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Most people love food, especially good food, and that is why we often find ourselves going out to spoil ourselves at a restaurant and ordering our favorite meals, spending time with our friends and family. However, it's not always a pleasant event. Sometimes the experience doesn't meet our expectations and is quite disappointing, and when you're paying quite a hefty sum for an experience, you want it to be the best it can be.

There are many things we look out for when we go to a restaurant - the prices, the food options, and how nice the staff is. People online gathered together in this online thread to share some red flags that immediately show them a restaurant is not up to par and they should leave immediately. From dirty floors to a huge menu, these ideas might help you spot a place that just isn't worth spending your money on.

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#1

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread Kids running wild. Apart from the inconvenience of the other diners it’s dangerous when staff are walking round with hot food.
Edit. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many up votes. I thought I was posting something controversial. People sometimes get triggered when someone mentions badly behaved kids and think your just some bitter child hater. But actually I love kids. I just don’t want to eat in their playground.

McSillyoldbear , Pablo Merchán Montes Report

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Heffalump
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes. I particularly hate it in 'good' restaurants, the kind where adults go and want to have a quiet conversation. There are restaurants where little kids are appropriate, but elsewhere, if they're not old enough to stay in their seats and behave with basic decorum, they shouldn't be there at all.

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We managed to get an interview with the online user that asked the question, and they gave some amazing insights: "So, when I posed the question, I wasn't looking for generic issues with restaurants like bad food, bad service, not clean - which a lot of the responses ended up being. I was more interested in problems people had with intentional choices restaurants have made which make the experience poor.

Like, for instance, there's a restaurant near me that's a casual place where you order from a counter, but they keep their soft drink machine behind the counter. So anytime you need a refill, you have to go up and flag someone down to get it for you, and if they're busy it can take a while.

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Or, another problem is when their ordering system is more complicated than it needs to be. For example, at another restaurant, you first talk to someone up front and order things from the menu, but then you take a tray and go down a serving line and can pick other things. Then at the end, you pay a cashier, a different person from who you placed the order with."
#2

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread “3% has been added to your bill for to provide a living wage for our employees” uhm EXCUSE ME SIR, that’s squarely your goddamn problem.

lambchoplives , Clay Banks Report

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Claire the Devils Advocate
Claire the Devils Advocate
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thankfully, here in Australia, we do pay hospitality a living wage. They don't have to kiss a$$ for a tip

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#3

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread Dirty menus. If they can't be bothered to wipe the menu then what else are they not cleaning?

Edit: I see excuses like 'there's not enough time', 'it's not a priority', 'the last thing we're going to do is clean the menus'.

There's always an excuse not to do something. Like I asked, what else are they not cleaning?

IAmSagacity , Erik Mclean Report

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Claire the Devils Advocate
Claire the Devils Advocate
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a must, i am not ordering off a filthy menu. To get that dirty, means it hasn't felt a sponge in days!

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"A good restaurant doesn't have to be really fancy nor super casual, it just needs to be easy to intuitively understand how things work there, even for first-timers. Any place that thinks they've come up with a 'new concept in dining' I’m not likely to return to.

The problems I've encountered are far more common with new restaurants. Established restaurants usually have worked out that kind of issue long ago or they wouldn't still be around."
#4

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread Owners being rude to staff in front of guests

LittleBlackBird0191 , Vanna Phon Report

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Cee Mor
Cee Mor
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Biggest red flag. Also owners walking around the kitchen with their friends, trying to be big shots. Dude, let the chefs cook and get out of the way, they are making your money

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#5

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread No prices on the menu. If I’m going to spend money, I want to know how much I’m going to spend. Just tell me the steak is $40 for f**k sake.

indigoassassin , Max Burger Report

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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In high-end restaurants there is a tradition: the person inviting has a menu with prices, the person(s) being invited has a menu without.

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"As someone with an anxiety disorder, I think restaurant owners need to think about how people like me experience their system. If I'm required to ask a lot of questions or to be asked a lot of questions, or it's a lot of trouble to simply place an order or to understand their menu, I will end up returning to one of my usual comfortable spots instead."

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We also talked with Dr. Joan Salge Blake, a nutrition professor at Boston University and the host of the nutrition and health podcast, SpotOn! She answered some important questions about restaurants and the food industry. Firstly, we asked what a dealbreaker is for Dr. Joan Salge Blake at a restaurant: "A dealbreaker is when I can't find any veggies on the menu. I love when someone else grills, stir fries, roasts, bakes, or purees veggies. Don't they always taste better when someone else makes them for you?"
#6

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread Loud music. I've been in restaurants before where I can't hear myself think, let alone hear people opposite me talk.

Edit: comments were irritating me, so I amended

Philcycles84 , Hans Vivek Report

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#7

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread I’m from UK so maybe not relevant but HUGE menu with loads of variety. If they can just master 5 or 6 dishes they will taste far better that the 50 different options that the kitchen has to offer.

Stokehall , Foo Visuals Report

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Ripley
Ripley
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If a restaurant has a huge variety on the menu it's mostly going to be pre-made and frozen, and then just nuked of fried on order. Nothing's going to be made fresh - there would be too much wastage.

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The professor also shared what makes a restaurant good: "The waitstaff is friendly, the menu is varied so that I can get fish or meat, depending upon my mood, and there are tons of veggies available. I love to start the meal with a veggie-based soup. You had me at minestrone or veggie bean soup." She also shared some common mistakes restaurants make: "Limited menu options with typical menu choices. Yes! I am done with French fries." Dr. Joan Salge Blake also mentioned that one of the most important things a restaurant can do is make sure to provide something for all the customers - meat eaters, vegetarians, vegans, etc.
#8

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread QR code menus

mdsMW , Proxyclick Visitor Management System Report

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Na Schi
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Especially if the restaurant offers no WiFi/the WiFi is slow as a snail - Especially if the menu has to be downloaded as a pdf. And/or you have to really search to eventually deny their cookies/trackings. And/or they offer (several) times to sign up to their newsletter.

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#9

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread If they just ignore you for 10 minutes. Even if you are (too) busy at least acknowledge you've seen me and will get to me.

domin8r , Rod Long Report

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#10

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread Dirty bathrooms.

SikhJedi , Wilhelm Gunkel Report

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James Edwards
James Edwards
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But they are to busy cleaning the kitchen to do the filthy menus!

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#11

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread Not a deal breaker but more of a huge pet peeve, and please...if you are a waiter/waitress please please please listen to me:

If you are going to take my whole tables order by memory, and write none of it down, You sure as s**t better get it right. If that's a problem, just write it down... literally no one cares, and I actually prefer it when I see this done.

Spraynpray89 , Adrien Olichon Report

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#12

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread If the table is sticky and it gets stickier after they wipe it.

kissingdistopia , Alex Jones Report

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#13

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread Tables packed closely together to the point where you might as well just be sitting with the strangers next to you.

jimcol , Rod Long Report

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Dan Padgett
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know people are defending this and I understand why. I personally am not a fan.

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#14

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread No hand soap in the restroom.
Unless staff have their own restroom no one’s washing hands after doing their business into
urinal or toilet.

Stanford-baller , Wilhelm Gunkel Report

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#15

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread Paying and tipping on a handheld electronic device while the waiter stares me down. One guy actually “instructed” me to press the 25% tip option as if it’s a required step of the transaction. Infuriatingly rude.

I waited tables and bartended for over 8 years and it was always considered a huge no-no to stand over someone while they tipped, totaled, and signed the slip.

MowBooVee , Sam Dan Truong Report

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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I went somewhere with friends for the first time and paid for the meal with my card. When the guy noticed (as the handheld printed it out) that I said no tip, he pointed it out rather rudely without giving me half a second to explain why. My friend who sat next to me snapped back at him (they had dealt with him in the past) that she was going to tip him in cash. She basically told him to p**s off while we discussed it. After he left, she ended up taking away $10 because she was so over him.

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#16

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread A sign on the door that says “NoBoDy WaNtS To WoRk AnYmOrE!” (I’ve never texted like that before - what a pain in the a*s! 😏)

CharlotteBadger , Waqas Saeed Report

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#17

Not having hours and menu posted on the website or Facebook or somewhere. As someone with some food sensitivities I am not wasting my time showing up and getting seated just to discover I can't eat/don't like any of the food.

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#18

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread The smell when you walk in. If you can smell sewage, mold or excessive bleach or ammonia when you walk in over the food, turn around.

DarthGayAgenda , Andrew Seaman Report

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liam newton-harding
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is there anyone who enters a restaurant...or any building...smells raw sewage, and thinks, "Oh yes, this is very ethnic... it's going to be good!" and takes a seat?

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#19

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread Being seated next to other diners *in an otherwise empty restaurant **if it’s not a shared dining experience like a BBQ

Isorry123 , Rita Chou Report

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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just ask for another table. If they give you some bs reason why not, leave.

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#20

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread if you go to a mexican/tex-mex spot and the chips and salsa are terrible just pack it up and leave, nothing will get better.

thejamielee , Tai's Captures Report

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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Talk about a great clue! Yes, it's always reassuring to see housemade chips (bonus if they're warm) and salsa -- NOT foodservice bagged/bottled c**p. Native Texan here who still sorely misses El Matamoros (El Mat's) in Austin, TX. When the owner retired, he closed the restaurant instead of selling it because he knew no one would have the pride to maintain the quality.

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#21

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread When they keep the lights so low that you literally can’t see the menu. I’ve been in three places like this, and the food is always bad. The place is dark for a reason.

onthedownhillslope , Nicolas Hoizey Report

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LibrarianJanet
LibrarianJanet
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My elderly mother used to get so mad she couldn't see the menu that she'd bring along a flashlight. Seriously zero f's given. She's my hero.

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#22

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread Taking forever to get the check grinds my gears. I'm less likely to return if I had to wait a long time to leave. I don't want to be held hostage after my meal.

LuckyLawyer21 , naipo.de Report

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censorshipsucks
censorshipsucks
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've got this one solved. When you are bored waiting for the bill you stand up and go to the cashier and say "hey can you ring up for my table which is number ##". They look embarrassed and send the waiter.

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#23

Automatic 10% ‘Service Charge’ added to your bill. Just increase your prices. Service Charge should always be discretionary.

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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I went to a local Mexican restaurant that has decent prices on the menu. I've been going there most of my life. I ordered a taco salad that was listed as $5.50. I got the bill and it was $7.25. I would have gotten an ala carte burrito instead. I never said anything because I was already having a bad night.

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#24

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread If I can smell the bathroom as soon as I walk in. I’m out.

0nefatgrub , Tim Mossholder Report

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#25

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread Flies.

SallyJane5555 , Jin Yeong Kim Report

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censorshipsucks
censorshipsucks
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Africa we have a bigger problem with bees. Our bees are bastards and they love sugar, so they climb into your soda.

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#26

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread Warm water served in a piping hot glass from the dishwasher.

KHUSTOM , Clint McKoy Report

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#27

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread Having no seats with backs. Nobody wants to sit on a bench.

steve-lp , Robert Bye Report

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#28

30 Things You Should Look Out For When Eating At A Restaurant, As Shared In This Online Thread Hidden fees or changing prices regularly. I'll go once, but if that happens, I won't return.

ruvol23 , Jonas Leupe Report

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Jus Frpn
Jus Frpn
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One of my favorite places has done this multiple times and I now won't go. We ordered take out last week and every price was $2 - $4 more on the receipt than the online menu. Even their to go menu they gave me had incorrect prices. If prices change that quickly than add a disclaimer on your website.

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#29

When you have to pay for tap water.

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Claire the Devils Advocate
Claire the Devils Advocate
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Australia, its mandatory for a sit down food venue to provide free tap/still/table water.

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#30

I’m not entirely sure what the word is, but promoters who stand outside the restaurant and try to get you to eat there.

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