When you think of restaurants, you might think of fancy tablecloths and refined waiters, cozy fairy lights above scrubbed wooden tables, tasty food and good company. Whether formal or modern, they’re about quality. Or they’re meant to be. The sad reality is that many places that serve food fail to meet even the most basic hygiene and service standards.
Reddit user u/FlintTheDad wanted to hear about the most egregious signs that a restaurant’s not worth eating at, and the r/AskReddit community was happy to share their immediate red flags. We’ve collected the most important signs that you should probably turn around and leave the restaurant the way you came. Check them out as you scroll down!
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If a manager is yelling at staff either loud enough for everyone to hear or out in the open.
Yeah, saw that happened once. The head chef used the N-word. She was gone immediately. Never missed her. Hated working with that woman.
Restaurants fail when the management and the staff aren’t on the same page. When there’s nobody at the helm, no communication, and no proper motivation for the staff, how can you expect success?
Forbes points out that poor leadership and bad hiring and training practices are to blame for restaurant failure. Meanwhile, establishments that have a toxic culture, serve forgettable food, and struggle with even basic logistics are on a downward trend, toward closing their doors.
The simple truth is that restaurants that don’t give a damn about their customers won’t stay in business for long. After all, if you’re constantly treated like you’re trash, and the food tastes like microwaved garbage slopped onto a dirty plate, why would you ever return?
Dirty restrooms Edit: usually if the restrooms are dirty so is the kitchen. They seem to go hand-in-hand.
I went into a restroom in o'charleys. One of the toilets was leaking so I asked an employee about it. She said oh it happens all the time. The manager usually just gets somebody from the kitchen to mop it up. I left right after that.
that *smell*
You know the one. floors feel a little slippery/slimy underfoot and it smells like theyve been mopping the place with the same dirty mop and bucket water for weeks.
This isnt something you're likely to see in a nice place but I've encountered it in more fast-casual dining places than i care to remember.
Without satisfied, happy, returning customers, any restaurant is going to wobble and crash. Especially once word gets around town about how awful the experience is. And in this day and age, when it’s so easy for anyone to post internet reviews, reputation matters more than ever. You need to be at the top of your game every single day. You can’t let standards slip. Otherwise, you’ll end up being called out for it on social media and you’ll see your revenue stream dry up.
If you own a restaurant that needs turning around, you need to start with the very basics. Start with the kitchen: it needs to be sparkling clean—nothing less will do. Your staff needs to have a list of things that they have to clean daily, weekly, and monthly. They also need to have a clear understanding of the consequences of not following through on this. Dirty kitchens are worse than disgusting: they pose a real health risk to anyone eating at the establishment. They put human lives and the future of the business at risk.
The smell of rancid oil.
Every fast food place I have ever passed, including Subway. Why would a sandwich shop smell of rancid oil?
Sign says: your hostess will seat you (or something similar) and there’s no hostess. And the waitstaff walks past multiple times without saying anything.
I start a mental 5 minute-ish timer and if I don’t see or speak to the hostess before five minutes, I leave.
When you're in the weeds, you're in the weeds and fun fact, even the hosts are entitled to the occasional 10 minute break. Now a good manager will ensure that that station is covered during that staff member's break even if that manager has to do it themself.
Empty parking lot during a traditionally busy time of day.
Meanwhile, owners can’t be cheap when it comes to training. It’s vital that they spend money to give their servers and chefs the training that they need. When you provide your employees with the opportunity for growth, they’ll be more proud of their jobs. An owner who invests in your skills shows that they care about you and your future.
While the kitchen is being scrubbed and the servers are learning how to treat their customers well, the restaurant owner can focus on creating a singular vision for their business. Essentially, what you want is a clear idea of what the restaurant is all about. When you have a concise understanding of your brand, it’s far easier to market it to the public than when you’re running a generic eatery with a menu thicker than all the Harry Potter books stacked on top of each other.
For some more stories about the very worst restaurant red flags, take a look through Bored Panda's earlier feature.
“ATTENTION CUSTOMERS: due to inflationary pressures we will be adding a 10% surcharge to all bills. Thank you for your understanding.”
Multiple dirty tables that haven’t been cleared. If the restaurant isn’t crowded, staff should have time to clean them. If it is crowded, staff should be trying to turn tables over quickly. Dirty tables mean they are either severely understaffed or the staff just doesn’t care. Either way you will be waiting a long time.
Did family dining for a bit and I could flip and clean a table in about 3 minutes. You have no idea how many dirty dishes I can carry in a single load to the pit without a bus tub.
Cockroaches
An ethnic restaurant with no one from that ethnicity eating there.
A huge menu.
I was told by my parents that this was what the average Diner was like in the 1950’s. Lots and lots of options, a little bit of everything, food served fast, but none of it very good. Great prices for that time, which is what the post-WW2 customers really wanted, i.e., a full belly for not much money.
Front doors are dirty, dead bugs in windows.
My big one is smells. If it has a yucky smell, you know something’s not right. Also, flies. I understand that flys come in as customers open and close the door, but restaurants should be taking measures to repel bugs.
Flies are annoying little menaces, especially in the warm weather. They somehow find their way in and are really hard to get totally rid of. Keeping clean helps, but still... Fly repellant spray is a nice weapon too, but unfortunately it can't be sprayed anywhere near the food, kitchen or tables.
When you see the owner breaking apart frozen chicken on the curb outback.
Friend insisted on us all going to this one restaurant. I swear I stepped over vomit near the door but wasn't sure.
We all got food poisoning.
So, I'mma say any puddles of things on the floor that should not be puddles of things on the floor is a red flag.
Rainwater or melted snow from people’s shoes in/near the entrance; spilled drink or food that will be cleaned within a reasonable time frame. You tried. ⭐️
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"I swear I stepped over vomit near the door but wasn't sure." My apologies. I did once vomit at the door to a restaurant. Not their fault, mine. Thankfully they cleaned it up really quickly.
My little brother had this condition called abdominal migraines when he was a teenager. Every time we went anywhere he would be sick. He must've made so many restaurants look so bad. I remember one time we ate at pizza hut, as soon as we walked out the door he started throwing up. As that happened two families turned away from the restaurant and left. I wonder how many businesses he lost custom that way.
I have a friend who barfs 3 times a day, I wonder if this happens to him as well
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A racoon falling through the ceiling tiles. 1:00am drunk as hell, looking for something to eat. Find a dive that's still open. Order my food. While waiting for my order, a racoon falls from the ceiling. Waitress runs to the back screaming. The cook comes out armed with a cleaver and chases it into the kitchen. The look on his face was like it has happened before. Other people eating there were in shock and got up and left. Mystery meat - the new special. Get me the f**k out of there.
Stained carpet. Chipped dishes. Loud entertainment. Yelling from the kitchen.
I always go to the bathroom and wash my hands. If the soap is empty, I walk out of the place.
😆 "I always go to the bathroom and wash my hands". Ok, sweet, good, that's what most people do. Did you ever think to try and tell a staff member that the soap is empty, as often times the responsible individual for the replenishment could have been busy and unable to do so in the moment? Petulant, entitled a**holes, some people are, christ. "I walk out of the place..". Good, peace out!
I immediately look to see if there is anyone actually eating. If there are a half dozen tables with no food on them, and people looking anxiously to the kitchen, I'm out.
What if the restaurant has just opened / just started service for that time of day (ie. Lunch or dinner)
It's 6:30 in the evening and you are the only customer in the restaurant.
Not listed on the red flags, but fly infestation is a way worse indicator than cockroaches. There's a McD in Helsinki that has given more than one person I know a food poisoning and it always has flies. One time someone accidentally moved a table there and the floor under the table leg was crawling with fly larvae. If you're ever in Helsinki, don't eat at the McD at Hakaniemi, is what I'm saying
TBF, this advice could equally apply to any McD in any city, regardless of flies, cockroaches or any other infestation. Anyway, the thread was about restaurants, McD's is not a restaurant.
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Most of these aren't restaurant red flags. Most of these are red flags showing the responders are morons who don't eat at restaurants very often or have really wrong ideas about how things should be. Agree with most of the cleanliness ones, but not at all with the ones about way things are run or who is eating there. Lots of crazy, outdated ideas proving these were written by children and people who don't go to restaurants often.
Indeed, and people who conflate 'restaurant' with 'fast-food joint'.
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If I order a cappuccino and the cream is off/sour/tastes funny. If they can't be bothered to give you fresh cream, what else can't they be bothered to do? Or if you say, "This cream is off," and they argue with you. Nope, I'm out.
Haha. We had this at our local coffee place. Coffe literally tasted like they stirred it with a sausage, so I'm guessing wiped down the machine with an old cloth or something. Took it back and the lady argued with my partner, asked what he meant "it tastes weird?" and was offended when he said it tastes like sausages. Never been to any stores from that chain again.
Load More Replies... I've only ever been in 2 bad restaurants. One had a different red flag to anything above. New person at the counter didn't know how to input my order, called for help, then called a third person for help. Red flag right there, they lost my order and I was sitting in the restaurant for 40 minutes before discovering that they didn't know I existed.
There is an exception on the "nobody's there during peak hours" "ethnic restaurant with nobody of that ethnicity eating" rules: it could be a front for organized crime. If it is, the food and service are either going to be incredible or horrible, no in-between. Best steak and pasta ever was in this place where the waiter had sunken knuckles and a bulge in his left armpit. The staff was extremely attentive, because I was the only customer. They even followed me back to my hotel to make sure I got there okay.
Two gross experiences First we walked in it was super dim and it smelled like a smoker's damp basement and was FULL of furniture like chairs, book cases, lamps, suitcases, all shoved into corners and weren't for use or for sale. We were teens young and stupid so we stayed? And were ignored for a super long time (sign said "open") I got chicken soup that ended up being watered down and from a can. We got hit on by some skeeze standing at the front counter who was tallking to the owner- she looked like her restaurant. Second awful place, I put ketchup on my fries from the bottle on the table and the ketchup ended up being fermented.
Maybe it's regional, but if you see a fried carp that is not a c-shape but flat: don't order it.
I like watching Bar Rescue. John Taffer points out so much I never would have noticed that show a place has a dodgy kitchen. Also- never eating at a bar.
My red flag (or perhaps qualifying condition) for a "greasy spoon" restaurant was the depth and quality of the oil slick on a freshly poured cup of coffee.
If I walk into a restaurant and something smells unclean/unpleasant or it's visibly dirty or infested, I'm right back out the door. I'm also not sticking around if managers are screaming at staff.
Not listed on the red flags, but fly infestation is a way worse indicator than cockroaches. There's a McD in Helsinki that has given more than one person I know a food poisoning and it always has flies. One time someone accidentally moved a table there and the floor under the table leg was crawling with fly larvae. If you're ever in Helsinki, don't eat at the McD at Hakaniemi, is what I'm saying
TBF, this advice could equally apply to any McD in any city, regardless of flies, cockroaches or any other infestation. Anyway, the thread was about restaurants, McD's is not a restaurant.
Load More Replies... Most of these aren't restaurant red flags. Most of these are red flags showing the responders are morons who don't eat at restaurants very often or have really wrong ideas about how things should be. Agree with most of the cleanliness ones, but not at all with the ones about way things are run or who is eating there. Lots of crazy, outdated ideas proving these were written by children and people who don't go to restaurants often.
Indeed, and people who conflate 'restaurant' with 'fast-food joint'.
Load More Replies... If I order a cappuccino and the cream is off/sour/tastes funny. If they can't be bothered to give you fresh cream, what else can't they be bothered to do? Or if you say, "This cream is off," and they argue with you. Nope, I'm out.
Haha. We had this at our local coffee place. Coffe literally tasted like they stirred it with a sausage, so I'm guessing wiped down the machine with an old cloth or something. Took it back and the lady argued with my partner, asked what he meant "it tastes weird?" and was offended when he said it tastes like sausages. Never been to any stores from that chain again.
Load More Replies... I've only ever been in 2 bad restaurants. One had a different red flag to anything above. New person at the counter didn't know how to input my order, called for help, then called a third person for help. Red flag right there, they lost my order and I was sitting in the restaurant for 40 minutes before discovering that they didn't know I existed.
There is an exception on the "nobody's there during peak hours" "ethnic restaurant with nobody of that ethnicity eating" rules: it could be a front for organized crime. If it is, the food and service are either going to be incredible or horrible, no in-between. Best steak and pasta ever was in this place where the waiter had sunken knuckles and a bulge in his left armpit. The staff was extremely attentive, because I was the only customer. They even followed me back to my hotel to make sure I got there okay.
Two gross experiences First we walked in it was super dim and it smelled like a smoker's damp basement and was FULL of furniture like chairs, book cases, lamps, suitcases, all shoved into corners and weren't for use or for sale. We were teens young and stupid so we stayed? And were ignored for a super long time (sign said "open") I got chicken soup that ended up being watered down and from a can. We got hit on by some skeeze standing at the front counter who was tallking to the owner- she looked like her restaurant. Second awful place, I put ketchup on my fries from the bottle on the table and the ketchup ended up being fermented.
Maybe it's regional, but if you see a fried carp that is not a c-shape but flat: don't order it.
I like watching Bar Rescue. John Taffer points out so much I never would have noticed that show a place has a dodgy kitchen. Also- never eating at a bar.
My red flag (or perhaps qualifying condition) for a "greasy spoon" restaurant was the depth and quality of the oil slick on a freshly poured cup of coffee.
If I walk into a restaurant and something smells unclean/unpleasant or it's visibly dirty or infested, I'm right back out the door. I'm also not sticking around if managers are screaming at staff.
