the Times,

“I think it’s great, because it will keep everyone on their toes. Customers have high expectations. No one wants to have a B in their window.”

The best restaurants will go above and beyond minimal government and auditor standards and sell food safety solutions directly to the public. The best organizations will use their own people to demand ingredients from the best suppliers; use a mixture of encouragement and enforcement to foster a food safety culture; and use technology to be transparent — whether it’s live webcams in the facility or real-time test results on the website — to help enhance trust with the buying public. And the best restaurants will proudly proclaim their A.