Each of us has specific standards for the quality and degree of service we want when going out to eat. However, just as the restaurant can have a variety of high-level qualities, there are some warning signs that can point to a poor eating experience or even serious health risks. Paying attention to details before and during the dining experience can help you spot warnings, which can be anything from bad food conditions to poor customer service or generally terrible food. Every time we go to a restaurant, we want to guarantee a safe and enjoyable dining experience by being aware of and avoiding these warning signs.
The red flags that indicate you are in not the best restaurant were recently discussed in this online group on Reddit. Here you can find 34 of the most liked ones we’ve gathered for you, and feel free to comment with your thoughts and the considerations you make when dining out!
More info: Reddit
#1
Ethnic restaurant with no customers of that ethnicity in a town with a large population of that ethnicity.
Image credits: baronvonbee
#2
The very moment Gordon Ramsay appears and calls the employees f*****g donkeys
Image credits: Christ_Hater666
#3
If you smell freshly popped popcorn, but they don’t serve popcorn, they have a cockroach infestation. The smell is the result of a potent insecticide and dead roaches.
Image credits: Goatmanthealien
#4
Long menu. Pages and pages of food that doesn’t really make sense or go together
Image credits: blackaubreyplaza
#5
A dirty bathroom means a dirty kitchen.
Image credits: ManifestsOnly
#6
If it smells like fish. Even fish-selling restaurants (the good ones) aren’t supposed to smell fishy. No pun intended.
Image credits: Competitive-You-6317
#7
The restaurant isn’t even busy but they take ages to serve you, and when they finally do they seem reluctant.
Image credits: peculiar-pirate
#8
Sushi, pizza, AND burritos are ALL on the menu.
Image credits: financialfreeabroad
#9
If it’s a restaurant that tries to act like it’s upscale and yet hires a bunch of teenagers to work in the kitchen or front of house. Speaking from personal experience as a past server.
Image credits: SevIsGoth
#10
Very often the better the location, the worse the restaurant. If there’s an amazing view, they don’t need to make good food to fill tables.
Image credits: legalbeaver
#11
Dirty floor, if they can’t keep the floor clean, they aren’t cleaning the important stuff.
Image credits: lovelynutz
#12
Bad lighting or sticky tables
Image credits: trashbagbum
#13
In university I went out with some friends and they decided to go to mid-priced restaurant before we caught a film. I was really broke so I feigned not being hungry to excuse the fact that I couldn’t order anything. As we were hanging out I noticed a cockroach crawl onto the table and quickly scurry out of sight. That is one of the few times I was happy to be poor.
Image credits: gildorratner
#14
Lots of elderly diners = bland food
Drain smell and/or fruit flies
Staff seem stressed
A really big menu usually means little of it is done well.
Image credits: vibrant_crab
#15
Order something complicated and it comes out immediately.
Image credits: prince-pauper
#16
Whatever is on the menu 60% is not available
Image credits: XqueezeMePlease
#17
The Sysco truck unloading a pallet of frozen food.
Image credits: roadfood
#18
Smells bad.
Image credits: Louis-grabbing-pills
#19
Dirty restroom, poor service, stale food.
Image credits: Emotional_Tax_6741
#20
Not busy on a holiday, Friday, or Saturday night.
#21
The parking lot is empty.
Image credits: ConstantlySlippery
#22
Years ago went to a “fancy” buffet. Kid in front of me sneezes…his height is such that he’s below the glass fence thing. He was facing the food. We left, never will go to a buffet again. Not really a red flag…
Image credits: skyrider8328
#23
Windows are greasy. If they don’t clean the windows then how can I trust the kitchen is cleaned and the grease is handled properly?
Image credits: martusfine
#24
My big red flags are: it has less than 3.5 star reviews on google (seriously, anytime I don’t follow this rule I get sick, or the food is awful), seeing that very few people have been served, filth anywhere (if I notice it), not seeing the server within 10 min after being seated, and too many flies.
Image credits: billybobdankton
#25
Carpeting throughout
Image credits: rollercoaster_5
#26
I worked at a pizza place for a few years. We made our sauce in house.
I noticed that all the pizza places that just bought the sauce and didn’t make it themselves were significantly worse
Image credits: flagstaffvwguy
#27
Not necessarily a “bad” restaurant, but more like “bad” circumstances…
If you ever walk into a restaurant, and no one has their food, you should just leave. The kitchen is going down in flames, and you probably won’t see your food for a long, long time.
#28
you don’t know if you can seat yourself or have to wait
Image credits: GemmaIsMyOverlord
#29
Sanitation rating isn’t in plain sight
Image credits: No-Strawberry-5541
#30
Slot machine.
Image credits: TheLooseJointedCat
#31
Rude staff or careless staff
Plates and water are dirty
Your order takes forever to come
Tables and chairs have food spills
Image credits: throwawayaccountuse1
#32
Kind of specific, but check to see if there is warm running water in the bathroom sinks. Warm water kills the must germs, and the staff must wash their hands. If the bathroom doesn’t have warm running water, chances are the staff don’t have warm running water in the kitchen, having dirty hands.
Also, check for clean dishes. If there are glass smudges or lipstick stains, food pieces stuck on utensils or plates, or if they feel greasy, that’s a good sign that the establishment doesn’t care about hygiene.
Dirty uniforms, hair down, open wounds on hands.
Long story short, you want an establishment that prioritizes hygiene.
Image credits: Wild-Garbage-9050
#33
There’s no food or menus or wait staff or windows. Only a bed mattress and a door that locks from the outside
#34
Chef with a white stained t shirt, not wearing gloves, and wiping sweat from his face with his t shirt.
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