Article created by: Saulė Tolstych

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

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#1

Outdoor restaurant with empty wooden tables, a chalkboard sign, and minimal decor, suggesting possible red flags for poor dining. Ethnic restaurant with no customers of that ethnicity in a town with a large population of that ethnicity.

baronvonbee , itsbruce Report

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    #2

    Close-up of buttery popcorn, emphasizing a common snack often associated with restaurant red flags. 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.

    Goatmanthealien , White93 Report

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    #3

    Person holding a large menu in a restaurant setting, highlighting potential red flags to spot a bad restaurant. Long menu. Pages and pages of food that doesn’t really make sense or go together

    blackaubreyplaza , Quinn Comendant Report

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    #4

    Clean restaurant bathroom with dual sinks, mirrors, orchid, and soap dispensers, possibly indicating attention to cleanliness. A dirty bathroom means a dirty kitchen.

    ManifestsOnly , Lou Stejskal Report

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    #5

    Cozy restaurant interior with dim lighting and wooden furniture, showcasing dining ambiance and decor. The restaurant isn't even busy but they take ages to serve you, and when they finally do they seem reluctant.

    peculiar-pirate , Dušan Šimonovič Report

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    #6

    A school of fish swimming in clear water, demonstrating fluid movement and aquatic harmony. If it smells like fish. Even fish-selling restaurants (the good ones) aren’t supposed to smell fishy. No pun intended.

    Competitive-You-6317 , psyberartist Report

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    #7

    Pizza with uneven toppings on a white plate, possibly a red flag for spotting a bad restaurant. Sushi, pizza, AND burritos are ALL on the menu.

    financialfreeabroad , mike Report

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    #8

    Dirty tiled floor in a bad restaurant kitchen, showing unsanitary conditions. Dirty floor, if they can’t keep the floor clean, they aren’t cleaning the important stuff.

    lovelynutz , Adam Brown Report

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    #9

    Person in a casual setting, leaning on a counter in a restaurant, displaying potential red flags for a bad restaurant. 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.

    SevIsGoth , Donald West Report

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    #10

    A unique seaside restaurant on a rock formation with cloudy skies in the background. 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.

    legalbeaver , Rod Waddington Report

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    #11

    Restaurant table set with cups, glasses, and condiments; potential red flag elements in focus. Order something complicated and it comes out immediately.

    prince-pauper , wewe yang Report

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    #12

    Overhead view of a diverse meal at a restaurant, featuring various dishes and drinks shared by diners. 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.

    vibrant_crab , Vincent M.A. Janssen Report

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    #13

    Neon green sign in an empty restaurant, reading "Fresher Healthier," highlighting potential bad restaurant red flags. Bad lighting or sticky tables

    trashbagbum , WikiConnections Report

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    #14

    Frozen foods section in a store, highlighting potential restaurant red flags with a variety of packaged items. The Sysco truck unloading a pallet of frozen food.

    roadfood , Northwest Retail Report

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    #15

    Cockroaches on wood and dirt, highlighting a red flag to spot a bad restaurant. 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.

    gildorratner , Ian Carroll Report

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    #16

    Restaurant menu displayed with a city view backdrop, highlighting potential red flags to spot a bad restaurant. Whatever is on the menu 60% is not available

    XqueezeMePlease , Steven Miller Report

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    See Also on Bored Panda
    #17

    Not busy on a holiday, Friday, or Saturday night.

    Cycleofmadness Report

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    #18

    Man sniffing herbs in a kitchen, a scene relevant to spotting a bad restaurant by checking ingredient quality. Smells bad.

    Louis-grabbing-pills , pxhere Report

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    #19

    French toast slices on a blue plate, highlighting potential restaurant red flags in presentation and quality. Dirty restroom, poor service, stale food.

    Emotional_Tax_6741 , queennepy Report

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    #20

    Foggy restaurant window overlooking city skyline, highlighting red flags of bad restaurant ambiance. 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?

    martusfine , Orin Zebest Report

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    #21

    Restaurant buffet display with various fried and cooked dishes, a possible red flag to spot bad dining experiences. 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...

    skyrider8328 , shankar s. Report

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    #22

    Empty underground parking with pink pillars, illustrating red flags for spotting a bad restaurant nearby. The parking lot is empty.

    ConstantlySlippery , Jose Espinal Report

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    #23

    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.

    A_Gain_Again Report

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    #24

    Three cappuccinos on a wooden café table, an outdoor restaurant setting in the background. 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.

    billybobdankton , Angela CoffeeRank Report

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    #25

    Empty restaurant dining area with wooden chairs and tables, suggesting red flags in restaurant quality. you don’t know if you can seat yourself or have to wait

    GemmaIsMyOverlord , Clemens v. Vogelsang Report

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    #26

    Person cleaning a kitchen counter, holding spray bottle and cloth, highlighting a restaurant red flag. Sanitation rating isn’t in plain sight

    No-Strawberry-5541 , cottonbro studio Report

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    See Also on Bored Panda
    #27

    A fresh homemade pizza with vegetables on a floured surface, highlighting potential bad restaurant red flags. 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

    flagstaffvwguy , Thomas van de Weerd Report

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    #28

    Unusual carpet design in a hallway, highlighting a potential restaurant red flag. Carpeting throughout

    rollercoaster_5 , rlb78 Report

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    #29

    A man stands by a large slot machine in a casino, displaying a $10,000 jackpot sign, illustrating gaming excitement. Slot machine.

    TheLooseJointedCat , Alan Kotok Report

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