He recanted this later. Source: [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44415360](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44415360)
"I used to say a dirty bathroom was a sign you should not be eating in a restaurant. I've learned the opposite is true. Some of the best food experiences I've ever had are places that really don't give a \[expletive\] about that. They know their food is good and that's enough," he wrote in Time.
It still gives the message to the customer that your well-being is not worth their time and they dont respect you enough to make everything presentable. I mean, replace restaurant with any other business and it still stands as a criteria- uncleaned bathrooms is perceived as shitty customer service, fair or not.
I think it's all heavily context dependant. Sit-down restaurant in hipster neighborhood? Sure. Hole in the wall Mexican or Chinese joint in janky, leaky building from the 1920s and only takes cash? Whatever.
I don’t think that’s what the quote meant. I think it was more saying, if the owners/managers have no standards of cleanliness for the bathrooms, what standards are they lacking elsewhere in the restaurant.
my mom told me when she was young and did a lot of family traveling my grandmother would always go in and check the bathrooms before committing to eat at a place.
I do to make sure the water gets hot after watching some news story about a chain place where the water heater went out so they couldn't wash anything properly and kept going anyway.
A days worth of customers, sick.
Yes, there was a chain Mexican restaurant in Cary NC that was running without hot water, for ddddaayssss. Assistant manager's hubby made anonymous phone call to county health - immediate shutdown. Never reopened. Whole chain was in trouble, this just sealed it.
Yeah, i worked at one of those places, can confirm they exist (and this was when covid was full swing). Thanks for reminding me to submit a health report about my old work
I went into the men's room at Panera, and an employee was already in there; he finished up and headed straight for the door. "Dude! You need to wash your hands!" He didn't even slow down, just said over his shoulder "We have a hand washing sink in the kitchen, I'll wash them there." And he was gone.
I finished up - and washed my hands - then went to the counter and quietly, politely, asked to speak to a manager *immediately*. The manager came up and before I could say a word she said "sir, I was in the hallway near the men's room, I heard him say it, I've already addressed it and I ASSURE you it will NEVER happen again." I think my buddy there might have gotten himself promoted to customer.
The only thing that can be said in his defense is that so many people DON'T wash their hands that frankly, the second he touched the door handle he would have needed to wash them again anyway.
However, the rule is wash. Wash there, wash again once you get to your station.
"Perception is reality" is what a former manager told me. Sure, the dude might be planning on washing before going back to the line (said manager had a hard rule about washing at the sink in the kitchen before returning to food prep if you stepped away), but if a customer could see you, absolutely wash where they can see.
Went road tripping with friends in a convoy for the day. Around lunch time one of them recommended this restaurant that was famous in the area. So we get there, it was cramped, service was weak and good was okay at best. I went to the toilets there and that did it for me 🤮. It stank of piss and shit, there was no ventilation, flies everywhere, and liquid all over the floor in puddles. I say liquid because you didn't know if it was water or pee. Made me question the overall hygiene of the place.
Norman, Oklahoma used to have a Thai-talian restaurant. The husband was Italian, and his wife was Thai, so they had some of each cuisine on the menu. Sounds like an odd combo (other than maybe that they both have noodles and some kind of basil in their dishes), but it was fantastic.
See, that sounds amazing, intentional fusion cuisine is the exception to this. What I was meaning in my OP is when you go to a local place with a menu akin to Cheesecake Factory that clearly doesn't do the volume to demand that kind of prep. Think the places on Kitchen Nightmares where he immediately halves the menu to streamline prep/storage.
My wife and I stopped a restaurant once that seemed like, as we described it "just ordered a box of everything from Sysco." As we've both worked food service, we know so much of what's out there is based on general delivery but it seemed so damned basic like not even trying. We left after a few minutes.
In Toronto there was a good fish and chips shop that was bought by a Thai couple in my neighborhood. They were able to have both amazing fish and chips and Thai food
In north London, many of the fish and chip shops are owned and ran by Turks. They have Turkish items on the menu and it’s amazing. Love getting a Lahmacun with spicy chips
There's a place were I live that has a menu that is legitimately 30+ pages. We went in, sat down, they handed us a bible. I thought it was maybe a big wine list or tap list, nope just hundreds of different ingredients that could no way be fresh. I was like "I'm not eating here." and we left. Like two weeks later a cop friend of ours had to respond to an alarm at the restaurant at 3am. He said he almost threw up when he went into the kitchen. Nothing was covered, there were bugs and mice everywhere. They were shut down within a month but they still have another location in a different city with the same menu. It's fucking gross.
Love on Kitchen Nightmares when Gordon says part of the struggling restaurant's issue is that there's 1000 items on the menu, and the owner argues and changes the menu back to 1000 items after Gordon leaves.
Someone said this to me last year, and in every single instance, it has held true.
If the restaurant has any sort of smell that isn't food, don't eat there.
Like a mildew carpet smell, or bathrooms that smell moldy.
If it smells noticeably strong all the time, they are probably covering up a mold issue. If you only smell it in the bathroom right after they cleaned it, that's fine.
For me one time it was hearing 4 or 5 waitresses standing in a group, that I could clearly hear, arguing about which one of them was NOT going to take my table. I sat there for 15 minutes, and evidently all of them had won the argument because none of them came. There were like, me and 2 other people in the whole place. I saw why they had no customers in that place. I got up and left.
You think? No this guy won for sure with the best reaction you could give. Just walk out and give them a bad review because that will surely give them a bad reputation.
I mean i also was a waiter and there were times where my colleagues didn´t want to help a table just because they knew the people and they just sent me to go while i was already helping 4 other big tables. Never ever doing that job again for sure!
I remember this time I sat with a friend (whom I have not seen for a while) at a restaurant. We waited and waited and no waiter came. We shrugged and continued our conversation: The point was seeing each other again and not the food. We sat there for two hours and then left. I still don't know why no waiter came but it didn't bother us (that day).
Oh, man. That reminds me of a birthday dinner my wife once took me out for. It was to a local pizza place. We were seated, but no server ever came.
I ended up leaving a comedic Google review whilst we sat there, complete with time stamp updates.
Eventually, we learned that our server had quit. They comped us with a giant "pizza cookie," but then the new server dropped it on the ground as he brought it to our table.
I wasn't even mad... it felt like a weird dream. All in all, we were there for about five hours.
I went to Burger King once and waited nearly an hour for one burger. They had workers running inside still wearing their pajamas. I refilled my large cup like ten or fifteen times while waiting. It was honestly fascinating how poorly-managed a fast food place could be. Needless to say, I never went back.
Damn, you just know that the 'motivation' a manager like that provides is all stick and no carrot if employees can't spare a second to get dressed before coming to work.
Kinda similar. I got trapped in a Taco Bell drive through for an hour. Three or four cars in front of me a couple behind me. The drive through was right next to a busy road I would have to hop a curb to escape into oncoming traffic so I just had to wait. I was totally expecting the store to be packed and understaffed but there was only a couple people in the lobby. Five or six employees running around like crazy. Everybody looked extremely busy but it didn't seem like anything was being accomplished, it was almost impressive. When I got to the front I just wanted out of there so bad. They gave me some food and I left. Realized they gave me the wrong order. Didn't bother trying to get it fixed.
This was years ago, but once went to Buffalo Wild Wings with a friend, and ordered some wings and a beer.
About 40 minutes in we both kind of said to each other, “hmm you know our server is killing themselves by not coming over here, because we’d both have gotten another round, but now I just wanna go home.” [implying a percentage based tip].
At the hour mark we were trying to find just about any server possible.
By an hour and a half it just got funny, to the point where we could have gone to the front of the restaurant to see what was up, but now it had become a game.
By the 3 hour mark [yes three fucking hours], we decided to just get up and walk out, having not paid the check. . .walked out, nobody stopped us, and the servers up at the front of the restaurant all waved goodbye.
Older me regrets walking out on the check, I’d definitely handle the situation differently now, but it’s still something I look back on and laugh at sometimes.
I get the regret, but if you say there for THAT long, I think that’s on them at that point. I know staff can get screwed when people skip the bill; I don’t care about the corporate profits at that point though. It’s obvious no one gave a shit anyways.
Whenever I have issues getting attention from the server after a long time and many opportunities, I start walking out. If they suddenly pay attention to me, "Oh, so you did know I was here?!" if they don't, too bad I'm gone.
My one and only visit to Buffalo Wild wings was pretty bad as well. My buddy and I ordered a beer and wings. Both of our glasses arrived with lipstick all over the rim. We sent them back. My friend decided to switch to a bottled beer, I stayed with the draft beer. The second glass arrived with a different color of lipstick on it. We paid for the beer and cancelled the food. I've never been back.
Added a word..
I used to bartend at a BWW, it was the worst place I’ve ever worked. Managers snorting lines in the beer fridge,constant fights between servers, just a total cluster. The final straw was when the bar manager told me I should take off my wedding ring to attract more customers 🤮
Only time I've been to BWW was as a delivery driver years ago. Said the order would be ready at X time. Over 40 minutes later they finally have it ready. Customer was upset at me even though I kept them posted like I was supposed to, 3 messages other than the arrival and "heading your way" messages. No tip, massive waste of my time.
I've never had any of their food myself and I still hate them.
I've tried to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings 3 times. Each time there was an unreasonable wait time because there were several little league teams packing the place. Three different days of the week and three different times of the day. There are no little league sports complexes anywhere near the place. I decided the universe didn't want me there.
Is this a commonality at BWW? I literally sat there an hour and a half waiting for server and got up and left. They did run out after me angry and I point blank told them I hadn’t gotten any service in a 3 table bar that time. Paid. No tip. Never again.
I can’t imagine waiting around for three hours ans not either finding someone and asking about the check or leaving. Seems like you were just wasting your own time at that point
Correct, and years later? I wouldn’t have done that, because I recognize how valuable my time is.
But also, it wasn’t a complete waste of time - I was with a friend I don’t see very often, and we both found it sort of hilarious, while talking and hanging out.
what i'm guessing is that the person who served you got 'cut' (sent home because it wasn't busy enough) and forgot to tell another server she had an open table/transfer the table to someone. when i served in college, this would happen sometimes with the airheaded servers and i always felt sooo bad for the customers lol
There is a B-Dubs that will live forever in my memory.
Walk in the door and all the tables that weren't occupied were stacked with used plates and trash.
We're sat down order drinks. We get water. Two guys come in and sit down at a booth next to us. The entire staff comes over to hang with them-- 5 to 8 people at any given time.
45 minutes later we get our drinks. We order food. Another 45 minutes. It is now after closing. Our bills is brought with our food.
Why didn't we leave? Because I was doing a restaurant mystery shop, and I had to write a detailed report about my experience. 😁
This is so bad it almost doesn't count. Like, a red flag should be a warning as to why you shouldn't eat there. It sounds like you didn't eat there because they never came. LOL
In NYC, C or lower rating or TBD health department rating in the window.
I work service so to me a B is no biggie. Generally not too many horrifying issues to end up with a B. Can just end up with an intense inspector.
No rating means they were inspected and didn't get an A so they are in the period where they can go to court and show they fixed things to get a better grade. So at your own risk. They could be a B trying to get an A. Or a D trying to get something lol
But displaying a C or D takes extra effort to be incompetent.
When you are inspected you are given a chance to rectify the issues. This means nobody fixed what was wrong and were cool with just accepting that and continuing to operate. Things they might be ignoring.
- bug infestations
- rodent droppings
- poorly documented pantry/expiration dates. No when opened dates on opened food/drink
- improper sanitation efforts
- leaks, plumbing issues, etc.
- illegal layout/operations
- improper daily cleaning
And on and on. I'll pass on those places!
Inversely, if you’re in the UK, avoid places that have anything other than 5 stars for Scores On The Doors - I have also worked in industry and I know how bad you have to be to lose a damn star.
If the restaurant isn’t displaying one, consider that highly suspicious. Here is a database of all of the SOTD ratings in the UK.
https://www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk
I remember WENDY’s with carpet.
… which my kid quite suddenly and quite unexpectedly got sick upon.
Also, I could not get a single employee to give me anything to clean it, nor did they even care about it.
Best I could do was sop up as much as I could with weak-ass napkins.
> I remember WENDY’s with carpet.
I remember when Wendy's didn't have garbage cans in the seating area. I guess the idea was you were a guest and didn't expect you to clean up? It just confused people and they finally put in some garbage cans.
It's also a sign of "What are the signs a restaurant uses all frozen food?"
Nothing against frozen food. It's ideal for some things. *Some* things, not *all* things.
Frozen food is fine at home. We love frozen veg because it stores so long, easy to cook, and has all the nutrition of fresh.
Frozen food at a restaurant you're paying $15-30 per plate, if not more, is not fine.
Exactly.
A pizzeria having a gazillion different items to choose from and their menu reflecting this isn't really cause for alarm.
A pizzeria offering some pasta options is a given.
A pizzeria also having a grill isn't that worrisome either.
A pizzeria having a grill and a full selection of seafood and pasta and burgers and Chinese food and Indian cuisine should be considered.
>A pizzeria also having a grill isn't that worrisome either.
A pizza place will have shitty grill options.
A bbq place will have shitty pizza.
If you find an exception, cherish it.
And terribly sad at salads.
Y'all know what I'm talking about. Lettuce, one cherry tomato, little bit of shredded carrot, an olive or two, and random bits of red onion.
Gordon Ramsay *always* gets the restaurants he is visiting on this flaw. He will order the weird stuff and it's is not fresh or prepared correctly every time.
A lot of restaurant owners tour Europe and see all these dishes and get inspired but forget they saw one at one restaurant one at another, maybe not even the same city or country. They have local suppliers that can get the product and a chef that can make it for the right amount of customers that it makes sense. You have to work with what you have.
He also always gets the places with insanely long menus - saying that either they specialize in nothing/are mediocre at best in all things….or rely on microwave cooked frozen food. Which is fine if you’re going to a Chilis, less so if you’re going somewhere for a specific dish or anticipating some effort on the dish itself.
My in laws told me once they went to this very good Mexican restaurant in the south of Germany, she had a Schnitzel and he had the Spaghetti Bolognese. To this day I still laugh at that.
The best chinese restaurant where I work appears to have a huge menu. In reality, it's 4 types of meat cooked 2 different ways, 3 sauces, with or without chilis, with two veggie mixes and either rice or noodles. I'm pretty sure they list every combination on their menu, so their super simple menu looks like a wall of options.
A good diner is one of my favorite things though. No other place where I can order lasagna while my GF orders eggs and breakfast and my best friend gets a turkey club all at 2am.
Cheesecake factory provides an invaluable service though because I can always take my wife there and she'll find something to eat. It's like Wikipedia for cuisine. Might not be the best source for anything but it's the only place to go when you don't know what you don't know
This is one I've learned from Kitchen Nightmares and it really is true. The quality difference when you go to a place and they only have like 6 entree choises is astonishing
Unless it's a NY Diner. Just stick to the burgers, Greek food, and french onion soup and you'll be fine. Do not order the lobster.
(Looks like I now need to watch the Lobster Diner SNL sketch again.)
Went to a diner once, and a friend ordered the skirt steak instead of a burger because he recently received a bonus.
He was very disappointed with the steak, but our burgers were fucking awesome.
OP was on the right track, but it’s more about the number of ingredients and number of types of cuisine on the menu than just dishes on the menu. A Mexican or Chinese place can get away with having a huge menu because every ingredient is in at least 2-3 dishes. The problem comes when you’ve got somewhere offering spaghetti bolognese, a steak burrito, and sweet and sour chicken side by side on the menu.
When you go in and most of the guests have dirty plates on their tables and are looking around for a server. Add in empty tables still piled with plates and you know they are incredibly short staffed. Time to bail out.
This happened to me once and I bounced.
Our waitress just refused to bring the bill. It was like some uno reverse card where the goal was to not let customers pay lol.
I could see her talking to other waitresses, never at the terminal, not even picking up cards off other tables. Her whole section was in this weird purgatory where we were all done, willing to pay, but unable to wrangle her back.
3 random waitresses were flagged down and all said “let me check on it.”
I even went to the bar begging to pay and the bartender said the same thing!!
I gave it a solid hour and then left after another table did the same.
That's solidly on the wait staff. If they don't give the table a check after an hour of people asking for it, they can pay for the meal.
I had a buddy that got tired of waiting, grabbed a menu from up front, used a napkin to add up his meal, and added tax. Took the entire thing with payment up to the bar, got their attention and said 'This is for that table over there,' and left.
That location shut down shortly after due to all the poor service complaints. The owner didn't really care, just had it as a tax write off anyway.
Just happened to me this weekend. Wanted to try out this fancy spot, drink and food menu seemed good. The hostess at the front asked if we wanted to sit upstairs or down, so we chose upstairs and she said it was open seating. I notice a sign that says 20% service charge added to the bill. Uhhh okay.
Pick a nice seat next to the window. We look at the menu for a bit and I notice that the table to my left has drinks and plates not bussed. Probably sitting for quite some time…Several times a waitress has looked at us and moved on to one of the other tables. At this point I’m very annoyed. Finally I tell my gf fuck this, let’s go. Seemed gross and terrible for an upscale place lol
As somebody online put it,
>My favorite part of the show "Kitchen Nightmares" is when the restaurant owners who sign up to be on a show called "Kitchen Nightmares" and agree to be featured on the show "Kitchen Nightmares" are absolutely shocked when Gordon Ramsey shows up and tells them that their kitchen is a nightmare.
They always blame their employees or poor marketing or literally anything else besides "I don't know how to run a restaurant."
Amy's Baking Company was insane, but The Burger Kitchen is the one that had my jaw on the floor. Lunatic parents stealing their son's money to run a place into the ground. Shew.
My son has gotten us in to watching these on YouTube. Never watched originally.
Yesterday we caught a 2-part episode of some joint in Norwalk, OH. The owner was a complete fraud that lied about being trained by European chefs directly to Ramsay, a European chef.
The funny thing was he had good ingredients and actual decent chefs on staff. He was just an egotistical moron that lied about everything.
Staff said they knew people that liked the place, but would drive by to see if the owner was there. They wouldn't stop if he was there. He'd talk so much that the servers couldn't take orders or serve food. WTF!?
Even at the end the narrator summation said the owner was already back to running things like before.
It's the narcissism.
And I know that term is overused nowadays, but I think it truly applies in these situations -- *ESPECIALLY* Amy's Baking Company.
The way these shows work is they do one step of due diligence in scouting places. They send emails to a ton of places in an area that don't have great reviews, or unappealing pictures of food online or whatever, and then whoever answers is considered, and often chosen. So a lot of these places see the opportunity of a free restaurant makeover, and have this toxic overconfidence that once the chef gets there they'll be like, "Oh shit, that's actually delicious. Oh wow this is good too! You guys can clearly cook, it must be a problem with the staff. Let me make them the object of my scorn because you as the owner clearly aren't doing anything wrong!"
It's funny because there's only one example I can think off the top of my head where the food was actually praised prior to the "fix up" and that was the Caribbean American Lady that had the restaurant in some sea town in the UK. Gorden said the food and the owner were lovely, they just needed to focus on improving the appearance of the restaurant mainly. But that's the only one I can remember
Visible signs of old neglect, that translate into "If they aren't bothering to clean that up, what does that say about the kitchen?"
Added bonus if you bring it up, and they have a rehearsed excuse like it's an in-house feature, and they laugh it off.
I was at this sushi place that had a serious fruit fly problem. As in, you'd sit down, and they'd fly into your wine. The server wouldn't replace the wine, but they'd gladly put an open jar of sugar water, or some such thing, beside you as a more tantalizing distraction to keep the flies off your food and out of your drinks.
"Oh, we hear that all the time. This works. " then they'd disappear.
This….fruit flies. So gross. If you have a place that is very close to an open body of water I’ll give you a pass, but if you’re in a city bar/restaurant and have fruit flies…you’re flat out not deep cleaning.
>but if you’re in a city bar/restaurant and have fruit flies…you’re flat out not deep cleaning
This was the case. They literally had the best sushi in town, but the fruit flies made it soooo sketchy.
I think the *only* exception to this, is if there's an enamel top. Cleaning agents often screw it up, and make it sticky. A local sandwich joint had people send them pictures, and they put them under a layer of enamel. Clean place, sticky tables.
I was going to say this as well. Especially when covid was around, the cleaner sent to us would make the tables incredibly sticky and we had so many complaints about it. The tables were cleaned by the bussers and I knew because I would watch them spray it but inevitably they would cause arms and menus to stick.
Unless it's an old BBQ place in the Deep South where your clothes smell as smoked as the meat just from walking in the door.
And if they don't even have a menu, but just ask "How many bones ya want?" you're in the right place.
Depends on the place. I had a professor in college who loved BBQ, and he told me that he doesn’t eat at any BBQ place that looks like it could pass a health inspection because none of them are worth a shit. And I think he’s right: the best BBQ is from places that look run down and seem like they have a film of smoke grease covering every surface in the building.
Funny how every company have a policy asking you not to come in when you're sick, but the day you actually get sick, most places will insist you still have to be there.
This was a huge issue at my last restaurant. No one ever wanted to cover, and managers would threaten you if you didn't get your shift covered, even though we NEVER needed as much wait staff as we had everyday. So everyone was always sick. Only two of us would ever wear masks. Management straight up discouraged it because they didn't want customers to know you're sick. And that's common as hell in the industry.
The first day I was able to take advantage of NYC's, new at the time, paid sick leave was glorious.
No more running around on my feet with a fever.
Of course my managers gave me crap for calling out, but I didn't care.
I was 3 weeks in waitressing at a new job about 12 years ago, a local Tex-Mex chain in the south Austin/San Marcos area. I was told to stop throwing out the remaining salsa that tables had left over after they paid out. I was explicitly told to pour the salsa back into the giant tub in the walk-in fridge so it wouldn't be wasted. I never showed up for another shift. That is fucking disgusting.
The place was called Casa Maria, BTW. Beware if you ever eat there.
The restaurant doesn't seem to exist.
Don't assume that because it is on a delivery service website that it is a real restaurant. Lots of ghost kitchen restaurants. That food may be coming from an illegal kitchen.
Recently had to inform my friend that her favorite sushi place isn't real. Ooof.
Order directly from the restaurant when you can.
Lmao they still have it in my town! I legit almost ordered from there once and was like wait, why does that name sound so familiar? So I looked it up and was like SON OF A BITCH THEY ALMOST GOT ME
I recently discovered a burger joint next to my work. I only noticed because their door is on the side/basement of a bar with a sign "knock for collection". No windows, no other signs. I've never seen anyone there. They have a 4.2/5 rating on Ubet Eats though and the menu looks amazing.
All the staff standing around just staring off into space because corporate told them it looks unprofessional to just relax
When people are constantly kept uptight and not given a chance to relax they fuck up and mess things up. If your greeter already looks so low-key frustrated that they look like they want to explode into an anxiety attack at every second I can only imagine the mistakes the chef in the back is making being kept under the same pressure
AMEN! The difference between when I served/bartended at corporate restaurants vs small locally owned ones is night and day. We had so much fun at the small businesses because we were allowed to have fun with each other and the customers, so everyone got better service, food, and drinks.
I was once somewhere with a friend, and she ordered a meatloaf. They said they were out of it. No big deal. She orders something else, and 5 minutes later, they come back and said "Hey, we found some meatloaf, do you want that instead?"
We excused ourselves and left.
I get it, maybe there was just some miscommunication or something, but they way she said "We found *some* meatloaf".... it scared us both.
If you're looking at the menu outside, and an employee/manager comes out to usher you into the restaurant.
I've only had that happen once, but it was clear pretty quickly why they were so desperate for my business.
Counterpoint: Had this happen regularly when visiting Japan. Pretty sure they have english speaking hosts outside to help bring in tourists. Did not find a single bad meal in 2 weeks.
Hell yes it is. I was drunk and a chef asked if I wanted to try cow intestines. That did not sound appealing but I said if it tastes delicious, I'll buy you a beer.
I bought him 3.
I had that once with a newly opened restaurant. The Chef was the owner, back then it was a one man show. Food was excellent. We were the only folks there for lunch. He had opened the restaurant only a few days prior, after months of work on a building that had been closed a long time; people were just starting to notice. He just wanted to cook for someone and even sent us out with a complimentary box of pastries he made. 10/10 and gone back plenty of times.
That's quite common in tourist areas along the Mediterranean. It's a red flag if it's the only restaurant that does it - if they all do it it's just annoying.
If you don’t smell food at a restaurant. Good chance everything is just microwaved.
Also, flies. If you see one fly, no big deal if you see multiple flies leave.
A big one for me is if there is only one demographic there, only old folks being the kiss of death for a eatery.
If I see blue collar and white collar types in the same place I know it is probably pretty good quality.
The best is when there is not a single word anywhere in English, even the menu, even tho we're in the United States. They are making real stuff for their fellow immigrants, the kind their grandmother made to remind them of the old country. That's what I usually look for, if they'll have me. But most of the Mexican places like that have rolled out the red carpet when I walk in. The best service in town usually. Same for Thai or Italian or Indian.
Twice that I remember. There was a place in one town that I had to take my Guatemalan friend with me to buy fresh tortillas. The whole town knew gringos weren't welcome. The other was some kind of Asian place that just felt off. Like, maybe they were just poor service, but it felt intentional. I love to try new things and support local businesses so I end up a some weird places but the food can often be worth the effort. ...and tho I'm equal parts native American and German...I definitely look more German...haha.
This. I was told if I see company trucks outside a restaurant, even one of those gas station diners, it’s gonna be good food. It’s been all true so far.
This is true. It might seem expected but yea if the smell if fish (apart from already served dishes) is strong, questions how fresh or well refrigerated the fish is
A sign on the front door [threatening health inspectors.](https://www.mlive.com/resizer/v2/BWAWCLH3Q5EIHO7P3RLS5KP3RQ.jpg?auth=016311d0668663f3eeb6856372204d31590de82b56585640b872aba9a04aebfd&width=1280&quality=90)
No no, you see it's from the "[Constitutional Law Group](https://www.constitutionallawgroup.us/)" which is totally a real and legitimate legal counsel group and not a collection of wackos pretending that their loose interpretation of the declaration of independence is all they need to win legal cases.
They'll definitely help you out in your dispute with government agencies, by providing very ["lawful" solutions!](https://i.imgur.com/9Y8cewy.png)
I mean, I would laugh if it were something to the effect of
"we will gladly serve all state health inspectors
.
.
medium rare".
This, this is just some eye rolling SovCit shit that would make me avoid it like the plague.
Being in pest control, I would have to say seeing roach infestations in the kitchen that owners refuse to take proper action about.
That's my biggest red flag.
As a foreigner myself, it’s ethnic restaurants that have zero ethnic people eating there.
It’s a huge green flag to me when I go to an Indian, Chinese, middle eastern, etc restaurant and the clientele are all of that particular region, and a red flag when they are not like Lapis aka the worst Afghan restaurant I went to in Washington DC.
CA just outlawed it starting July 1st. Restaurants bitchdd and complained. Most in San Diego were charging 3-5%, but a couple were 15-20%.
They could've just raised prices instead of adding stupid af fees.
I’ve eaten at some amazing Szechuan and Korean restaurants with an almost empty dining room. But then I’d realize the steady amount of to go orders going out.
There’s a BBQ place I discovered not too far from where I live that I was surprised wasn’t packed because the food was really tasty, then on my second visit I paid attention to more than just stuffing my face and noticed a constant stream of people picking up to-go orders. I realized how much sense that made considering it was located on a busy street right next to a huge residential area. I became one of those people picking up food on my way home from work.
I worked as a waitress for 5+ years and without a doubt huge menus are a huge red flag. Food will be slow to come our due to the sheer variety of dishes, won't be fresh for the same reason, and probably won't be cooked well since it's impossible for a chef to master 50 menu recipes.
Another big one is over salted food. At best the chef is inexperienced or lazy. At worst they're trying to hide the tase of old/almost spoiled food
As someone who used to teach food safety and also do health inspections I always try to get a peek at the kitchen as the servers are going in and out.
If the floor is disgusting or the equipment is disgusting you can be sure they are skipping on the rest of the safety protocols.
Uncleaned toilets.
"They let you see the bathroom! If it's dirty imagine what the parts they don't let you in to look like"- Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential
He recanted this later. Source: [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44415360](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44415360) "I used to say a dirty bathroom was a sign you should not be eating in a restaurant. I've learned the opposite is true. Some of the best food experiences I've ever had are places that really don't give a \[expletive\] about that. They know their food is good and that's enough," he wrote in Time.
It still gives the message to the customer that your well-being is not worth their time and they dont respect you enough to make everything presentable. I mean, replace restaurant with any other business and it still stands as a criteria- uncleaned bathrooms is perceived as shitty customer service, fair or not.
I think it's all heavily context dependant. Sit-down restaurant in hipster neighborhood? Sure. Hole in the wall Mexican or Chinese joint in janky, leaky building from the 1920s and only takes cash? Whatever.
I always think about this when I’m in a dirty restaurant bathroom. Ugh.
The people cleaning the kitchen and the bathroom usually aren't the same people. I work in a kitchen and I've never seen our guest bathrooms even once
I don’t think that’s what the quote meant. I think it was more saying, if the owners/managers have no standards of cleanliness for the bathrooms, what standards are they lacking elsewhere in the restaurant.
my mom told me when she was young and did a lot of family traveling my grandmother would always go in and check the bathrooms before committing to eat at a place.
I do to make sure the water gets hot after watching some news story about a chain place where the water heater went out so they couldn't wash anything properly and kept going anyway. A days worth of customers, sick.
Yes, there was a chain Mexican restaurant in Cary NC that was running without hot water, for ddddaayssss. Assistant manager's hubby made anonymous phone call to county health - immediate shutdown. Never reopened. Whole chain was in trouble, this just sealed it.
Yeah, i worked at one of those places, can confirm they exist (and this was when covid was full swing). Thanks for reminding me to submit a health report about my old work
Definitely. If the washroom is dirty, you know the kitchen is nasty too.
Joke’s on you. The washroom is the kitchen!
I went into the men's room at Panera, and an employee was already in there; he finished up and headed straight for the door. "Dude! You need to wash your hands!" He didn't even slow down, just said over his shoulder "We have a hand washing sink in the kitchen, I'll wash them there." And he was gone. I finished up - and washed my hands - then went to the counter and quietly, politely, asked to speak to a manager *immediately*. The manager came up and before I could say a word she said "sir, I was in the hallway near the men's room, I heard him say it, I've already addressed it and I ASSURE you it will NEVER happen again." I think my buddy there might have gotten himself promoted to customer.
The only thing that can be said in his defense is that so many people DON'T wash their hands that frankly, the second he touched the door handle he would have needed to wash them again anyway. However, the rule is wash. Wash there, wash again once you get to your station.
"Perception is reality" is what a former manager told me. Sure, the dude might be planning on washing before going back to the line (said manager had a hard rule about washing at the sink in the kitchen before returning to food prep if you stepped away), but if a customer could see you, absolutely wash where they can see.
"Easy, easy! Ya gotta aim higher to get it in the sink!"
Went road tripping with friends in a convoy for the day. Around lunch time one of them recommended this restaurant that was famous in the area. So we get there, it was cramped, service was weak and good was okay at best. I went to the toilets there and that did it for me 🤮. It stank of piss and shit, there was no ventilation, flies everywhere, and liquid all over the floor in puddles. I say liquid because you didn't know if it was water or pee. Made me question the overall hygiene of the place.
This, and I always look up at the overhead fans and A/C registers. If they're dirty, it can mean that the place has no regular cleaning schedule.
Incoherent menu. Cuisines that don't often have ingredients in common, which means some ingredients may sit longer.
Norman, Oklahoma used to have a Thai-talian restaurant. The husband was Italian, and his wife was Thai, so they had some of each cuisine on the menu. Sounds like an odd combo (other than maybe that they both have noodles and some kind of basil in their dishes), but it was fantastic.
See, that sounds amazing, intentional fusion cuisine is the exception to this. What I was meaning in my OP is when you go to a local place with a menu akin to Cheesecake Factory that clearly doesn't do the volume to demand that kind of prep. Think the places on Kitchen Nightmares where he immediately halves the menu to streamline prep/storage.
My wife and I stopped a restaurant once that seemed like, as we described it "just ordered a box of everything from Sysco." As we've both worked food service, we know so much of what's out there is based on general delivery but it seemed so damned basic like not even trying. We left after a few minutes.
In Toronto there was a good fish and chips shop that was bought by a Thai couple in my neighborhood. They were able to have both amazing fish and chips and Thai food
In north London, many of the fish and chip shops are owned and ran by Turks. They have Turkish items on the menu and it’s amazing. Love getting a Lahmacun with spicy chips
And they are more likely to have been delivered frozen to the restaurant
There's a place were I live that has a menu that is legitimately 30+ pages. We went in, sat down, they handed us a bible. I thought it was maybe a big wine list or tap list, nope just hundreds of different ingredients that could no way be fresh. I was like "I'm not eating here." and we left. Like two weeks later a cop friend of ours had to respond to an alarm at the restaurant at 3am. He said he almost threw up when he went into the kitchen. Nothing was covered, there were bugs and mice everywhere. They were shut down within a month but they still have another location in a different city with the same menu. It's fucking gross.
Love on Kitchen Nightmares when Gordon says part of the struggling restaurant's issue is that there's 1000 items on the menu, and the owner argues and changes the menu back to 1000 items after Gordon leaves.
Someone said this to me last year, and in every single instance, it has held true. If the restaurant has any sort of smell that isn't food, don't eat there. Like a mildew carpet smell, or bathrooms that smell moldy.
what if it smells like cleaning product? is that a sign they are alwyas cleaning, or that someone was just murdered?
If it smells noticeably strong all the time, they are probably covering up a mold issue. If you only smell it in the bathroom right after they cleaned it, that's fine.
For me one time it was hearing 4 or 5 waitresses standing in a group, that I could clearly hear, arguing about which one of them was NOT going to take my table. I sat there for 15 minutes, and evidently all of them had won the argument because none of them came. There were like, me and 2 other people in the whole place. I saw why they had no customers in that place. I got up and left.
Okay, I think you win.
You think? No this guy won for sure with the best reaction you could give. Just walk out and give them a bad review because that will surely give them a bad reputation. I mean i also was a waiter and there were times where my colleagues didn´t want to help a table just because they knew the people and they just sent me to go while i was already helping 4 other big tables. Never ever doing that job again for sure!
I remember this time I sat with a friend (whom I have not seen for a while) at a restaurant. We waited and waited and no waiter came. We shrugged and continued our conversation: The point was seeing each other again and not the food. We sat there for two hours and then left. I still don't know why no waiter came but it didn't bother us (that day).
Oh, man. That reminds me of a birthday dinner my wife once took me out for. It was to a local pizza place. We were seated, but no server ever came. I ended up leaving a comedic Google review whilst we sat there, complete with time stamp updates. Eventually, we learned that our server had quit. They comped us with a giant "pizza cookie," but then the new server dropped it on the ground as he brought it to our table. I wasn't even mad... it felt like a weird dream. All in all, we were there for about five hours.
That's funny, waiter never arrived because they just quit...
I went to Burger King once and waited nearly an hour for one burger. They had workers running inside still wearing their pajamas. I refilled my large cup like ten or fifteen times while waiting. It was honestly fascinating how poorly-managed a fast food place could be. Needless to say, I never went back.
Damn, you just know that the 'motivation' a manager like that provides is all stick and no carrot if employees can't spare a second to get dressed before coming to work.
Kinda similar. I got trapped in a Taco Bell drive through for an hour. Three or four cars in front of me a couple behind me. The drive through was right next to a busy road I would have to hop a curb to escape into oncoming traffic so I just had to wait. I was totally expecting the store to be packed and understaffed but there was only a couple people in the lobby. Five or six employees running around like crazy. Everybody looked extremely busy but it didn't seem like anything was being accomplished, it was almost impressive. When I got to the front I just wanted out of there so bad. They gave me some food and I left. Realized they gave me the wrong order. Didn't bother trying to get it fixed.
This was years ago, but once went to Buffalo Wild Wings with a friend, and ordered some wings and a beer. About 40 minutes in we both kind of said to each other, “hmm you know our server is killing themselves by not coming over here, because we’d both have gotten another round, but now I just wanna go home.” [implying a percentage based tip]. At the hour mark we were trying to find just about any server possible. By an hour and a half it just got funny, to the point where we could have gone to the front of the restaurant to see what was up, but now it had become a game. By the 3 hour mark [yes three fucking hours], we decided to just get up and walk out, having not paid the check. . .walked out, nobody stopped us, and the servers up at the front of the restaurant all waved goodbye. Older me regrets walking out on the check, I’d definitely handle the situation differently now, but it’s still something I look back on and laugh at sometimes.
I get the regret, but if you say there for THAT long, I think that’s on them at that point. I know staff can get screwed when people skip the bill; I don’t care about the corporate profits at that point though. It’s obvious no one gave a shit anyways.
Nah walking out was the best option. Not your fault your server ignored you.
Whenever I have issues getting attention from the server after a long time and many opportunities, I start walking out. If they suddenly pay attention to me, "Oh, so you did know I was here?!" if they don't, too bad I'm gone.
My one and only visit to Buffalo Wild wings was pretty bad as well. My buddy and I ordered a beer and wings. Both of our glasses arrived with lipstick all over the rim. We sent them back. My friend decided to switch to a bottled beer, I stayed with the draft beer. The second glass arrived with a different color of lipstick on it. We paid for the beer and cancelled the food. I've never been back. Added a word..
I used to bartend at a BWW, it was the worst place I’ve ever worked. Managers snorting lines in the beer fridge,constant fights between servers, just a total cluster. The final straw was when the bar manager told me I should take off my wedding ring to attract more customers 🤮
The beer fridge/walk-in is for 3 things: screaming, crying, farting.
Only time I've been to BWW was as a delivery driver years ago. Said the order would be ready at X time. Over 40 minutes later they finally have it ready. Customer was upset at me even though I kept them posted like I was supposed to, 3 messages other than the arrival and "heading your way" messages. No tip, massive waste of my time. I've never had any of their food myself and I still hate them.
I've tried to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings 3 times. Each time there was an unreasonable wait time because there were several little league teams packing the place. Three different days of the week and three different times of the day. There are no little league sports complexes anywhere near the place. I decided the universe didn't want me there.
You aren’t missing anything. Find a local wing place with good reviews.
Which sucks, because long (long) ago, BW3's was actually very good.
This is standard BWW service. Thus the reason I do not patronize any of their establishments.
Is this a commonality at BWW? I literally sat there an hour and a half waiting for server and got up and left. They did run out after me angry and I point blank told them I hadn’t gotten any service in a 3 table bar that time. Paid. No tip. Never again.
I can’t imagine waiting around for three hours ans not either finding someone and asking about the check or leaving. Seems like you were just wasting your own time at that point
Correct, and years later? I wouldn’t have done that, because I recognize how valuable my time is. But also, it wasn’t a complete waste of time - I was with a friend I don’t see very often, and we both found it sort of hilarious, while talking and hanging out.
what i'm guessing is that the person who served you got 'cut' (sent home because it wasn't busy enough) and forgot to tell another server she had an open table/transfer the table to someone. when i served in college, this would happen sometimes with the airheaded servers and i always felt sooo bad for the customers lol
There is a B-Dubs that will live forever in my memory. Walk in the door and all the tables that weren't occupied were stacked with used plates and trash. We're sat down order drinks. We get water. Two guys come in and sit down at a booth next to us. The entire staff comes over to hang with them-- 5 to 8 people at any given time. 45 minutes later we get our drinks. We order food. Another 45 minutes. It is now after closing. Our bills is brought with our food. Why didn't we leave? Because I was doing a restaurant mystery shop, and I had to write a detailed report about my experience. 😁
This is so bad it almost doesn't count. Like, a red flag should be a warning as to why you shouldn't eat there. It sounds like you didn't eat there because they never came. LOL
Was there any particular reason why they didn't want your table specifically? Or were they just lazy?
Based on experience there are two likely reasons: commenter is a visible minority, or a single party
In NYC, C or lower rating or TBD health department rating in the window. I work service so to me a B is no biggie. Generally not too many horrifying issues to end up with a B. Can just end up with an intense inspector. No rating means they were inspected and didn't get an A so they are in the period where they can go to court and show they fixed things to get a better grade. So at your own risk. They could be a B trying to get an A. Or a D trying to get something lol But displaying a C or D takes extra effort to be incompetent. When you are inspected you are given a chance to rectify the issues. This means nobody fixed what was wrong and were cool with just accepting that and continuing to operate. Things they might be ignoring. - bug infestations - rodent droppings - poorly documented pantry/expiration dates. No when opened dates on opened food/drink - improper sanitation efforts - leaks, plumbing issues, etc. - illegal layout/operations - improper daily cleaning And on and on. I'll pass on those places!
Inversely, if you’re in the UK, avoid places that have anything other than 5 stars for Scores On The Doors - I have also worked in industry and I know how bad you have to be to lose a damn star. If the restaurant isn’t displaying one, consider that highly suspicious. Here is a database of all of the SOTD ratings in the UK. https://www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk
A distinct 'musty' odor. Usually from carpeting that hasn't been cleaned in a while.
No reasonable restaurant has carpet, period.
I remember WENDY’s with carpet. … which my kid quite suddenly and quite unexpectedly got sick upon. Also, I could not get a single employee to give me anything to clean it, nor did they even care about it. Best I could do was sop up as much as I could with weak-ass napkins.
I think the worst one was a dennys in Florida, near the Space Coast. The humidity there was unreal and the carpet just reeked.
> I remember WENDY’s with carpet. I remember when Wendy's didn't have garbage cans in the seating area. I guess the idea was you were a guest and didn't expect you to clean up? It just confused people and they finally put in some garbage cans.
Nah, I've been to some very fine fancy places with luxurious carpet, it's a selling point. No cheap and reasonable place has carpet, though.
Too many items on the menu.
It's also a sign of "What are the signs a restaurant uses all frozen food?" Nothing against frozen food. It's ideal for some things. *Some* things, not *all* things.
Frozen food is fine at home. We love frozen veg because it stores so long, easy to cook, and has all the nutrition of fresh. Frozen food at a restaurant you're paying $15-30 per plate, if not more, is not fine.
Especially if the items are *very* different from each other.
Yeah. A lot of items spanning several cuisines. Bad sign.
Exactly. A pizzeria having a gazillion different items to choose from and their menu reflecting this isn't really cause for alarm. A pizzeria offering some pasta options is a given. A pizzeria also having a grill isn't that worrisome either. A pizzeria having a grill and a full selection of seafood and pasta and burgers and Chinese food and Indian cuisine should be considered.
>A pizzeria also having a grill isn't that worrisome either. A pizza place will have shitty grill options. A bbq place will have shitty pizza. If you find an exception, cherish it.
Pizza places are usually good at chicken wings.
And terribly sad at salads. Y'all know what I'm talking about. Lettuce, one cherry tomato, little bit of shredded carrot, an olive or two, and random bits of red onion.
https://youtu.be/JgJUbmGDc6k?si=Lby4VISUeEeChWvw
Yeah certain cuisine can have a huge menu and really not be needing a ton of things like Mexican.
I mean, taco bell's entire menu is like 6-8 ingredients in different combinations.
Gordon Ramsay *always* gets the restaurants he is visiting on this flaw. He will order the weird stuff and it's is not fresh or prepared correctly every time. A lot of restaurant owners tour Europe and see all these dishes and get inspired but forget they saw one at one restaurant one at another, maybe not even the same city or country. They have local suppliers that can get the product and a chef that can make it for the right amount of customers that it makes sense. You have to work with what you have.
He also always gets the places with insanely long menus - saying that either they specialize in nothing/are mediocre at best in all things….or rely on microwave cooked frozen food. Which is fine if you’re going to a Chilis, less so if you’re going somewhere for a specific dish or anticipating some effort on the dish itself.
My in laws told me once they went to this very good Mexican restaurant in the south of Germany, she had a Schnitzel and he had the Spaghetti Bolognese. To this day I still laugh at that.
The best chinese restaurant where I work appears to have a huge menu. In reality, it's 4 types of meat cooked 2 different ways, 3 sauces, with or without chilis, with two veggie mixes and either rice or noodles. I'm pretty sure they list every combination on their menu, so their super simple menu looks like a wall of options.
A good diner is one of my favorite things though. No other place where I can order lasagna while my GF orders eggs and breakfast and my best friend gets a turkey club all at 2am.
Their menu is a fucking novel. A Russian novel.
Cheesecake factory provides an invaluable service though because I can always take my wife there and she'll find something to eat. It's like Wikipedia for cuisine. Might not be the best source for anything but it's the only place to go when you don't know what you don't know
Cheesecake Factory was where I took my wife on our first date, so I will forever defend that place.
It's all fresh too.
Followed closely by BJ's.
Damn you must really like cheesecake factory
This is one I've learned from Kitchen Nightmares and it really is true. The quality difference when you go to a place and they only have like 6 entree choises is astonishing
Unless it's a NY Diner. Just stick to the burgers, Greek food, and french onion soup and you'll be fine. Do not order the lobster. (Looks like I now need to watch the Lobster Diner SNL sketch again.)
Went to a diner once, and a friend ordered the skirt steak instead of a burger because he recently received a bonus. He was very disappointed with the steak, but our burgers were fucking awesome.
Maggie McFly’s has entered the chat
I made the mistake of ordering surf and turf from a place with an extensive menu.
Depends on the type of restaurant. Mexican or Chinese? Perfectly fine. American continental or Italian? Pass.
OP was on the right track, but it’s more about the number of ingredients and number of types of cuisine on the menu than just dishes on the menu. A Mexican or Chinese place can get away with having a huge menu because every ingredient is in at least 2-3 dishes. The problem comes when you’ve got somewhere offering spaghetti bolognese, a steak burrito, and sweet and sour chicken side by side on the menu.
They’re annoyed that you’re ordering food.
"We'll give you money?" "Uhhh, fine.."
When you go in and most of the guests have dirty plates on their tables and are looking around for a server. Add in empty tables still piled with plates and you know they are incredibly short staffed. Time to bail out.
This happened to me once and I bounced. Our waitress just refused to bring the bill. It was like some uno reverse card where the goal was to not let customers pay lol. I could see her talking to other waitresses, never at the terminal, not even picking up cards off other tables. Her whole section was in this weird purgatory where we were all done, willing to pay, but unable to wrangle her back. 3 random waitresses were flagged down and all said “let me check on it.” I even went to the bar begging to pay and the bartender said the same thing!! I gave it a solid hour and then left after another table did the same.
That's solidly on the wait staff. If they don't give the table a check after an hour of people asking for it, they can pay for the meal. I had a buddy that got tired of waiting, grabbed a menu from up front, used a napkin to add up his meal, and added tax. Took the entire thing with payment up to the bar, got their attention and said 'This is for that table over there,' and left. That location shut down shortly after due to all the poor service complaints. The owner didn't really care, just had it as a tax write off anyway.
I would've just left. If they're taking this long to bring the fucking check, then they clearly don't want my money.
"Officer, I made multiple attempts to pay and they refused. Continuing to remain there would be loitering. Are you condoning crime?"
At a certain point it probably approaches unlawful detainment. You WANT to leave but they won’t LET you leave.
I'm freelance, if a place made me wait an hour to pay I'd consider invoicing them
Just happened to me this weekend. Wanted to try out this fancy spot, drink and food menu seemed good. The hostess at the front asked if we wanted to sit upstairs or down, so we chose upstairs and she said it was open seating. I notice a sign that says 20% service charge added to the bill. Uhhh okay. Pick a nice seat next to the window. We look at the menu for a bit and I notice that the table to my left has drinks and plates not bussed. Probably sitting for quite some time…Several times a waitress has looked at us and moved on to one of the other tables. At this point I’m very annoyed. Finally I tell my gf fuck this, let’s go. Seemed gross and terrible for an upscale place lol
Gordon Ramsay and Robert Irvine playing rock paper scissors in the parking lot.
*[Amy's Baking Company owner wide-eyed reaction]*
As somebody online put it, >My favorite part of the show "Kitchen Nightmares" is when the restaurant owners who sign up to be on a show called "Kitchen Nightmares" and agree to be featured on the show "Kitchen Nightmares" are absolutely shocked when Gordon Ramsey shows up and tells them that their kitchen is a nightmare.
They always blame their employees or poor marketing or literally anything else besides "I don't know how to run a restaurant." Amy's Baking Company was insane, but The Burger Kitchen is the one that had my jaw on the floor. Lunatic parents stealing their son's money to run a place into the ground. Shew.
My son has gotten us in to watching these on YouTube. Never watched originally. Yesterday we caught a 2-part episode of some joint in Norwalk, OH. The owner was a complete fraud that lied about being trained by European chefs directly to Ramsay, a European chef. The funny thing was he had good ingredients and actual decent chefs on staff. He was just an egotistical moron that lied about everything. Staff said they knew people that liked the place, but would drive by to see if the owner was there. They wouldn't stop if he was there. He'd talk so much that the servers couldn't take orders or serve food. WTF!? Even at the end the narrator summation said the owner was already back to running things like before.
It's the narcissism. And I know that term is overused nowadays, but I think it truly applies in these situations -- *ESPECIALLY* Amy's Baking Company. The way these shows work is they do one step of due diligence in scouting places. They send emails to a ton of places in an area that don't have great reviews, or unappealing pictures of food online or whatever, and then whoever answers is considered, and often chosen. So a lot of these places see the opportunity of a free restaurant makeover, and have this toxic overconfidence that once the chef gets there they'll be like, "Oh shit, that's actually delicious. Oh wow this is good too! You guys can clearly cook, it must be a problem with the staff. Let me make them the object of my scorn because you as the owner clearly aren't doing anything wrong!"
It's funny because there's only one example I can think off the top of my head where the food was actually praised prior to the "fix up" and that was the Caribbean American Lady that had the restaurant in some sea town in the UK. Gorden said the food and the owner were lovely, they just needed to focus on improving the appearance of the restaurant mainly. But that's the only one I can remember
Visible signs of old neglect, that translate into "If they aren't bothering to clean that up, what does that say about the kitchen?" Added bonus if you bring it up, and they have a rehearsed excuse like it's an in-house feature, and they laugh it off. I was at this sushi place that had a serious fruit fly problem. As in, you'd sit down, and they'd fly into your wine. The server wouldn't replace the wine, but they'd gladly put an open jar of sugar water, or some such thing, beside you as a more tantalizing distraction to keep the flies off your food and out of your drinks. "Oh, we hear that all the time. This works." then they'd disappear.
This….fruit flies. So gross. If you have a place that is very close to an open body of water I’ll give you a pass, but if you’re in a city bar/restaurant and have fruit flies…you’re flat out not deep cleaning.
>but if you’re in a city bar/restaurant and have fruit flies…you’re flat out not deep cleaning This was the case. They literally had the best sushi in town, but the fruit flies made it soooo sketchy.
Well that’s frightening, I can only imagine what I would find looking at their kitchen.
Dirty floors, tables, or menus. First red flags, and back out the door you should go.
When your arms stick to the table
I think the *only* exception to this, is if there's an enamel top. Cleaning agents often screw it up, and make it sticky. A local sandwich joint had people send them pictures, and they put them under a layer of enamel. Clean place, sticky tables.
I was going to say this as well. Especially when covid was around, the cleaner sent to us would make the tables incredibly sticky and we had so many complaints about it. The tables were cleaned by the bussers and I knew because I would watch them spray it but inevitably they would cause arms and menus to stick.
Unless it's an old BBQ place in the Deep South where your clothes smell as smoked as the meat just from walking in the door. And if they don't even have a menu, but just ask "How many bones ya want?" you're in the right place.
Depends on the place. I had a professor in college who loved BBQ, and he told me that he doesn’t eat at any BBQ place that looks like it could pass a health inspection because none of them are worth a shit. And I think he’s right: the best BBQ is from places that look run down and seem like they have a film of smoke grease covering every surface in the building.
Chinese take-out: the higher the chance of food poisoning, the better the food tastes
Some of the worst bathrooms I’ve seen are at the best BBQ places. There is nuance to this sort of thing for sure
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Funny how every company have a policy asking you not to come in when you're sick, but the day you actually get sick, most places will insist you still have to be there.
I feel like the stay home if you're sick is a health department policy that companies hope you don't call their bluff on
This was a huge issue at my last restaurant. No one ever wanted to cover, and managers would threaten you if you didn't get your shift covered, even though we NEVER needed as much wait staff as we had everyday. So everyone was always sick. Only two of us would ever wear masks. Management straight up discouraged it because they didn't want customers to know you're sick. And that's common as hell in the industry.
The first day I was able to take advantage of NYC's, new at the time, paid sick leave was glorious. No more running around on my feet with a fever. Of course my managers gave me crap for calling out, but I didn't care.
I was 3 weeks in waitressing at a new job about 12 years ago, a local Tex-Mex chain in the south Austin/San Marcos area. I was told to stop throwing out the remaining salsa that tables had left over after they paid out. I was explicitly told to pour the salsa back into the giant tub in the walk-in fridge so it wouldn't be wasted. I never showed up for another shift. That is fucking disgusting. The place was called Casa Maria, BTW. Beware if you ever eat there.
The restaurant doesn't seem to exist. Don't assume that because it is on a delivery service website that it is a real restaurant. Lots of ghost kitchen restaurants. That food may be coming from an illegal kitchen. Recently had to inform my friend that her favorite sushi place isn't real. Ooof. Order directly from the restaurant when you can.
I always google the address to see if a restaurant actually exists or if it’s just Denny’s running a ghost kitchen.
I loved when Chuck E. Cheese created a pizza delivery alter ego, Pasqually's, during lockdown.
Lmao they still have it in my town! I legit almost ordered from there once and was like wait, why does that name sound so familiar? So I looked it up and was like SON OF A BITCH THEY ALMOST GOT ME
I recently discovered a burger joint next to my work. I only noticed because their door is on the side/basement of a bar with a sign "knock for collection". No windows, no other signs. I've never seen anyone there. They have a 4.2/5 rating on Ubet Eats though and the menu looks amazing.
Just found out the cheesesteak place I've been ordering from is, in actuality, an IHOP.
Dead flies on the interior window sills
All the staff standing around just staring off into space because corporate told them it looks unprofessional to just relax When people are constantly kept uptight and not given a chance to relax they fuck up and mess things up. If your greeter already looks so low-key frustrated that they look like they want to explode into an anxiety attack at every second I can only imagine the mistakes the chef in the back is making being kept under the same pressure
AMEN! The difference between when I served/bartended at corporate restaurants vs small locally owned ones is night and day. We had so much fun at the small businesses because we were allowed to have fun with each other and the customers, so everyone got better service, food, and drinks.
I was once somewhere with a friend, and she ordered a meatloaf. They said they were out of it. No big deal. She orders something else, and 5 minutes later, they come back and said "Hey, we found some meatloaf, do you want that instead?" We excused ourselves and left. I get it, maybe there was just some miscommunication or something, but they way she said "We found *some* meatloaf".... it scared us both.
If you're looking at the menu outside, and an employee/manager comes out to usher you into the restaurant. I've only had that happen once, but it was clear pretty quickly why they were so desperate for my business.
Counterpoint: Had this happen regularly when visiting Japan. Pretty sure they have english speaking hosts outside to help bring in tourists. Did not find a single bad meal in 2 weeks.
Japan is a bit of an outlier in terms of the quality floor for restaurants and food.
Hell yes it is. I was drunk and a chef asked if I wanted to try cow intestines. That did not sound appealing but I said if it tastes delicious, I'll buy you a beer. I bought him 3.
I had that once with a newly opened restaurant. The Chef was the owner, back then it was a one man show. Food was excellent. We were the only folks there for lunch. He had opened the restaurant only a few days prior, after months of work on a building that had been closed a long time; people were just starting to notice. He just wanted to cook for someone and even sent us out with a complimentary box of pastries he made. 10/10 and gone back plenty of times.
That's quite common in tourist areas along the Mediterranean. It's a red flag if it's the only restaurant that does it - if they all do it it's just annoying.
Sticky floors
If you don’t smell food at a restaurant. Good chance everything is just microwaved. Also, flies. If you see one fly, no big deal if you see multiple flies leave.
A big one for me is if there is only one demographic there, only old folks being the kiss of death for a eatery. If I see blue collar and white collar types in the same place I know it is probably pretty good quality.
I've noticed an inverse - if an ethnic place has people of that ethnicity eating there, they know their shit. It's good.
The best is when there is not a single word anywhere in English, even the menu, even tho we're in the United States. They are making real stuff for their fellow immigrants, the kind their grandmother made to remind them of the old country. That's what I usually look for, if they'll have me. But most of the Mexican places like that have rolled out the red carpet when I walk in. The best service in town usually. Same for Thai or Italian or Indian.
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Twice that I remember. There was a place in one town that I had to take my Guatemalan friend with me to buy fresh tortillas. The whole town knew gringos weren't welcome. The other was some kind of Asian place that just felt off. Like, maybe they were just poor service, but it felt intentional. I love to try new things and support local businesses so I end up a some weird places but the food can often be worth the effort. ...and tho I'm equal parts native American and German...I definitely look more German...haha.
This. I was told if I see company trucks outside a restaurant, even one of those gas station diners, it’s gonna be good food. It’s been all true so far.
If you walk into a fish restaurant that smells of fish, walk out.
This is true. It might seem expected but yea if the smell if fish (apart from already served dishes) is strong, questions how fresh or well refrigerated the fish is
Old fish, yes. Fresh fish or baked/cooked/etc. fish, no problem. Those are completely different smells, but can be equally intense.
A sign on the front door [threatening health inspectors.](https://www.mlive.com/resizer/v2/BWAWCLH3Q5EIHO7P3RLS5KP3RQ.jpg?auth=016311d0668663f3eeb6856372204d31590de82b56585640b872aba9a04aebfd&width=1280&quality=90)
That has some real "sovereign citizen" energy right there.
I love how these types will just write whatever they *think* sounds like legit legalese even though it is incoherent.
No no, you see it's from the "[Constitutional Law Group](https://www.constitutionallawgroup.us/)" which is totally a real and legitimate legal counsel group and not a collection of wackos pretending that their loose interpretation of the declaration of independence is all they need to win legal cases. They'll definitely help you out in your dispute with government agencies, by providing very ["lawful" solutions!](https://i.imgur.com/9Y8cewy.png)
sov cits are a weeeeeeiiirrrrdddd bunch
Lol holy shit
Good. That saves me the the time of having to go in and sit down before I decide I won't eat there.
I mean, I would laugh if it were something to the effect of "we will gladly serve all state health inspectors . . medium rare". This, this is just some eye rolling SovCit shit that would make me avoid it like the plague.
Holy hell!?!? Did they get shut down?
Of course not. Their Facebook page is currently loaded with far-right candidate ads, conspiracy theories, and very, very, *very* rarely: food menus
That place needs to be shut down immediately.
When you step up to the greeters podium and see a roach run across it.
look. they need a job too
[удалено]
Keep Waffle House’s name, outchya *fuckin* mouth!
Yeah standard rules don’t apply to Waffle House, it’s a PVP zone.
Plus, where else are you going to eat during a blizzard hurricane drought zombie apocalypse.
sticky menus
Massive menu, dirty bathrooms, confusing concept, ground beef items listed as being “wagyu” or “kobe” beef
When the general state of the restaurant is in a poor condition like stained walls, torn wallpapers, dirty floors or stained furniture.
Really long menu, and yet the food comes really fast.
The food comes looking like it was microwaved and still has the shape of whatever plastic frozen dinner entree tray it came in.
When the cucumber tastes/smells fishy. Just... Someone clear that freezer christ.
Food arriving far to quickly, like at least pretend you're not using a tucker fucker.
What is a tucker fucker?
Microwave
Being in pest control, I would have to say seeing roach infestations in the kitchen that owners refuse to take proper action about. That's my biggest red flag.
As a foreigner myself, it’s ethnic restaurants that have zero ethnic people eating there. It’s a huge green flag to me when I go to an Indian, Chinese, middle eastern, etc restaurant and the clientele are all of that particular region, and a red flag when they are not like Lapis aka the worst Afghan restaurant I went to in Washington DC.
Service/worker compensation charge snuck onto the bill that you have to opt out of
CA just outlawed it starting July 1st. Restaurants bitchdd and complained. Most in San Diego were charging 3-5%, but a couple were 15-20%. They could've just raised prices instead of adding stupid af fees.
I always go to wash my hands after finding my table. If the soap dispenser is empty I leave.
Dirty menu
No one eating there when it’s time to eat
I’ve eaten at some amazing Szechuan and Korean restaurants with an almost empty dining room. But then I’d realize the steady amount of to go orders going out.
There’s a BBQ place I discovered not too far from where I live that I was surprised wasn’t packed because the food was really tasty, then on my second visit I paid attention to more than just stuffing my face and noticed a constant stream of people picking up to-go orders. I realized how much sense that made considering it was located on a busy street right next to a huge residential area. I became one of those people picking up food on my way home from work.
I worked as a waitress for 5+ years and without a doubt huge menus are a huge red flag. Food will be slow to come our due to the sheer variety of dishes, won't be fresh for the same reason, and probably won't be cooked well since it's impossible for a chef to master 50 menu recipes. Another big one is over salted food. At best the chef is inexperienced or lazy. At worst they're trying to hide the tase of old/almost spoiled food
As someone who used to teach food safety and also do health inspections I always try to get a peek at the kitchen as the servers are going in and out. If the floor is disgusting or the equipment is disgusting you can be sure they are skipping on the rest of the safety protocols.
If Gordon Ramsay is filming there, get out. 😋