Yelpers Can Now View Evanston Restaurant Health Inspection Data

Yelp users can now view health inspection scores for restaurants in north suburban Evanston. Each Evanston restaurant, like Dave's Italian Kitchen, now has a "health score" link on its Yelp page that leads users to a list of any violations, the dates and results of previous health inspections and an overall health score out of 100. This data had already been publicly available, but thanks to an agreement announced on Monday, it's now posted on Yelp.

New York and San Francisco already offer health inspection data via Yelp, a practice that started in 2012 when Yelp and the not-for-profit Code for America established an open standard so municipalities could more easily upload that data. Evanston is working with Accela, which is based in San Ramon, Calif. That company also works with San Francisco and creates and maintains websites and other online resources for municipalities. According to Accela a "handful" of municipalities post the info on Yelp.

Educating diners has had a positive impact on health in Los Angeles County, which linked a 13.1-percent dip in hospitalizations due to food-borne illness with requiring restaurants to display a hygiene grade card near entrances.

—Ashok Selvam