The overall rating

How the staffing star feeds the one big number.

The hook

#🍳 The recipe

Start with a base, then add or subtract a topping. The overall star isn't an average — it's a base plus adjustments.

#The real idea

Overall rating = start from the Health Inspection star, then:

Staffing 5★ → +1; Staffing 1★ → −1 (2–4★ = no change). Note: the old "4★ gets +1" rule was removed in 2022 — only 5★ adds now.
QM 5★ → +1; QM 1★ → −1.
Bounded 1–5.

So a 1★ staffing rating is an active −1 penalty on the overall number, and clearing to 2★ simply removes that penalty (it doesn’t add a star by itself).

#🍁 Maple Grove example

Health Inspection base 3★

Say its Health Inspection base is 3★:

1★ staffing → −1  →  3 − 1 = 2 overall (before QM)
fix to 2★   → penalty gone → 3 overall (before QM)

Removing the −1 lifts the overall rating without touching inspections or QM.

#Remember this

1★ staffing = −1 overall. Clearing to 2★ removes the penalty — that’s usually the whole reason the climb is worth funding.

#Try it 👉

Check yourself — answers reveal on submit.

Inspection base 2★, staffing 5★, QM 1★ → overall?