Join the Fun!

XxcontaminatexX , Brian Fitzgerald Report

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else The first thing they told us in culinary school when you're learning food safety is: If you enter a seafood restaurant and smell fish, leave

Final score:

216points

POST

Jihan Kim 3 years ago

fresh seafood don't smell. the smell is sign of seafood going bad

191points

XxcontaminatexX is one of the people who replied to the post. "I've only been a cook for [about] seven years now," the humble Reddit user told Bored Panda.

"From what I've seen during this time, restaurants should pick up the slack when it comes to product dates."

In fact, that's exactly the red flag XxcontaminatexX mentioned in their initial comment. "The first thing they told us in culinary school when you're learning food safety is: if you enter a seafood restaurant and smell fish, leave."

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else When the menus are super dirty and never cleaned, that means everything is super dirty and never cleaned

SoMuchBsHere , Yourhero88 Report

Final score:

202points

POST

JessG 3 years ago

Not always true. I worked for this menu's restaurant and the cleaning procedures were very fastidious and strict, however, admittedly the menus aren't always checked by management, or the menus are running low so the old ones need to be used

6points

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else In culinary school, every single chef instructor says the same thing: If it's misspelled on the menu, that's on purpose. It's so they don't have to sell you the real thing. A prime example is 'krab cakes'

splinkyyy , NoScratch Report

Final score:

194points

POST

troufaki13 3 years ago

So it's a krappy food! :D

114points

fancyfrenchtoilet , Nacho Facello Report

To save their supplies from the bin, restaurants may freeze them. And this isn't necessarily a red flag! Contrary to popular belief, not all frozen foods are bad for you, and many frozen ingredients can be a key part of a healthy meal.

The act of freezing doesn't make food healthy or unhealthy—a lot depends on the nutritional content of the food that gets frozen. Frozen fruits and vegetables, for example, can be just as nutrient-dense as their fresh counterparts.

Edward Meier, a former Chef in Resorts at Myrtle Beach and Mackinac Island, said restaurants might freeze their food for other reasons too. "By freezing food you can cook it in quantities large enough to keep the cost per portion reasonable," Meier explained. "Cooking in large quantities then portioning and freezing it, you can hold it ready for service, cutting prep time to the minimum needed to reheat it."

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else If a restaurant has a one-page menu, that's usually a pretty good sign. It means their line cooks have become specialists and can usually nail all the dishes listed. Conversely, if a restaurant has a giant, multi-page menu, that's a gigantic red flag

Final score:

185points

POST

troufaki13 3 years ago

I'll remember that when restaurants open again!

52points

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else We have a sushi place me where the chef gives you free samples of future dishes. This usually means they take pride in their work and want to see peoples reactions before committing it to the menu.

[deleted] , Thomas Marban Report

Final score:

181points

POST

Pungent Sauce 3 years ago

Developing a relationship with a particular sushi restaurant/chef will get you all kinds of tasty morsels.

89points

ComedyCookingFitness , Paul Einerhand Report

Meier said that most restaurants try to cook from scratch at time of service whenever possible. But some foods take much more time to prepare for service. "For example, you go to an Italian restaurant with a friend who orders pasta primavera while you want lasagna. The pasta dish can be assembled and served relatively quickly but making one serving of lasagna from scratch would take much longer and cost per unit would be high. Whether you make the pasta order wait on the lasagna to go out together or serve the pasta and make the lasagna eater wait on service so they are forced to watch the other customer eat while they wait, you are not going to have happy customers."

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else 'Catch of the day' restaurants better have a lake or an ocean within a 50-mile radius. If they are advertising fresh-caught Alaskan salmon and you aren't in Alaska, chances are that [thing] is not fresh

Final score:

172points

POST

lenniee 3 years ago

The fish looks quite annoyed.

112points

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else If the area is busy but the restaurant is empty, that’s usually a bad sign.

AAiBee , Chris Report

Final score:

166points

POST

Toko Danganronpa 3 years ago (edited)

This is 100 percent a good sign TO RUN

65points

"By making lasagna in large quantities then portioning and freezing it, the loss in flavor is minimal but being able to heat it up while the pasta dish is cooked fresh means both orders can go out at the same time," the former chef said. "This way the customers eat as soon as possible, making them happy and turning the table over quicker so you can serve more people sooner. Win win. It also means the cost of making the lasagna is cost effective meaning you can charge less but still have a profit margin high enough to justify offering it on the menu."

I guess, the important thing to remember when looking out for red flags in restaurants is you have to be mindful. Serious issues aside, use your best judgement and if you're unsure about something, you can always ask the staff about it.

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else I always look for how the staff interact with each other. If they all seem to enjoy being there, and coordinate well, more often than not it's because everything is running smoothly and they have a good system, which usually means they know what they're doing and you can expect good food

ruizpancho , Michael Davies Report

Final score:

158points

POST

Scagsy 3 years ago

Plus, anywhere that treats their staff badly don't deserve your business.

136points

#10

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else No matter how well managed a buffet is, it can never be sanitary. It is not reasonably possible to run a sanitary buffet business

contrabardus , Alan Light Report

Final score:

149points

POST

Person2638 3 years ago

this is probably the only advice i will ignore, as long as it *looks* sanitary i will continue living in blissful ignorance and shoveling my face with mountains of cheap tasty food

96points

#11

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else This is late but I clean kitchen exhaust systems. If you walk in a restaurant and can smell grease walk out. That means the place isn’t clean. From the exhaust system to cooking equipment.

We clean some places where grease drips off the hoods onto cooking surfaces.

FoxZach63 , Sean MacEntee Report

Final score:

140points

POST

Sista of the moon 3 years ago

That pic almost made me 🤮

49points

#12

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else If employees try to argue with you about food quality in order to dissuade you from sending something under cooked back, just leave. It means they have a cook who can't take criticism and your chances at getting a sneezer are greatly increased.

A_pencil_artist , ITTO Tech Report

Final score:

139points

POST

Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago (edited)

I had a terrible experience at one restaurant. I ordered a chicken schnitty with gravy, which is what I order from most restaurants so I am pretty familiar with how it should taste. Anyway I had a few bites and all I could taste was fish. My mum mentioned something to the waitress who then proceeded to speak to the chef. The chef stormed out and rudely spoke to us demanding what the issue was, accusing me of lying and said it was impossible for it to taste like fish and I have obviously never had a chicken schnitty before. He argued with my mum for a good 5 mins. He refused to make a new one or refund my money and went back to the kitchen thinking it was all over. Well my mum stormed into the kitchen and wouldn't leave until we got a refund for my meal. My mum also emailed corporate of our experience and turns out that chef had a few complaints and the restaurant closed a couple of months later.

140points

#13

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else Ask where your oysters come from. If they don’t know, you don’t want them. Same for most seafood.

heroesforsale , Jonathan Pearson Report

Final score:

135points

POST

Indra Servo 3 years ago

I don't think waitresses know where the ingredients come from

59points

#14

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else When my boss (the owner) used to host and people would complain to her about the hour wait on Saturday night at 7pm and then threaten to leave, she would tell them, "If the restaurant you choose does not have a wait on a Saturday night, you may not want to eat there." And then turn her biggest sh*t-eating grin on them

newgrl , K8 Report

Final score:

121points

POST

Ozacoter 3 years ago

An hour wait as in waiting for the food to be prepared or waiting to be seated?

39points

#15

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else Watch the wait staff. If the majority of them seem disgruntled or upset, things probably aren't great. They probably don't care about your food if they aren't being treated fairly.

CrossFox42 , zoetnet Report

Final score:

118points

POST

mulk 3 years ago

Same with restaurant's staff turnover. One of my favourite near the place I live, has the nearly the same staff members for 20 years!!!

77points

#16

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else Pastry chef here. As much as people say avoid specials, I can't speak for everyone but at least in desserts/breakfast pastries, if you see something new its worth trying. Chances are it's something the chef has been working on for weeks on their own time, there's a lot of love and effort put into it.

Also, the standby if the menu is a book, it's probably not great.

The biggest thing to keep an eye on though imo is the staff. If there's pissed off people, get out as fast as you can obviously. If everyone is kinda apathetic and not talking to each other much, get out. That's also a shitty environment, everyone is probably really passive aggressive, and that's going to show. If people seem genuinely good with being there even if it's busy or if there's playful ragging going on, that's where you want to be. The better the staff gets along, the better everthing in the place runs.

robotran , Louis Hansel Report

Final score:

114points

POST

Pungent Sauce 3 years ago

Best post here yet. I loved making the special of the day, and would often base it on what I wanted to have for dinner (not that I ever made an actual full meal for myself, lol).

64points

#17

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else Pro tip: Look up the health inspector reports for your county.

homeboi808 , Austin Distel Report

Final score:

109points

POST

Brandy Grote 3 years ago

We have the recent code posted on a placard in the window. Generally, an A is what you need. For authentic Chinese, you will rarely find better than a B, because of the way they age foods like duck. For other places, a lower rate could mean visible insects, or water that isn't hot enough to sanitize dishes.

3points

randyjacksonsarmpits , Doug Beckers Report

#18

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else Most often, lemons for water are really gross and dirty

Final score:

105points

POST

Id row 3 years ago

I worked as a bartender in several establishments and restaurants for 9 years and dispute this. I've never even seen a 'gross and dirty' lemon and if I had, I would have thrown it out.

64points

#19

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else Used to work in a fancy kitchen. Any place that is charging more than $25 for a chicken entree is a goddamn scam.

Zuchm0 , Tony Alter Report

Final score:

96points

POST

Pungent Sauce 3 years ago

But it’s hyper local farm to table organic free range cruelty free no-antibiotic vegetarian fed chicken that lived a long and happy life and it’s name was Betsy.

149points

#20

Easy way to tell if Mexican food will be good. If the salsa is bad, then the food is likely bad.

Mexican places that take pride in their salsa take the same pride in their food. If you get the watery, tomato sauce with chips then more than likely the food will be uninspiring.

aquinasbot Report

Final score:

96points

POST

JP Doyle 3 years ago

The best Mexican restaurants I've been to have all had these things in common: Quite a few of the staff spoke Spanish or were of Mexican descent. The salsa was not only delicious, but they served it as a free side along with a basket of homemade tortillas. They were very patient to explain the menu items (usually with Spanish names) since their cuisine isn't commonly found north of the border (and explain why they don't sell chili or wet burritos.)

82points

Manuel Delgado 3 years ago

If you are on the US, it's very likely that most of the best restaurants that you've been, of any kind, are heavily staffed by mexicans / latin americans.

8points

JessG 3 years ago

99 percent of Mexican restaurants give free chips/tortillas and salsa.

8points

BlahBlahBlackSheepah 3 years ago

What is a wet burrito?

6points

Nudge 3 years ago

now I want to go to my local Mexican place 😫

4points

somnomania 3 years ago

what is a wet burrito?

2points

Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 3 years ago

That sounds like this one place in the middle of nowhere somewhere between New Mexico and East Texas. The food was absolutely delicious. The best Mexican restaurant I have ever went to.

2points

Pungent Sauce 3 years ago

I would have to disagree that Mexican cuisine isn’t common, in the US it is ubiquitous. Canada on the other hand, few, far between, and not so great.

2points

Susan Widomski 3 years ago

I was sadly disappointed when we went to San Diego Old Town. It has deteriorated to the worst possible conditions. None of the wonderful restaurants were there. The people of "Mexican descent" that threw my tacos together were the worst. I did not eat them. No seasoning, etc.

-3points

sylvantic 3 years ago

i live in a state that borders mexico, so maybe i'm a snob, but i am NOT eating mexican food from Oregon or something. it won't be as good. Also yeah my favorite place makes their tortillas there and sometimes they'll serve you a fresh one (i mean all are fresh but one that's JUST BEEN COOKED like 5m ago)

-3points

Rod Egret 3 years ago

Look at the customers. If they're mostly latins it's a good sign. Same with Indian food.

6points

C.S. E. 3 years ago

Ooh, this gives me memberberries. The best Mexican food I've ever had (I'm from Texas) was in, strangely, middle of nowhere north eastern Oklahoma. A little hole in the wall that made food SO good, the afterglow was still there even after realizing I had locked my keys in my car and the subsequent 45 minutes it took to retrieve them.

3points

Sheccid Mendoza 3 years ago

As a Mexican it’s sad to inform that most Mexican places don’t take their time and effort to deliver a good meal. I like to call them Mexican fast food

3points

Winx 3 years ago

You can also tell by how the guacamole is made. If its pureed, its probably from a container. If its fresh it'll be a little chunky.

3points

Dre Mosley 3 years ago

If no one working in the place is actually Mexican or speaks Spanish, go elsewhere.

2points

Sue User 3 years ago

I drive 25 miles ( one way) to go to a Mexican place that has chile renello stuffed inside a burrito , comes with homemade warmed chips with salsa for under 10.

2points

M O'Connell 3 years ago

The best way to tell if a Mexican restaurant is good, is to ask if they have a "special salsa." My favorite restaurant generally caters to "midwestern" tastes, but if you ask they have several house-made salsas not mentioned anywhere on the menu that they'll bring out for people who would appreciate them.

2points

Ms.GB 3 years ago

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants has salsa that's so good I've driven over on occasion just to buy their salsa and chips.

2points

Donkey boi 3 years ago

The best, authentic Mexican restaurants are in Mexico. I haven't found a singe one in the UK that does decent authentic Mexican food.

2points

Nevits Yibble 3 years ago

True, but it's also excellent in the southwest of the U.S. if you know where to go

3points

Manuel Delgado 3 years ago

Yup. Travels badly : (

0points

Annette V 3 years ago

Come on down to sunny southern California where you'll find the BEST Mexican and other Latin food. Everyone should have King Taco at least once before they die.

0points

Mr. Bean (she/her) 3 years ago

Baja Fresh has many different amazing salsas! I miss eating there...

1point

Sista of the moon 3 years ago

Interesting.... there’s a Mexican restaurant in my area that has watery salsa and bland/nothing special food. Huh. Also, it’s guapos so guapos isn’t that great, guys.

1point

Jackie Lulu 2 years ago

If the salsa is 'fizzy, it's been hanging around forever!

0points

SAF saf 2 years ago (edited)

alot' of "wet burrito?" questions. I've had multiple versions of but basically they pour a sauce over it with maybe some cheese melted. They'll usually use the red enchilada sauce. The problem is that you now have to use a knife and fork.

0points

John Baker 3 years ago

Another clue is if they put tons of cilantro in literally everything on the menu. Cilantro isn't an ingredient you'll generally find in authentic Mexican food. Nor is cumin, which is the main ingredient in most north of the border "chili powder."

0points

Dark_flame 3 years ago

Never had real Mexican food.. I'm from Northern Europe tho

0points

SAF saf 2 years ago

There's two really GOOD Mexican food restaurants I went to while backpacking. One Edinburgh near the Royal mile and the other is in Cork Ireland. Yes, both had Hispanic workers in the back surprisingly. It was funny how confused people were when they got a Corona with a lime.

1point

Silre 3 years ago

Omg our local Mexican place has the best salsa I've ever had!

0points

#21

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else If you order a meal that should take a long time to cook and it comes out very quickly, it’s been pre-cooked

marahsnai , gurmit singh Report

Final score:

93points

POST

troufaki13 3 years ago

Greek cuisine can be pre-cooked and it's ok. Like mousaka, pastitsio, fasolada

114points

#22

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else I have a family member who’s worked in multiple different restaurants, and they always advise me never to get drinks with ice because too many places don’t keep their ice machines cleaned because it’s so often overlooked compared to other kitchen equipment

AllyMarie93 , Beatrice Murch Report

Final score:

93points

POST

Jo Morris 3 years ago

A good tip when travelling overseas to countries with unreliable water sources (not that anyone is doing that lately, but still helpful to know).

49points

thefabulousbomb , Andriyko Podilnyk Report

#23

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else Don’t order fish on Sundays. Most places get their fish deliveries on a Monday and on a Thursday. Fish goes off fairly quickly, and on a Sunday it’s really not great

Final score:

91points

POST

RiverStyxJix 3 years ago

Good tip. 👍

36points

#24

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else Never order the bouillabaisse/cioppino/seafood stew if it's being run as a special. That means the chef has a lot of old seafood to get rid of and is putting it all in a flavorful broth to hide the taste

nihongojoe , Jason Leung Report

Final score:

89points

POST

Karl Baxter 3 years ago

One particular kitchen I worked in had a maxim when it came to deciding what to do with meat that had been hanging around a while - “If in doubt, curry it” 😳

60points

#25

I recently went to a new-ish barbecue place.

I knew the moment I opened the menu it was going to be awful.

The place had at least 120 things on the menu that run the gamut from burgers to Lobster Thermidor. When you see that, you know it's going to be terrible. It means they're trying to do everything rather than focusing on a smaller range of things and doing it very well.

As I suspected, it was terrible.

TheGonz75 Report

Final score:

83points

POST

Oskar vanZandt 3 years ago

If it's not one of those all-nationalities-in-one restaurant where they cook the food at specialised preparation areas, it is likely the food will be sub-par... The whole notion of "specialising" is that you focus on one quisine. I don't expect to get Italian food at an Asian (in the UK, Indian/Pakistani) restaurant...

20points

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

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#26

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else How does the place actually smell? Does it smell like good food? Then it likely is. But if it smells like perfume or something sterile? That could be a sign that they are trying to hide something unpleasant

CrossFox42 , DanaTentis Report

Final score:

82points

POST

Fives 3 years ago

Or they could just want the room to smell nice

10points

#27

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else Seeing fruit flies. Fruit flies are an indication of a dirty kitchen

bucklepuss , John Tann Report

Final score:

81points

POST

Indra Servo 3 years ago

Meanwhile the appearance of bees means restaurant used real honey

80points

#28

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else Stay away from buffets and salad bars. A lot of the time it is the same stuff that just gets refilled over and over. Super gross.

hugsfrombugs , Alpha Report

Final score:

80points

POST

Philly Bob Squires 3 years ago

My buffet nightmare isn't just the food... it's the people. I went to place once and went in to wash my hands before eating. There was this dude taking a dump in one of the stalls. Gets up, doesn't flush, never washed his hands either, and walks straight out and to the buffet and picks up the tongs. I noped out of there.

76points

#29

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else When there are pictures of food on the menu that clearly aren't from the restaurant

PanicAtTheMetro , Janine Report

Final score:

80points

POST

Karl Baxter 3 years ago

Photographs of the food in general is a bad sign IME

23points

InuMiroLover , José Ignacio Pompé Report

#30

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else A $4 steak is not a good steak.

Final score:

72points

POST

Fives 3 years ago

Ive had a £4 steak before, it was absolutely amazing.

46points

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

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“Ma’am I Live Here”: Woman Refuses To Back Out Of Driveway, Learns A Lesson The Hard Way

#31

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else If the bathroom is a mess, the kitchen is a mess aswell.

thatguyumayknowyo , Quinn Dombrowski Report

Final score:

36points

POST

JennyLaRue 3 years ago

Not necessarily, you could have a meticulous chef and just poor waiting or cleaning staff

32points

#32

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else If your server’s response to 'How is the [item]?' seems disingenuous, that’s a big red flag. They know what goes on in the kitchen, they know the complaints, and they know which items to stress over when they deliver them

kjimbro , Lance Fisher Report

Final score:

34points

POST

pusheen buttercup 3 years ago

Sometimes when you work in customer service you may sound ingenuine because you're trying to sound perky when your feet hurt :)

31points

#33

There's a Chinese restaurant in my town with a sign out front that says: "Clean food. And fresh." I still can't help but wonder why they would bring that up unprovoked.

John__Wick Report

Final score:

34points

POST

MonsterMum 3 years ago

Maybe want they wanted to say translated badly into 'Clean food. And fresh'? I often find non English restaurant menu's have clumsy English on them

13points

#34

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else Carpet is a red flag. Yeah, it's quieter and doesn't get slick, but it is one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen in restaurants. Vacuuming only goes so far in a restaurant and I know they never, ever shampooed the one at my place

eyebrowshampoo , Nenad Stojkovic Report

Final score:

27points

POST

Nela Rothenbach 3 years ago

I'm not eating from the carpet.

69points

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

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#35

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else If a pitcher of water touches your glass, it has also touched everyone else's glass. Also, if you can't see them pour your water, there's something wrong

CausticMoose , pasja1000 Report

Final score:

27points

POST

Indra Servo 3 years ago

Wut my drinks always served already poured in, what kind of fancy-ass place is this?

23points

#36

If there is different cuisines on the same menu. It usually means it's not gonna be good.

I don't trust that people can do Japanese and Italian in the same kitchen.

Emmsw Report

Final score:

27points

POST

Kira Okah 3 years ago

I know a restaurant that does multiple food cultures, whih would ordinarily be bad. But. This place is HUGE, like four restaurants size huge, and all of the kitchen space is on show. Each cuisine is being handled by different chefs from that culture - the Indian food by Indian chefs, the Chinese by Chinese chefs, French by French chefs. Very highly rated with very experienced specialised chefs.

41points

#37

I was a chef for four years. Honestly, if you’re ever curious, go hang out near the back door/ trash cans.

If it’s a good restaurant, it’ll look like a regular back door trash can area. If it’s somewhere you shouldn’t eat, it’ll look like a goddamn disaster zone.

Cooks who can’t keep up in the kitchen can’t keep up with breaking down boxes and taking out garbage, so they just throw stuff outside and deal with it later. Full sized, not-collapsed boxes, garbage bags not in the dumpsters, food waste leaking out of orifices, etc.

A messy outdoors is a reflection of a poorly run kitchen indoors.

Also if you never see a cook go out to take a smoke break, they’re inside and overwhelmed.

liberty285code6 Report

Final score:

27points

POST

Oskar vanZandt 3 years ago

Not likely to go outside to check the alleyway behind a restaurant but I appreciate the logic...

23points

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#38

Remember the specials always look and sound great, Most likely a leftover. Trying to get rid of it. Did it myself as a chef for years.

Simmyphila Report

Final score:

23points

POST

N G 3 years ago

This runs counter to the advice that the special maybe something the chef has worked on for weeks. So maybe take both bits of advice with a pinch of salt and in conjunction with the other advice (e.g. ask the wait staff)

25points

#39

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else dirty stained carpets

MurielsChild , Solveig Osk Report

Final score:

19points

POST

JennyLaRue 3 years ago

Carpets aren't a reflection of food quality though

12points

#40

If there are to many items on the menu. If you have 50 combo choices, man you know half that stuff is frozen, old, canned etc. Nothing is gonna be great like an In-N-Out burger. It's all gonna be 'meh'

xXUpgraDDeXx Report

Final score:

18points

POST

Person2638 3 years ago

I honestly don't even mind if it's frozen, old, or canned. As long as it doesn't kill me and tastes relatively good, who am I to complain? If I wanted fresh home-cooked food I'd buy and cook my own food.

7points

#41

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else If you are seated right away during peak hours, that is a red flag. The common folk aren't eating there, and for a good reason

ComedyCookingFitness , Mack Male Report

Final score:

17points

POST

JennyLaRue 3 years ago

There are too many variables that would affect this for it to be a reliable cause of concern.

46points

#42

30 Chefs Reveal Restaurant "Red Flags" That Indicate You Should Eat Somewhere Else I look for dust. Dust on the ceiling tiles or in the air-conditioning vents. I also have a habit of running my finger along chair frames after I sit down to check for dust.

biology_is_destiny , Chris Waits Report

Final score:

16points

POST

MiriPanda 3 years ago

You don't seriously expect me to aks for a ladder to inspect the ceiling tiles or air conditioning vents each time I enter a restaurant?!?

63points

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#43

I’ve worked in restaurants for over a decade. A couple years in the kitchen and the rest as FOH.

If your server’s response to “how is the [item]” seems disingenuous, that’s a big red flag. We know what goes on in the kitchen, we know the complaints, and we know which items to stress over when we deliver them. Servers who pause or seem uncomfortable with that question generally equates to a menu full of stuff we wouldn’t eat even as a free shift meal.

A GOOD sign is when servers hang out and eat at the restaurant post-shift. Generally we are getting a discount but not free food - if we are spending our nightly tips on it, it’s worth it.

kjimbro Report

Final score:

16points

POST

Person2638 3 years ago

what if it's a new server that doesn't know all the dishes yet or the server is exhausted and unable to properly fake enthusiasm?

11points

#44

It’s a good idea to avoid restaurants that sound like snapplecheese

adamlh Report

Final score:

16points

POST

Blake Ingram 3 years ago

Applebees??

24points

#45

If it’s an Italian place and they serve butter with their bread. Not a red flag, but really nice/authentic places serve bread with oil and vinegar.

OldGreySweater Report

Final score:

8points

POST

Sue Hazlewood 3 years ago

I prefer butter

22points

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#46

If the'res a window that goes into the kitchen and there's a microwave in there.

ThiccBoi82 Report

Final score:

5points

POST

M O'Connell 3 years ago

But every restaurant uses a microwave for something or other...

10points

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What do you think ?

POST

Person2638 3 years ago

some advice is good but when i'm eating out i'm obviously not expecting a perfect level of cleanliness and as long as the food doesn't kill or make me sick i'm okay

17points

Treessimontrees 3 years ago

Agreed, basics like does it smell weird, are the menus visibly dirty, does it have a recent certificate of cleanliness are quickly done.

7points

Helen Haley 3 years ago

How much time do they think we have on our hands to do an investigatory piece on every place we may potentially eat.

15points

Lola 3 years ago

It’s just a few things here and there that you have to look out for. It’s always good to be mindful of what you put in your body.

3points

ITS ME AGAIN 3 years ago

I am never eating out again

10points

Daniel Marsh 3 years ago

If you're a New Yorker, you may not be wrong.

6points

Random Person 3 years ago

I mean this stuff isn't always true. I once went to a small Japanese restaurant with a HUGE menu, dirty, interior, and teenage waiters/waitresses. But, the food was super fresh and was the best sushi I've ever eaten.

6points

Frannie Kaplan 2 years ago

But it all comes from the same family of food. It's not like it was q huge menu of variety. But dirty? No thanks

1point

𝔹𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕒 3 years ago

Some of these make sense, but others aren't things that mean the food is bad. And do y'all really want me to inspect the whole place before I sit down and eat?? Just sayin-

5points

Chodz 3 years ago (edited)

I´ve been working as a chef for 17 years now and my experience is that cooking is like 2/3 of our job. The other part is cleaning and organising. If anyone tells you different, stay away from that place.

4points

Steve Barnett 3 years ago

I no longer eat out, mainly for a variety of reasons, some of which are mentioned here. I like cooking and prefer to eat at home. I have horror stories of eating in restaurants, but the main one was eating in a restaurant, where there was this constant dripping of water splashing down behind me. Turned out it was from the men’s urinals that were located above me.

4points

Troux 3 years ago

Chefs on Twitter: You should only eat in Michelin star restaurants operated entirely by hypoallergenic robots replaced daily! ... ME: Received most of my order, no blood in stool. 4/5 stars!

3points

Don't Look 3 years ago

Used to be married to a guy who treated everything like this. He was quite the snob. I also rarely eat out anymore.

3points

Craig Silberman 3 years ago

mostly all good tips, but things you might not discover until you've already decided to eat there -- when it's too late

3points

CatWoman312 3 years ago (edited)

I used to work in a country club restaurant and I can confirm that a lot of things are done behind closed doors that would make you cringe. The best piece of advice I can offer is be nice to your server otherwise you have no idea what might be happening to your food. I once complained to management about a guy who threw a customers food on the floor on purpose and then picked it back up to cook because he didn’t like him. These things happen and often times don’t go reported. Not everyone works with integrity

3points

Leo Domitrix 3 years ago

Ask people of the same ethnicity where THEY eat. Found the best Thai, Indian, Mexican and Carib-Cuban that way. :-)

3points

Leo Domitrix 3 years ago

It's worked for me, so far, in the US. Ask where they eat ----- what's most real ----- and most will tell you, even if they themsleves prefer the "crap on toast" option for price.

1point

cassiushumanmother 3 years ago

It could be tricky because for example as a French i won't eat at french restaurants abroad, because i can cook my own food. But it could be a good tactical move because i would probably cook for you if you ask me where to eat french cuisine if i was living abroad.

0points

Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 3 years ago

Could work. Of course, there are some people who go cheap over quality, but it isn't a bad idea.

0points

Pauliina Pain 3 years ago

To me a lot of these would appear to be very American problems. Nothing wrong with a buffet in my country, just saying.

2points

Winx 3 years ago

Most buffets here are fine too. Not sure why this article is hating on them so much. They're an awesome deal too for how much food you get.

4points

Sasy 3 years ago

I grew up in Restaurants, I know down here most of this isn't the case, we also pay our wait staff well, so if grumpy it is more likely personal reasons, than the business.

2points

esssea 0903 3 years ago

Damn! Here in India we got great restaurants (we try many newbtypes ofc with reviews) the places with less rush taste good and also with most rush too! Only some places (rarely) taste awful. I went to travel to a hill side recently and on day one we went to a street restauraunt. I had a really bad reputation with the look of the shop (and more angry as it was a veg one I was craving non veg)...BUT DAMN! The food was YUMMY as hell

1point

Elizabeth Molloy 3 years ago

In the UK, everywhere that serves food has a hygiene rating posted in the window, which is given by the health inspector. They are dated so you know they're recent.

1point

HooowlAtTheMoon 3 years ago

I wish the pictures had captions, most of them confused me.

1point

Keith Nolen 3 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

1point

Eunice Probert 3 years ago

In Wales it's compulsory for restaurants, cafes and takeaways to display their rating. If they have a "1" it's best to stay away. "5" or even a "4" and they're okay. They're regularly inspected and have to pass on cleanliness, cooking standards, paperwork up to date etc. The rating notice has to be prominently displayed on the window by the door so customers can easily see it.

1point

Yort 3 years ago

We have exactly that in the U.S., the rating system is just different - it’s either letter grades or basically levels of smiley faces.

0points

Vicky Z 3 years ago

At this moment i want so much to eat in a restaurant like we used to do, that i don't care for any of these😭😭😭

1point

Ahsoka Tano 3 years ago

I went to a burger place once... got a cheeseburger. It was a total hole-in-the-wall. I bit into the burger and it was raw in the middle. Not rare. RAW.

1point

Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 3 years ago (edited)

You could win a lawsuit with that. I mean, at least in America, if the place isn't a rich franchise.

-2points

Steve Barnett 3 years ago (edited)

Sorry, second comment. I think that the crux of the matter is that eating out is, to many, an easy option; no cooking, washing up etc. However, it (literally) will come at a certain price (mainly financially). I've already mentioned one bad example of eating at a restaurant, the other big one was getting gastroenteritis from eating a burger at McDonalds; wow, that was one very unpleasant week.

1point

BusLady 2 years ago

Have I eaten there before and not had food poisoning? Yeah, that'll work.

0points

Mainak Saha 2 years ago

Rather than being so highly cautious its better for you to learn to cook delicious dishes. In that case your girlfriend or boyfriend or any other guest will be extremely impressed , specially if cooking is not your profession. How many agrees with me?

0points

Frannie Kaplan 2 years ago

When 3verything is drowning in sauce or dressing. I'm paying for a meal not 6 litres of dressing. I don't mean to b*tch but French cuisine does this all the time. Anywhere that is for rhe location or status, not the food. If I'm a tourist I usually get a coffee there to enjoy the view and leave. The food is just bland rehashed stuff. This is not a critical but millions of places replate desserts. Especially if they're not a pastry place they do not specialise in dessert so it's not unusual. If you go to a fish place don't expect a specialty dessert

0points

Ben Berlin 2 years ago

I currently work on the local college campus in one of the dining halls. The food is average not terrible but definitely not 5-star.

0points

Annelies Brioen 2 years ago

Traveled in China. Hungry. Back street of a food area. Restaurant has a sign that says “Beijing Deck”. Went in because we thought it was a funny typo. There was plastic covers on the table, if you’d put your hands on it, you could have lifted the whole table. Chef comes out, dirty apron (aprons are to catch dirt), holding a duck. We all nod, yes please. Best Beijing duck I’ve ever hand!!! After dinner my friend noticed a sink in the restaurant and asked for soap to wash her hands. Chef rumbled in the kitchen, came back, went across the street to buy soap for us to use. 100% would go again 🤤

0points

Alison Duncan Murphy 2 years ago

They don't even have soap in hospitals in China. You risk your life visiting there from a clean country.

0points

John Baker 3 years ago

Lots of generalization going on here. I wouldn't take this post too seriously.

0points

Legen ( wait for it ) dary 3 years ago

I Like small inbiss with 3 different dishes every day.

0points

Cicimelia 3 years ago

I always ask my server what *their* favourite menu item is as well as what's most popular. Never fails - either way. Also, if you're looking for a restaurant with a culturally specific menu, look for the one that is most jam-packed with people of that culture. For example, if you want the best Phò around, go to the place all the Vietnamese go to rather than the place across the street with the one couple raving about how amazing the cinnamon is in the broth. Logic, people...logic.

0points

Mallowmelt Tardis 3 years ago

I once went to a Starbucks in a Target. I'm not even joking. The pastry/sandwich case probably had about 20-30 good-size flies crawling on the food and flying around inside. It was so gross. Luckily, I was ordering a frappe. LOLP.

0points

ViFi 3 years ago

some of these tips are def. true, once got an empanada that was literally slimy and I suspect it was raw. (btw the food truck smelled like gas so that wasnt a good sign but i was at an apple orchard and I was hungry so.... also it was before i read this )

0points

Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 3 years ago

One they didn't seem to mention is if the cooks wore gloves when preparing the food after it was baked/cooked. It doesn't matter if they washed their hands, it is impossible to know everything you touched between then and when you touched the food. They could've had their index finger brush against a table with raw chicken.

0points

Among Us 3 years ago

Is this article broken for anyone else?

0points

Oskar vanZandt 3 years ago

I rarely dine out, but when I do, I read up on the place first if it's new to me. In the UK there are also hygiene rating stickers that a restaurant/takeaway place can display: they usually do if they rate "good" or "excellent"...

0points

Jennifer Eichelberger 3 years ago

I think most restaurants are cleaner than my kitchen, why am I going to expect a white glove cleanliness, germaphobes have taken over our country and are leading it like a zombie horde. Settle down we have an immune system. We are the decendents of warriors we shame are ancestors with our shadow fears.

-1point

POST

Person2638 3 years ago

some advice is good but when i'm eating out i'm obviously not expecting a perfect level of cleanliness and as long as the food doesn't kill or make me sick i'm okay

17points

Treessimontrees 3 years ago

Agreed, basics like does it smell weird, are the menus visibly dirty, does it have a recent certificate of cleanliness are quickly done.

7points

Helen Haley 3 years ago

How much time do they think we have on our hands to do an investigatory piece on every place we may potentially eat.

15points

Lola 3 years ago

It’s just a few things here and there that you have to look out for. It’s always good to be mindful of what you put in your body.

3points

ITS ME AGAIN 3 years ago

I am never eating out again

10points

Daniel Marsh 3 years ago

If you're a New Yorker, you may not be wrong.

6points

Random Person 3 years ago

6points

Frannie Kaplan 2 years ago

But it all comes from the same family of food. It's not like it was q huge menu of variety. But dirty? No thanks

1point

𝔹𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕒 3 years ago

Some of these make sense, but others aren't things that mean the food is bad. And do y'all really want me to inspect the whole place before I sit down and eat?? Just sayin-

5points

Chodz 3 years ago (edited)

4points

Steve Barnett 3 years ago

4points

Troux 3 years ago

Chefs on Twitter: You should only eat in Michelin star restaurants operated entirely by hypoallergenic robots replaced daily! ... ME: Received most of my order, no blood in stool. 4/5 stars!

3points

Don't Look 3 years ago

Used to be married to a guy who treated everything like this. He was quite the snob. I also rarely eat out anymore.

3points

Craig Silberman 3 years ago

mostly all good tips, but things you might not discover until you've already decided to eat there -- when it's too late

3points

CatWoman312 3 years ago (edited)

3points

Leo Domitrix 3 years ago

Ask people of the same ethnicity where THEY eat. Found the best Thai, Indian, Mexican and Carib-Cuban that way. :-)

3points

Leo Domitrix 3 years ago

It's worked for me, so far, in the US. Ask where they eat ----- what's most real ----- and most will tell you, even if they themsleves prefer the "crap on toast" option for price.

1point

cassiushumanmother 3 years ago

0points

Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 3 years ago

Could work. Of course, there are some people who go cheap over quality, but it isn't a bad idea.

0points

Pauliina Pain 3 years ago

To me a lot of these would appear to be very American problems. Nothing wrong with a buffet in my country, just saying.

2points

Winx 3 years ago

Most buffets here are fine too. Not sure why this article is hating on them so much. They're an awesome deal too for how much food you get.

4points

Sasy 3 years ago

I grew up in Restaurants, I know down here most of this isn't the case, we also pay our wait staff well, so if grumpy it is more likely personal reasons, than the business.

2points

esssea 0903 3 years ago

1point

Elizabeth Molloy 3 years ago

In the UK, everywhere that serves food has a hygiene rating posted in the window, which is given by the health inspector. They are dated so you know they're recent.

1point

HooowlAtTheMoon 3 years ago

I wish the pictures had captions, most of them confused me.

1point

Keith Nolen 3 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

1point

Eunice Probert 3 years ago

1point

Yort 3 years ago

We have exactly that in the U.S., the rating system is just different - it’s either letter grades or basically levels of smiley faces.

0points

Vicky Z 3 years ago

At this moment i want so much to eat in a restaurant like we used to do, that i don't care for any of these😭😭😭

1point

Ahsoka Tano 3 years ago

I went to a burger place once... got a cheeseburger. It was a total hole-in-the-wall. I bit into the burger and it was raw in the middle. Not rare. RAW.

1point

Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 3 years ago (edited)

You could win a lawsuit with that. I mean, at least in America, if the place isn't a rich franchise.

-2points

Steve Barnett 3 years ago (edited)

1point

BusLady 2 years ago

Have I eaten there before and not had food poisoning? Yeah, that'll work.

0points

Mainak Saha 2 years ago

0points

Frannie Kaplan 2 years ago

0points

Ben Berlin 2 years ago

I currently work on the local college campus in one of the dining halls. The food is average not terrible but definitely not 5-star.

0points

Annelies Brioen 2 years ago

0points

Alison Duncan Murphy 2 years ago

They don't even have soap in hospitals in China. You risk your life visiting there from a clean country.

0points