Travel season is upon us, as we in the Northern Hemisphere welcome summer and its promise of being a tourist. And what better way to experience a culture than to dive into its cuisine? I'm sure many of us will be looking for places to eat during our vacations.
That's why today we're bringing you the things people advise you to look out for when picking where to eat. One netizen recently asked: "What are red flags at a restaurant?" And people made many observations, from disaffected-looking staff to dirty premises and formerly alive fruit flies on the windowsills.
What things make you want to leave a restaurant immediately? Let us know in the comments, and don't forget to upvote your favorite submissions below!
Bored Panda reached out to Professional Chef Eugene Wong to know more about red flags in restaurants. Today, Eugene is an online content creator, sharing his expertise and cooking tips with people on TikTok. But for more than 20 years, he was a professional chef, including in Michelin restaurants. Read his recommendations on what to pay attention to when deciding whether a restaurant is worth it below!
#1
I'm an ex-restaurant manager, and I always look at how happy the staff looks. Do they seem like they like their jobs? You won't get quality food or service if the staff are miserable. It's worth seeking out restaurants that treat their staff well. If they're treated well, they'll treat you well.
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#3
For me one time it was hearing 4 or 5 waitresses standing in a group, that I could clearly hear, arguing about which one of them was NOT going to take my table. I sat there for 15 minutes, and evidently all of them had won the argument because none of them came. There were like, me and 2 other people in the whole place. I saw why they had no customers in that place. I got up and left.
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#5
In NYC, C or lower rating or TBD health department rating in the window.
I work service so to me a B is no biggie. Generally not too many horrifying issues to end up with a B. Can just end up with an intense inspector.
No rating means they were inspected and didn't get an A so they are in the period where they can go to court and show they fixed things to get a better grade. So at your own risk. They could be a B trying to get an A. Or a D trying to get something lol
But displaying a C or D takes extra effort to be incompetent.
When you are inspected you are given a chance to rectify the issues. This means nobody fixed what was wrong and were cool with just accepting that and continuing to operate. Things they might be ignoring.
- bug infestations
- rodent droppings
- poorly documented pantry/expiration dates. No when opened dates on opened food/drink
- improper sanitation efforts
- leaks, plumbing issues, etc.
- illegal layout/operations
- improper daily cleaning
And on and on. I'll pass on those places!
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#6
Too many items on the menu. It's a sign that a restaurant probably uses all frozen food. Nothing against frozen food. It's ideal for some things. Some things, not all things.
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#8
Someone said this to me last year, and in every single instance, it has held true.
If the restaurant has any sort of smell that isn't food, don't eat there.
Like a mildew carpet smell, or bathrooms that smell moldy.
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#9
As someone who used to be a waiter, I can't stand seeing waiting staff grab clean glasses at the top when handling them.
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#10
Dirty floors, tables, or menus. First red flags, and back out the door you should go.
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#11
Visible signs of old neglect, that translate into "If they aren't bothering to clean that up, what does that say about the kitchen?"
Added bonus if you bring it up, and they have a rehearsed excuse like it's an in-house feature, and they laugh it off.
I was at this sushi place that had a serious fruit fly problem. As in, you'd sit down, and they'd fly into your wine. The server wouldn't replace the wine, but they'd gladly put an open jar of sugar water, or some such thing, beside you as a more tantalizing distraction to keep the flies off your food and out of your drinks.
"Oh, we hear that all the time. This works. " then they'd disappear.
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#12
Plastic menus that have residue of food splatter on them and smell. Yuck.
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#13
Gordon Ramsay and Robert Irvine playing rock paper scissors in the parking lot.
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#15
A distinct 'musty' odor. Usually from carpeting that hasn't been cleaned in a while.
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#16
When a menu has blurry, poorly taken photos of the dishes, it's either a really bad restaurant or you're about to have the best meal of your life. No in-between.
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#17
Ask where your oysters come from. If the server doesn't know, you don’t want them. This tactic works for most seafood.
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#19
When you ask about your food allergy and they can't answer because they don't know what is in their food.
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#20
Dirty bathroom. The cleanliness of the bathroom mirrors the cleanliness of the kitchen.
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