Big Apple eateries say a new “char broil” rule is totally half-baked.
The city’s environmental cops could force restaurants that use char broilers to cut their smoky emissions by 75% — or figure out a new way to cook meat and fish.
Restaurants that char-broil more than 875 pounds of meat per week would be barred from operating unless they install an emissions control device to curb pollutants if their char broilers were installed before May 6, 2016, according to a new rule proposed by the Department of Environmental Protection.
“People are getting knifed in the subway and they’re worried about chair broilers?” fumed Junior’s restaurant owner Alan Rosen, who chars meat at three iconic eateries in Midtown Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Industry sources estimate as many as 200 restaurants could be affected by the new rule from the Department of Environmental Protection, with thousands of dollars in costs associated with upgrading their exhaust systems unless they apply for a hardship variance.
The latest green move follows a similar crackdown on wood-and-coal oven pizzerias but smoking-mad restaurateurs like Rosen say government overreach and the Nanny State shouldn’t turn items into the Nanny Steak.
“We grill with an open flame,” he said. “We’ve been doing this for almost 75 years. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
“The government should focus on quality of life issues and stop messing with my burgers,” he went on. “This is a government that’s gone haywire. This shouldn’t be on anyone’s radar.”
Popular steakhouses are in the crosshairs of the proposed requirement, which is likely to go into effect later this year.
Empire Steakhouse — which has three locations in Manhattan — could be forced to upgrade their exhaust systems, a staffer said.
Burger King advertises that it flame broils its meats but a source familiar with the requirements said the fast-food giant’s cookers already comply with the emissions rule.
The Whopper maker declined to comment.
Popular charbroilers are larger than grills and can cook more substantial quantities of food at one time, giving meats a smoky taste.
They operate by using a gas flame, and food industry sources said they provide quick and consistent heat, allowing the temperature to be more easily controlled than grills.
But they also burn a lot of particulate matter, or pollutants.
A University of California-Riverside study found that commercially cooked hamburgers cause more air pollution than diesel trucks driving 140 miles on a highway.
Commercial char broilers in the five boroughs emit about 4,000 tons of particulate matter a year, according to data compiled by the DEP.
The city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene estimates that such emissions contributed to more than 12% of particulate matter premature deaths annually.
“If all commercial char broilers had control technology installed, the reduction in ambient PM concentrations could have prevented nearly 350 of these premature deaths each year,” the proposed rule stated.
The DEP defended the stricter exhaust requirements, which comply with a law approved by the City Council and former Mayor de Blasio a decade ago.
The law “prohibits the operation of any existing commercial char broiler cooking more than 875 pounds of meat per week unless it has an emissions control device that meets the requirements established by the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection.”
“Commercial cooking is New York City’s largest local source of air pollution — it accounts for twice as much as construction and transportation pollution,” said Rohit Aggarwala, the city’s chief climate officer and DEP Commissioner.
“We believe the City can prevent as many as 300 premature deaths a year by requiring big establishments to use filters on their charbroilers.”
But Rosen of Junior’s said the health concerns are a lot of baloney.
“This whole thing is a nothing burger. Pun intended,” Rosen said.
One industry rep said the city should help pay for the costs of eateries to comply with the anti-pollution edict.
“We support cleaner air, but it can be very expensive for restaurants to make these emission upgrades, so the city should be providing grants and financial support to help small businesses meet their imposed goals,” said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance.
The green edict also comes after Gov. Kathy Hochul and Albany lawmakers banned the use of gas stoves in most new housing construction, requiring buildings to go electric.
DEP will hold a public hearing on the chair broil emissions on Jan. 29. The edict will take effect six months after it’s finalized.
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