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.
Report
90points
#2
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.
Report
85points
#3
Long menu. Pages and pages of food that doesn’t really make sense or go together
Report
81points
#4
The very moment Gordon Ramsay appears and calls the employees f*****g donkeys
Report
81points
#6
The restaurant isn't even busy but they take ages to serve you, and when they finally do they seem reluctant.
Report
68points
#7
If it smells like fish. Even fish-selling restaurants (the good ones) aren’t supposed to smell fishy. No pun intended.
Report
65points
#9
Dirty floor, if they can’t keep the floor clean, they aren’t cleaning the important stuff.
Report
53points
#10
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.
Report
53points
#11
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.
Report
53points
#13
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.
Report
42points
#16
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.
Report
35points
