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Most people love food, especially good food, and that is why we often find ourselves going out to spoil ourselves at a restaurant and ordering our favorite meals, spending time with our friends and family. However, it's not always a pleasant event. Sometimes the experience doesn't meet our expectations and is quite disappointing, and when you're paying quite a hefty sum for an experience, you want it to be the best it can be.
There are many things we look out for when we go to a restaurant - the prices, the food options, and how nice the staff is. People online gathered together in this online thread to share some red flags that immediately show them a restaurant is not up to par and they should leave immediately. From dirty floors to a huge menu, these ideas might help you spot a place that just isn't worth spending your money on.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Kids running wild. Apart from the inconvenience of the other diners it’s dangerous when staff are walking round with hot food.
Edit. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many up votes. I thought I was posting something controversial. People sometimes get triggered when someone mentions badly behaved kids and think your just some bitter child hater. But actually I love kids. I just don’t want to eat in their playground.
Heffalump 2 years ago
Yes. I particularly hate it in 'good' restaurants, the kind where adults go and want to have a quiet conversation. There are restaurants where little kids are appropriate, but elsewhere, if they're not old enough to stay in their seats and behave with basic decorum, they shouldn't be there at all.
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago
TBH, run the kids around BEFORE going to the restaurant, so they’re more apt to stay in their seats. I’m 62 now, but when I was a child, my parents would never dream of just letting me loose to run wild in a restaurant or any other public place—-even if other parents were doing it. Their view was that, if we weren’t home, we had to behave. There were five of us kids, four of whom were rambunctious boys, and even they knew how to behave in public. If a child is old enough to run, they’re old enough to be taught manners.
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Id row 2 years ago
I would pay extra to eat in a child-free restaurant. It didn't used to be that way, but over the years, parents have become so entitled, inconsiderate and rude that they let their kids act like rabid badgers and think they're the only ones who matter. I knew better than to act that way when I was a kid, I would have had my a$$ handed to me for not respecting where I was.
ShellsBells 2 years ago
There's a Italian restaurant in New Jersey called Nettie's House of Spaghetti that is banning kids under 10 starting in March. Said kids are messy and are a liability. I've seen parents way too often that are subservient to their children, including one of my friends.
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Heather Talma 2 years ago
Is it just me who never even thought I COULD run around in a restaurant as a kid? It's not that I thought I would be punished for it, I just never even saw it as an available option.
Dirtdevil 2 years ago
Like pools have rules, "No Running" you would think a restaurant would definitely be a No Running Zone. Maybe restaurants should hire lifeguards with whistles.
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Robin Rush 2 years ago
Having been the waiter carrying the heavy a*s trays of dishes, I HATE when parents let their kids run amuck! It’s one thing at McDonald’s, DONT DO IT IN A REAL RESTAURANT WITH SERVERS CARRYING S**T
Rae Ramirez 2 years ago
My second job was as a server assistant. I was good at it and could carry a couple of bus tubs at a time. It was the holidays and we were busy with big parties. This little girl kept running around, and her mother told her to stop after I almost ran into her. Not five minutes later I am carrying two bus tubs and smack a right face first into this girl. She fell. She cried, and her mother told her “that’s why I told you to stop running around!”
Ewangelina Monika Jabłońska 2 years ago
I absolutely agree! I am dreaming of more non kids areas.
Jack Harris 2 years ago
I did 2 things as a waiter when I got sat with a table with young children: I took the sugar caddy off the table, as well as the salt and pepper shakers. PARENTS: It is NOT ok to let your child entertain themselves with either of those things. STOP. Just, stop.
Phil Vaive 2 years ago
Why is this a red flag about the restaurant, though? It's a problem with the parents, sure, but the restaurant can't really ban them
Two_rolling_black_eyes 2 years ago
Yes they can. The restaurants control and are responsible for their environment. They can politely ask parents to have their kids sit down and can tell the two drunk men arguing over a racist punchline to leave. I've worked in food service and had good managers willing to have those tough conversations with customers. Almost all of the customers are mortified and immediately correct their behavior. Those that don't leave and don't come back which is a win/win. Personally, I ended up with better tips because people tired of getting ran into by a 3 year old running around unhindered appreciate someone else dealing with it.
Load More Replies...We managed to get an interview with the online user that asked the question, and they gave some amazing insights: "So, when I posed the question, I wasn't looking for generic issues with restaurants like bad food, bad service, not clean - which a lot of the responses ended up being. I was more interested in problems people had with intentional choices restaurants have made which make the experience poor.
Like, for instance, there's a restaurant near me that's a casual place where you order from a counter, but they keep their soft drink machine behind the counter. So anytime you need a refill, you have to go up and flag someone down to get it for you, and if they're busy it can take a while.
Or, another problem is when their ordering system is more complicated than it needs to be. For example, at another restaurant, you first talk to someone up front and order things from the menu, but then you take a tray and go down a serving line and can pick other things. Then at the end, you pay a cashier, a different person from who you placed the order with."
RELATED:
#2
“3% has been added to your bill for to provide a living wage for our employees” uhm EXCUSE ME SIR, that’s squarely your goddamn problem.
Claire the Devils Advocate 2 years ago
Thankfully, here in Australia, we do pay hospitality a living wage. They don't have to kiss a$$ for a tip
Donkeywheel 2 years ago
Mandatory all-inclusive prices. That’s the solution. 99% of the countries understand it. One does not.
Michael Largey 2 years ago
Why not just raise the prices on the menu by 3% ? (And notice who's doing the providing and who's defining what a living wage is.)
howdylee 2 years ago
I would assume it has something to do with tax. I'll tip based on the price of the food, but not on tax and not on an additional 3% added at their whim. How it's broken down for reporting to (presumably) Uncle Sam.
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Ripley 2 years ago
I don't know that I see this as a problem. In places where tipping is not effectively mandatory, like here in Australia, those costs are built into the cost of the food, so they are still there but hidden. This was is just showing the service cost as a separate cost - it needs to be clear on the menu, though - you can't spring it on your customers without warning.
Erik Rydbom 2 years ago
They could include it in their prices but sometimes I think the owners are trying a political point
Tim 2 years ago
That's exactly what they're doing. "See what these higher wage laws are doing to your restaurant bill!?"
Load More Replies... D Peterson 2 years ago
In the US, we don't pay waiters/waitresses a living wage. There are many professions/jobs where you can work full-time and not earn a living wage. And there are Americans who think this is exactly the way it should be because they believe 'these' people shouldn't be paid more money because what they do isn't worth much. Necessary jobs but not worth much! This is what happens when Capitalism runs wild!
Jack Harris 2 years ago
Lemme break this down for you: When you walk into a restaurant, there's likely a hostess that greats and seats you. Your order drinks from the bar. You order your meal, eat, sit at the table in your servers section for 2 hrs, get your food packed up, leave the table, and a busboy cleans and resets the table. What ALL of you who don't believe in tipping don't know, is every night after a servers shift they do a 'batch report'. That breaks down their total sales, credit card tips, alcohol/bar total, food sales total, AND THEIR TIP OUT. Based on the servers total SALES (NOT tips), they must tip out 1-2% to the hostess staff, 1- 3% to the busboys, and 3-5% to the bar. So, for all you a******s out there who don't tip, servers LITERALLY have to pay for you to sit at their table. For example: You had a $1000 batch report (total sales) +no tips= neg$50-neg$80. Bottom line, get your damn food Togo if you don't tip. You're not allowed to make your server literally pay for you to eat their table.
CP Yap 2 years ago
Caught the r****d American who has to explain their b******t. The whole world is working one way and they are always that special needs kid.
Load More Replies... John Dilligaf 2 years ago
yes it was their problem. And they solved it by adding 3% to your bill. Personally if I knew a place was adding 3% to my bill, but in exchange they barred tipping, I'd patronize them.
Dawnieangel76 2 years ago
Look, nobody likes tipping, we get it. BUT until the laws change, the people who make OUR lives easier depend on our generosity, and if you can afford to eat out or order takeout, you can afford to tip.
#3
Dirty menus. If they can't be bothered to wipe the menu then what else are they not cleaning?
Edit: I see excuses like 'there's not enough time', 'it's not a priority', 'the last thing we're going to do is clean the menus'.
There's always an excuse not to do something. Like I asked, what else are they not cleaning?
Claire the Devils Advocate 2 years ago
It's a must, i am not ordering off a filthy menu. To get that dirty, means it hasn't felt a sponge in days!
Misty Allen 2 years ago
That's what hostess' are supposed to do. Worked in restaurants for a long time and the host always cleaned menus
Sasha Mair 2 years ago
Not to mention the simple fact you are then touching someone else’s germs. Not really kosher post pandemic
CanadianaKa 2 years ago
We literally have spent the last three years in a pandemic where everything is supposed to be sanitized. If you're handing a sheet that people have coughed and sneezed on and handled, to the next table where some kid may be chewing on it, to the next table... Yeah. A sticky menu is a HUGE red flag.
"A good restaurant doesn't have to be really fancy nor super casual, it just needs to be easy to intuitively understand how things work there, even for first-timers. Any place that thinks they've come up with a 'new concept in dining' I’m not likely to return to.
The problems I've encountered are far more common with new restaurants. Established restaurants usually have worked out that kind of issue long ago or they wouldn't still be around."
#4
Owners being rude to staff in front of guests
Cee Mor 2 years ago
Biggest red flag. Also owners walking around the kitchen with their friends, trying to be big shots. Dude, let the chefs cook and get out of the way, they are making your money
Lady of the Mountains 2 years ago
Yes this is very annoying, especially because they have no idea how inconvenient they and their mothers aunts cousin is being, and really don't seem to care. You're also not allowed to tell them to get lost
Load More Replies... Tyke 2 years ago
I had terrible service in a restaurant once. Waitresses were run off their feet and there were only two of them. I complained. The Manager turned around and berated a waitress as I walked back to my table. Up I got again, gave him a huge lecture on how he is accountable, he's responsible for staffing and training, did not let him get a word in. Then turned to the waitress and I very loudly told her she was the only reason we stuck around and she should be the Manager and not to let anything he said get to her. Then we left.
Craig Reynolds 2 years ago
I don't care what the business is. No owner or management should ever be "rude" to employees. Not in public or private.
liam newton-harding 2 years ago
I dressed down a McDonald's Manager just for this. He was chewing out one of his employees (without lifting a finger to help the half dozen customers), the kids turned to him, telling him he quit...the Manager kept riding him, getting quite personal, when...and I may have raised my voice, and expressed my concerns about Manager's behaviour, work ethic, and ability to pleasure himself..and told him to cut it out. Now.
Dexx 2 years ago (edited)
Happened where I once worked. Both "bosses" behaved like bullies & screamed at us in front of customers,or violated our rights, or... One of these saturdays I lost my nerves in the middle of my workshift, told her to go to hell & do it herself -and went to the changing room... when I wanted to leave the restaurant she called me into her little dark office (she looked -and sat there- like the female version of Mr. Burns) I thought "oh damn... I smell trouble." - but suddenly she was extremely polite & (fake-)friendly but also said things like "Come on. I mean, what are you going to do without this job?" she told me to go home, walk my dog & calm down. And to come back on sunday. Well, I shouldn't have done that. On this next day I had an accident on my work-way and ended up at the hospital, almost lost my leg. I wasn't able to walk for 3 months. Well, I took this as "a sign from above." -to respect myself enough not to accept bad treatment & to quit. the money wasn't worth it.
RafCo (he/him/ele) 2 years ago
OMG yes!!!! I was at a restaurant where my waitress had to bring in her kid as she couldn't get a sitter. The kids was super well behaved, just say there playing with crayons, and it was mostly empty. They fired her very publicly, she started crying, it was horrible. The owner apologized to us for the waitress' behavior. I said it wasn't her behavior we found disturbing.
HangryHangryHippo 2 years ago
I was very lucky and experienced the opposite...I was a young waitress working in the restaurant of a Yacht Club. A woman was very rude and awful with me, and although the husband knew I got her exactly what she asked for, remained silent. The owner was working the coffee machine and heard the exchange. Got up, approached and very politely gave the woman a piece of his mind and closed with "you have two options now, say you are sorry and be civil from now on or get out and never come back". She went for #1 and never had any other problem with her. Thanks Roberto, this was 18 years ago and I still remember your kindness ♥️
Karen Philpott 2 years ago
Had that happen in a Macca's drive through, when my server was being screeched at by an owner or manager, I said move over then yelled back through the windows that she, manager had no right to talk to the server in such a way in front of a customer and that I had no problems coming in and screaming at her the same way and see how she'd like it. I also told the server that if this is a problem from this woman she should make a complaint. That woman had no rights talking to her employee that way. The manager peeked through the windows and I glared at her. She disappeared and I didn't hear a word from her as I picked up my order inside.
Scrolling Panda 2 years ago
At these places, I tip big then never come back and I let everyone know why.
#5
No prices on the menu. If I’m going to spend money, I want to know how much I’m going to spend. Just tell me the steak is $40 for f**k sake.
Donkeywheel 2 years ago
In high-end restaurants there is a tradition: the person inviting has a menu with prices, the person(s) being invited has a menu without.
MMcD 2 years ago (edited)
At Christmas dinner one year my amd my mom’s menus didn’t have prices. My dad said they”ll do that so the woman doesn’t order based on cost. This was probably in the mid 80’s and we were downtown (Chicago). When deciding between dishes I’ll often pick the least expensive one. My dad told me to get whatever I wanted, but choosing was hard :)
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Cyber Returns 2 years ago
Had a local restaurant open up near me about 5 years ago that tried this, and they had no customers after the first few days. They asked around and found no one like to play guess the price. They put the prices on, and now they are doing very well. Even after covid
Phil Vaive 2 years ago
This one makes me think of Troy sobbing at the end of a Community episode saying "it said market price! What market are they shopping at??!!"
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
never seen this. Also, just to make you all jealous, a steak in my country (300g/10oz) is $10. lol. https://www.spursteakranches.com/za/menu
yellow-power ftw 2 years ago
no price? how we order then? lol, seriously are such restaurants?
ProcrastinationStation 2 years ago
The picture is definitely from Croatia (Konoba means tavern, can't read smaller text, but maybe there are prices here on end of every line), but I have yet to see that there would be no prices mentioned in Croatia (visited Split, Zadar, Pula- maybe someplace else it's a thing)
"As someone with an anxiety disorder, I think restaurant owners need to think about how people like me experience their system. If I'm required to ask a lot of questions or to be asked a lot of questions, or it's a lot of trouble to simply place an order or to understand their menu, I will end up returning to one of my usual comfortable spots instead."
We also talked with Dr. Joan Salge Blake, a nutrition professor at Boston University and the host of the nutrition and health podcast, SpotOn! She answered some important questions about restaurants and the food industry. Firstly, we asked what a dealbreaker is for Dr. Joan Salge Blake at a restaurant: "A dealbreaker is when I can't find any veggies on the menu. I love when someone else grills, stir fries, roasts, bakes, or purees veggies. Don't they always taste better when someone else makes them for you?"
#6
Loud music. I've been in restaurants before where I can't hear myself think, let alone hear people opposite me talk.
Edit: comments were irritating me, so I amended
Michael Largey 2 years ago (edited)
Music at a restaurant is like the color of the carpet. If you notice it when you're eating and talking, then it's too loud.
Firstname Lastname 2 years ago
Restaurants are my go to meet up spot to visit friends without subjecting them to my loud neighbors. Loud music kinda defeats the purpose.
Craig Reynolds 2 years ago
If I can hear the music in the parking lot when I step out of my car, I'm getting right back in and we are going someplace else. I want to be able to enjoy a date with my wife without us have to yell to have a conversation.
Phil Vaive 2 years ago
YES. This. As someone who is deaf in one ear and has a birth defect in the other, as well as adhd, this is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. It's actually a bit (or a lot) abelist. I mean, I'm not about to go to a dance club or something, but just going out for dinner shouldn't be a sensory nightmare for me
Sabrina Longo 2 years ago
They do this so you can't talk. That way you eat faster and get out freeing the table for more revenue. Customer is always....manipulated.
Angie Heno 2 years ago
Absolutely agree with this. My husband and I went to a fancy restaurant for our anniversary last year. Since the music was very loud, people were talking louder to be heard and we could barely hear our waiter and vice-versa. Food was so good, but I would never go again b/c of that loud a** music.
#7
I’m from UK so maybe not relevant but HUGE menu with loads of variety. If they can just master 5 or 6 dishes they will taste far better that the 50 different options that the kitchen has to offer.
Ripley 2 years ago
If a restaurant has a huge variety on the menu it's mostly going to be pre-made and frozen, and then just nuked of fried on order. Nothing's going to be made fresh - there would be too much wastage.
RafCo (he/him/ele) 2 years ago
There are no nice restaurants that have large menus for this reason. The restaurants that do are just serving everyday type food. These are places like cheesecake factory, cracker barrel, red Robin etc. You're not going to see a Michelin started restaurant with a two page menu, unless it's a drinks menu. Nicest restaurant I've been to had no menu at all. You are whatever the chef prepared for $200/person plus the cost of wine of course. The food is always fantastic, and you can of course tell dietary restrictions to the waiter. Sadly, the chef/owner retired and the guy he sold it to just wasn't as good.
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Rae Ramirez 2 years ago
I work in a restaurant where we have about 10 main ingredients that can be made into about 30 different dishes! Sometimes it’s not about the crazy different dishes, but the uses of main basic ingredients!
Hugh Cookson 2 years ago
Ex Michelin Chef here ; some of the best food I've ever eaten has been is places where, literally, the Chef has bought the ingredients for the day from the local market, meat from the Butcher and Fish from the dock / beach. Dishes worked around what has been bought and once that dish has gone, it's gone. The best I ever had was about 35 years ago in very rural France, the place had 10 tables inside for eating and 6 outside for aperetifs / snacks,choice of 3 starters, 4 main courses and 2 desserts. We got there and were the only 'tourists' the rest were locals (another v good sign btw). Had to wait about 45 minutes for a table but fresh bread, olives and antipasti were there to keep us going, by the time we got in there was one starter, 2 mains and one dessert ; I can't remember what we had but it was bloody orgasmic - fresh, loads of flavour, interesting combinations and as I remember, really good value. Went back a few years later and it was a fairly generic Bistro. Hey ho.
LH25 2 years ago
Yes! Their menu is insane. The few times I ate there, the food was OK.
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Verena Fiori-Jambor 2 years ago
In Germany we have a lot of places offering sushi, pizza, döner kebab, salad, fries, bratwurst, wok-dishes. It’s gross.
My O My 2 years ago
Sushi, pizza, kebab, bratwurst and wok are all different places though
Load More Replies...The professor also shared what makes a restaurant good: "The waitstaff is friendly, the menu is varied so that I can get fish or meat, depending upon my mood, and there are tons of veggies available. I love to start the meal with a veggie-based soup. You had me at minestrone or veggie bean soup." She also shared some common mistakes restaurants make: "Limited menu options with typical menu choices. Yes! I am done with French fries." Dr. Joan Salge Blake also mentioned that one of the most important things a restaurant can do is make sure to provide something for all the customers - meat eaters, vegetarians, vegans, etc.
#8
QR code menus
Na Schi 2 years ago
Especially if the restaurant offers no WiFi/the WiFi is slow as a snail - Especially if the menu has to be downloaded as a pdf. And/or you have to really search to eventually deny their cookies/trackings. And/or they offer (several) times to sign up to their newsletter.
JM 2 years ago
This post is Re: QR menus. Not websites. Just open your phone's camera.
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Robert McKenzie 2 years ago
Thank you! I *initially* hated this, but noticed that it proliferated after COVID started. Much better NOT to be given a menu which has untold germs all over it from other people! It feels very impersonal, but is far more hygienic. Also allows the restaurant to update their menu much more easily, rather than waiting for a new printed menu to be able to offer a new dish.
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devotedtodreams 2 years ago
I actually like them, because if I can also order online from the menu, it's just faster than having to wait until the staff approaches you.
Sto Cristian 2 years ago
Menu is online, order with the person. Worst of both worlds
Load More Replies... Rae Ramirez 2 years ago
During Covid we used a lot of paper menus to the point that the week staff were getting mad about all of the wasted paper! They finally made a QR code so that we could save some trees in the long run!
Janet C 2 years ago
We tried to eat at one restaurant where you had to sign up and download their app for their QR code menu to work. We noped right out of there.
Robert McKenzie 2 years ago
There is absolutely NO need to 'sign up' to anything. They just want to capture your email address so as to annoy you with marketing emails later. That would put me right off. If the restaurant is good, I will probably go back. If they pester me with emails, I probably won't.
Load More Replies... Seabeast 2 years ago
This. I don't own a smart phone yet (I may eventually get one, but don't yet see the need) and always have to ask for a print menu instead.
Jus Frpn 2 years ago
I have been to several places now that don't have any physical menus. When I ask for one I am told to ask to borrow someone's phone. It is ridiculous.
Load More Replies... liam newton-harding 2 years ago
Tries a place in DC that had QR menus...was ready to accept that...EXCEPT they expected you to download a QR reader app...their codes did not work directly through a phones camera...Oh hell no.
Claire the Devils Advocate 2 years ago
I actually like them, took a bit of getting used to but now...
Wintermute 2 years ago
I was onboard with the QR hate until I went to a small cafe and they explained to me that they had a different menu every day based on the chef's choice, and it was cheaper and easier to update one website than dozens of menus. That made a lot of sense. If it's a place that sells the same microwaved entrees every day of the year tho, yeah that's just an attempt to spam you.
Craig Reynolds 2 years ago
This isn't China where they do it correctly. There you can scan the code, the menu opens, and you can order by checking boxes next to the item and can adjust the quantity. There you can also scan a QR code to pay at the end. No need to wait for a check to be delivered. Bonus Points: No tipping in China as they pay their employees a living wage. Imagine that!
Dirtdevil 2 years ago
Theres a noodle place in my town in California that has that. Makes it less like a restaurant and more like having take out except in a big room. Not great ambiance and of course you are still expected to tip 18-23%
Load More Replies... #9
If they just ignore you for 10 minutes. Even if you are (too) busy at least acknowledge you've seen me and will get to me.
Robert McKenzie 2 years ago
A smile and nod is all you *should* need. Some waiters seem trained to ignore you.
Load More Replies... Hugh Cookson 2 years ago
Or, as happened to us in what seemed a reasonably well run place many years ago, waiting to be seated for breakfast for 10 minutes + with no staff in sight, only for me to go into the kitchen and find all of them standing around drinking tea - I'm an ex Chef and Hotel manager, and yes, I did shout, as a bonus I also got a refund on one of the nights we stayed. They went bust about 2 months later.
Dan Padgett 2 years ago
I think what you did is perfectly valid. Good on you.
Load More Replies... liam newton-harding 2 years ago
Have not been back to a restaurant in town because of this. It's in one of those locations that always has a new place to eat in it, nothing lasts longer than two years, in that location...But, wanted to try it out, stepped in, waited behind the sign, to be seated...made eye contact with three members of staff over 10 minutes...nothing...no nod, no "We'll be right with you" (they were NOT busy). Walked out, and into the restaurant across the road.
Allison Sullivan 2 years ago (edited)
In my home town this was a thing for a while - the staff would ignore you at the door of trendy restaurants because it was "edgy". Excuse me while I edgy myself to the place down the street and spend my money there.
Michael Riehle 2 years ago
Again, this usually means understaffing. Management is incompetent. And here's something to consider: when the restaurant is that badly understaffed, the cut all kinds of corners. What else are they neglecting besides customer service?
Robin Rush 2 years ago
Yeah, if our server rushes by and says “hey guys, I’ll be right with you” I’m going to respond with, “ take your time” and wait my damn turn
#10
Dirty bathrooms.
Scrolling Panda 2 years ago
You mean too busy smoking out back and trying to figure out where the manager went to clean the kitchen?
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Lyone Fein 2 years ago
Dirty anything means they are too short staffed to properly adhere to health regulations, and staff are likely all stressed out which negatively impacts the quality of the food.
Craig Reynolds 2 years ago
Yeah, thats a major no. We always go the the restrooms before ordering and if they are dirty we leave.
Amanda Hunter 2 years ago
In my experience, you can always tell how good a restaurant is by the bathrooms.
Christof Irran 2 years ago
Not necessarily a good indicator. Often restaurants are located on the lower floors of downtown (or uptown) office buildings, and the bathrooms available for your use are the building's bathrooms which get cleaned two or three or four times a day; and the restaurant's kitchen is still filthy. I have stopped judging downtown Seattle restaurants by how clean the building's bathrooms are, but continue to judge them by how long it takes before I get the galloping sh!ts from their food.
Robert McKenzie 2 years ago
Absolutely. If they can't be bothered to clean the toilets, then it is easy to assume that they don't bother to clean the kitchen either!
#11
Not a deal breaker but more of a huge pet peeve, and please...if you are a waiter/waitress please please please listen to me:
If you are going to take my whole tables order by memory, and write none of it down, You sure as s**t better get it right. If that's a problem, just write it down... literally no one cares, and I actually prefer it when I see this done.
VonBlade 2 years ago
There used to be a woman who worked in my local chip shop who would go down a whole row of twenty people taking their orders, never wrote a thing down, never got an order wrong. Didn't even need to clarify. You turned up at the till, she knew exactly what you wanted. It was the most incredible thing I've ever seen.
Robert T 2 years ago
Used to stay at a B&B in Scotland and the lady would take breakfast orders the night before for about 20 people. The main breakfast was known as "the works", but and things were ordered with "the works without beans", "the works without tomato". On top of that there was porridge with various accompaniments and kippers. She always got it right. However I still remember the poor chap that ordered "just a boiled egg". She looked downright affronted when he asked. The next day he handed his order on a piece of paper! LOL
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Pamela Blue 2 years ago
Agreed. One of our chain restaurants here insist that their staff memorize the large menu and learn to memorize their orders. It's ridiculous!
Rocco MZ 2 years ago
It could be restaurant policy that they do not write the stuff down. And people make mistakes, so cut them some slack.
Luna Crow 2 years ago
Yes, the problem is more likely the management than the waitstaff. I've worked in restaurants where it was a requirement to remember everything and not write it down. I guess they think it's more impressive or something? It adds a lot of unnecessary stress to the staff, and it does raise instances of things coming out wrong
Load More Replies... Robert McKenzie 2 years ago
I am always amazed when they get it right, but *seriously* pissed off if they don't! PLEASE feel free to write it down; nobody will think less of you!
Katie Howerton 2 years ago
I used to work at IHOP and they fired me because I asked to be allowed to write down customers orders on my second day and they didn't want anyone to
Chewie Baron 2 years ago
I used to work in a place in Edinburgh, sometimes I’d write it down, but there were times when I’d log it in my head. Never got it wrong. It can be done.
Sasha Mair 2 years ago
Wonder if that’s an American thing because everywhere I go they always write it down. My boyfriends burger order is so particular that even with writing it down it’s often wrong, but the waitresses always write it down
Lady of the Mountains 2 years ago
Yeah, I don't think anyone cares If they write stuff down, and it's definitely preferred over messing something up
#12
If the table is sticky and it gets stickier after they wipe it.
Teia Marie 2 years ago
I don’t usually comment but I wanted to note here the sticky is probably because the chemical they are using to sanitize is reacting the polyurethane they used to seal the table top. It’s not a dirty sticky like leftover syrup. Still feels gross but it’s not because they didn’t clean
AK to LV 2 years ago
There are a couple of places my dad regularly goes to. I know it's clean but it's STILL not a pleasant feeling!
Load More Replies... Craig Reynolds 2 years ago
I hate when i'm seated and my shoes are sticking to the floor! Do you not mop daily? If not, what else do you not clean I can't see? The kitchen perhaps?
Redhead Canadian Panda 2 years ago
I noticed that varnished wooden tables are permanently sticky since we started using sanitizer.
CanadianaKa 2 years ago
I actually went to a restaurant recently that *sprayed* the table with something before cleaning it with a *new rag*. It stuck in my brain since that's so rare. Most places, even with the pandemic, just used a dirty rag that's been used on 1,000 other tables and tops.
#13
Tables packed closely together to the point where you might as well just be sitting with the strangers next to you.
Dan Padgett 2 years ago
I know people are defending this and I understand why. I personally am not a fan.
Donkeywheel 2 years ago
Generalization fallacy. That’s precisely the concept of multi century old restaurants providing quality food. Voluntarily packed, shared wines of bread, huge tables of 20, 30 or more where you ARE sitting with strangers next to you. Again, like it or not, but that’s not a red flag.
BlackestDawn 2 years ago
I would say this depends entirely on if the restaurant present themselves as running in that fashion or not. And they usually use long tables rather than many small ones packed together.
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Krikrat 2 years ago
Long tables are one thing. But this sounds more like a place that's too small for the amount of tables they have. Where you're trying to eat but your chair keeps being bumped by people walking by. Possibly even knocking your jacket on the floor to be stepped on. Place better be damn good if I got to deal with this.
Robert T 2 years ago
This depends very much what you are wanting from your restaurant experience. Are you looking for a romantic meal and want to stare into your partners eyes uninterupted? Or are you looking for good food? One of the best places I ate was a French eating house in Paris and it literally had wooden benches and big long tables and you just sat right next to complete strangers. Another similar one I went to in Zurich has picnic tables outside that sat about 8-10 people and again you just sat next to whomever. Actually made some new friends at that one. :D
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
Disagree. I think this can be a sign that the food is so good that the place is constantly packed.
Two_rolling_black_eyes 2 years ago (edited)
As Yogi Berra famously said - "No one goes there nowadays. Its too crowded." I'm willing to share a table with a complete stranger for a great meal that doesn't require me to lose 75% of my lunch hour just getting there.
#14
No hand soap in the restroom.
Unless staff have their own restroom no one’s washing hands after doing their business into
urinal or toilet.
BlackestDawn 2 years ago
Of course, but other customers not washing their hands will have a much lower impact (if any at all) on my food compared to the employees.
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Cory Tollman 2 years ago
What the...? Do the faucets have special sanitizing "water" under U/V light or something?
Robert McKenzie 2 years ago
I often find hand soap which has not been refilled, but if it is not even present then that is a red flag!
Robert Skinner 2 years ago
There are times when college students will destroy our soap just as a college prank and we do not have time to get in there to replace it
AK to LV 2 years ago
I can understand that. However, when the cooks and waitstaff are using that same bathroom... it's problem.
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Cheyanne Thomas 2 years ago
I would just tell the staff, odds are none of them have been to the bathroom in hours. They have hand sinks all over the restaurant. They don’t use the bathroom sink to wash their hands.
#15
Paying and tipping on a handheld electronic device while the waiter stares me down. One guy actually “instructed” me to press the 25% tip option as if it’s a required step of the transaction. Infuriatingly rude.
I waited tables and bartended for over 8 years and it was always considered a huge no-no to stand over someone while they tipped, totaled, and signed the slip.
JuniorCJ82 2 years ago
I went somewhere with friends for the first time and paid for the meal with my card. When the guy noticed (as the handheld printed it out) that I said no tip, he pointed it out rather rudely without giving me half a second to explain why. My friend who sat next to me snapped back at him (they had dealt with him in the past) that she was going to tip him in cash. She basically told him to p**s off while we discussed it. After he left, she ended up taking away $10 because she was so over him.
AK to LV 2 years ago
We get a lot of looks also. We tip in cash but sometimes the looks we get when putting $0 on the slip are really off putting!
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Niall Mac Iomera 2 years ago
So glad I live in Australia where we don't have this tipping nonsense.
Pamela Blue 2 years ago
Oh wow. I usually give a good tip, but if a waiter said that to me, he'd get nothing. That would rile me to the point I probably wouldn't go there again.
Jes.the.Mess 2 years ago
Yeah, that's just not right. It's just as rude to demand a certain tip as it is to not tip at all (or just a few cents)
Robert McKenzie 2 years ago
Tipping SUCKS! Other countries manage to pay a fair wage! Tipping should ONLY be to express your appreciation for exceptional service from a particular person. Also, when I first visited the US around 40 years ago, 10% was considered the standard tip. Now it is 15% to 20% - WTF? Just as prices have gone up, so have the absolute amount of tips!
#16
A sign on the door that says “NoBoDy WaNtS To WoRk AnYmOrE!” (I’ve never texted like that before - what a pain in the a*s! 😏)
John L 2 years ago
YES, was about to say the same thing. It's really not that hard to run a successful restaurant, if you know what you are doing. If I had a nickel for every time I heard about someone buying a successful restaurant, then "somehow" it going bankrupt (code phrase: "the margins were too tight") a short time later...
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Michael Largey 2 years ago
A business that treats its employees badly rarely treats its customers any better.
Sue From Michigan 2 years ago
If I see that sign I turn around and leave and yes I've seen it.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
fortunately we do not have republicans in our country, well, we do, but they are called something else and there are like ... 1m of them, not 150m.
Neuridivergent 2 years ago
Please tell me what they are called. Currently it looks like trump is going to run again and democrats might stick with biden. I want to quit but don't can't leave the country
Load More Replies... Scrolling Panda 2 years ago
I wish I could upvote this a thousand times. If nobody wants to work for you, it is because you are horrible to work for. Plain and simple. That phrase is a business owner showing their a**.
#17
Not having hours and menu posted on the website or Facebook or somewhere. As someone with some food sensitivities I am not wasting my time showing up and getting seated just to discover I can't eat/don't like any of the food.
Cory Tollman 2 years ago
That's a new one to me. That seems like their web designer is incompetent or the whole situation is a money laundry scheme. Does the place also sell ridiculously expensive art that looks like c**p, or lots of mattresses?
Load More Replies... Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago (edited)
Yeah, late in life I developed a gluten insensitivity. I get swollen and sick if I eat it. So I too like to see the menu before deciding whether to go to a restaurant, just to see if there’s anything on it I can eat. Otherwise, there I am at the table, unable to eat anything they prepare, while everyone else gets to stuff their faces with foods I love, that I used to be able to eat and miss terribly, because the gluten free version tastes like s**t.
Alfredo Contreras 2 years ago
You say late in life so you are an old person, what did you do as a young... You check the menu where, yellow pages? Mail? Smoke signals? You are the red flag! Go to the restaurant and read the menu if there is nothing you can eat, stand up and go to another and That's it, easy.
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Kimberly Herbert 2 years ago
This! Some local restaurants have an allergen menu. If you use something that is a common touch allergen - publicize it like 5 Guys. I always call ahead at a time it is logical they aren't busy and ask about peanuts/Peanut oil. A local restaurant told me flat out that I can't eat anything on their menu. I respect that. In another restaurant, the teenage host and waiter said they didn't use peanut oil. I could smell it but was stuck bc of who I drove with. THe manager heard them giggling over their joke. He made me leave immediately. Boxed up everyone's meals because obviously, they weren't going to eat while I waited outside. (yes they would have). He also fired the teens making it clear they were lucky they weren't facing manslaughter or assault charges. We found out about that part through one of their parents complaining that "someone faking an allergy got my kid fired" to my sister. That woman's ears are probably still ringing from my Sister's response. It was over 18 years ago.
Alfredo Contreras 2 years ago
Really? Oh Lord how did the people in the past to live so long and happy life, that's just stupid. So if the place doesn't have FB or twitter or Instagram doesn't exist? In my town there is a very famous spot owned by two old fellows and they don't need social networks to put menus or time or anything, people do the advertising and people from other towns come to eat all the time. The people that think this way ARE THE RED FLAGS
Jack Harris 2 years ago
If only there was a way to... Somehow, some way, ask them first... Perhaps a digital device of some kind, that could both not only look up, ohh, I don't know, the phone number to said establishment AND be able to use that number to call it? Maybe? Wouldn't that be awesome?!
KayKay 2 years ago
Who the hell wants a menu read to them over a phone call?
Load More Replies... Pamela Blue 2 years ago
Almost all restaurants have their menus online these days. Those that don't deserve to be left out.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
Add to that, no vegan and vegetarian options. Our restaurants try to be representative and make sure there's always something like that. And if you go to an area dominated by a specific group you can get halal/kosher as well.
Phil Vaive 2 years ago
I'm not gonna downvote you, but I disagree. Restaurants are allowed to have their own niches, and if they don't want to sell vegan or vegetarian, why should they have to? Should vegan restaurants also be required to sell me a steak? I'm not anti-vegan or vegetarian at all, but not EVERYBODY has to cater to your dietary restrictions.
Load More Replies... #18
The smell when you walk in. If you can smell sewage, mold or excessive bleach or ammonia when you walk in over the food, turn around.
liam newton-harding 2 years ago
Is there anyone who enters a restaurant...or any building...smells raw sewage, and thinks, "Oh yes, this is very ethnic... it's going to be good!" and takes a seat?
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago (edited)
Yeah, no. Let’s go somewhere else. This place smells like a cholera pit/cholera pit someone just splashed a shitload (pun intended) of bleach over.
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Craig Reynolds 2 years ago
Excessive bleach or ammonia could just mean they are trying to be as clean as possible. You also missed one! If you walk in and smell fryer grease, LEAVE! It means they reuse fryer oil far too long.
#19
Being seated next to other diners *in an otherwise empty restaurant **if it’s not a shared dining experience like a BBQ
JuniorCJ82 2 years ago
Just ask for another table. If they give you some bs reason why not, leave.
Jeff Gabrisl 2 years ago
That usually only happens if they aren't fully staffed. You can always ask for another table, but if you choose a table on the other side of the restaurant, don't be surprised if things take longer. The server who is assigned to you will have a hard time getting away from their assigned section.
Two_rolling_black_eyes 2 years ago
You are eating just before a rush is about to start or after one has just ended. The wait staff has these 4 tables because in 10 minutes 4 people are going to be assigned to the other 16 tables who have reservations started in 15 minutes or the rush is over and they just finished cleaning the other area. When its 9:30 at night and the place closes at 10, the wait staff wants to go home when you are done eating instead of recleaning the whole front area because Parmesan cheese was tracked between tables on opposite sides of the restaurant. This demand is like going to someone's house as saying you can't understand why you have to eat in the dining room when the garage is empty because you don't care that a car is expected to be parked there in 10 minutes.
Benita Valdez 2 years ago
That usually happens when they have one server on. You can always ask to sit at another table but this is done so the server can tend to everyone and not waste time running all over the restaurant. I was a waitress and this is what we did; never denied anyone either if they asked to sit in a different area
Reinaldo Fuentes 2 years ago
If you mean at the same table, then yeah, that's weird, but if you mean at a table near them, that's just about staffing and usually happens after the cut or before the shift change. It's simply about efficiency, not something that's being "done to you". Just ask for another table.
Ronnie Beaton 2 years ago
I hate this. Are these people *really* that desperate to see another person?
Marnie 2 years ago (edited)
People are giving reasons why they do this, but it's not okay. I understand why they don't put two groups on opposite sides of an otherwise empty restaurant. But don't put the people directly next to each other. It's very uncomfortable when the place is sparsely populated. I won't go back to a restaurant that does that.
Jane Alexander 2 years ago (edited)
We asked for a quiet seating and said we had business to discuss so they sat the screaming brats right next to us in an nearly empty restaurant. Can't have people relaxed or comfortable at a meal now can we. 17 years in the business an I'm appalled at the the racket it's become.
#20
if you go to a mexican/tex-mex spot and the chips and salsa are terrible just pack it up and leave, nothing will get better.
Bradford B 2 years ago
Talk about a great clue! Yes, it's always reassuring to see housemade chips (bonus if they're warm) and salsa -- NOT foodservice bagged/bottled c**p. Native Texan here who still sorely misses El Matamoros (El Mat's) in Austin, TX. When the owner retired, he closed the restaurant instead of selling it because he knew no one would have the pride to maintain the quality.
Brenda Greene 2 years ago
I live in South Texas and went to Indiana to visit family and they insisted on taking me to "the best Mexican food you've ever had". IT WAS DISGUSTING! Sliced cheese and canned sauce, pink hamburger meat and dry fajitas. They insisted it was wonderful. We left and went to the closest McDonalds after, just to eat something.
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Marie Dahme 2 years ago
Moves from the Southwest (27 years in Arizona and 3 years in New Mexico) to Iowa. The land of tater tot casseroles and hot pots. The Midwest really doesn’t have a grasp on authentic Mexican food. Iowa puts chili powder on corn and voila it’s Mexican corn. They have no idea what Elote is. Lol
Sue From Michigan 2 years ago
This isn't true, the Detroit area is packed with good Mexican restaurants because there's a large Mexican American presence here.
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JayWantsACat 2 years ago
There's a place here that has really solid food and always has lines. They have the greatest salsa I've ever tasted, so this seems to be true.
Worst Cop in Britain 2 years ago
Define terrible though....? I don't really think this should be on here.
AK to LV 2 years ago
If it's flavorless, then you know the flavor the your food might be a problem. Is it mushy, not fresh made or from a bottle.
Load More Replies... #21
When they keep the lights so low that you literally can’t see the menu. I’ve been in three places like this, and the food is always bad. The place is dark for a reason.
LibrarianJanet 2 years ago
My elderly mother used to get so mad she couldn't see the menu that she'd bring along a flashlight. Seriously zero f's given. She's my hero.
Trish Thiel 2 years ago
I am like your elderly mom. In addition to a flashlight, I also have a magnifying glass to help with the menu!
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Jeff Hrusko 2 years ago
Once on a first date, I asked the server what beers they had on tap "They are listed in the menu," was the rely... it was so dark I couldn't read them! Tried to with the candle, and the candle went out... yup, not a great start.
Donkeywheel 2 years ago
Generalization fallacy. Some very very good restaurants choose to set the mood with dim lights for a romantic atmosphere. Like it or not, but that’s definitely not a red flag.
AK to LV 2 years ago
Mood lighting is great but not if it's so low you can't READ the menus.
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Luna Crow 2 years ago
This can be the case, but it's not always so. Some places just prioritize the ambiance. There's a a great little cafe in my hometown that's like this, and it's one of my favorites. They've definitely spent more on curating the atmosphere than developing a sophisticated menu, but the food is always good
Pamela Blue 2 years ago
We have a really excellent restaurant in my city that turns their lights really low at 6pm. I don't get out that often, but the last time I was there, I had to use my phone's flashlight to read the menu. LOL! I may be old, but I'm not blind!
#22
Taking forever to get the check grinds my gears. I'm less likely to return if I had to wait a long time to leave. I don't want to be held hostage after my meal.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
I've got this one solved. When you are bored waiting for the bill you stand up and go to the cashier and say "hey can you ring up for my table which is number ##". They look embarrassed and send the waiter.
Heather Talma 2 years ago
Why would a customer know what number their table is?
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Heffalump 2 years ago
If you've let them know you'd like to pay (catchching a waiter's eye and miming scribbling on the palm of your other hand is recognized most places) and they don't come within a 5 mins or so, have your whole party get up to leave. This usually does the trick. DON'T actually leave yourself though, wait by the door or you have a legal problem.
Jeff Hrusko 2 years ago
OMG, in the US, it's like a ten-step process. First, wave the waiter down, then wait for the bill, then they give you a legal review time to check the bill, then they run the bill, then the receipt...
Robert T 2 years ago
Worked in my favour one time. Went for a meal just before a free concert at Tivioli in Copenhagen. Was getting late by the time I finally got my bill and I mentioned to the waitress that I wasn't sure I wanted to go now, and she snook me into the park (the park has an entry fee) via the restaurant kitchen. I had a great evening. :D
Janet C 2 years ago
You must be talking about the US. Here in Spain, your table is yours for as long as you want. Waitstaff are not trying to "turn" tables faster so they can make more in tips, because tipping is not a thing here. The concept is called "sobremesa" (on the table) and it is a sign that people love a place when they hang around after finishing the meal. You must ask for the check when you are ready to pay. No one will ever plop it on the table until you ask for it.
Neuridivergent 2 years ago
This is just bad table management. Or they are really slow and\or short staffed. All red flags
Who cares what I think, but... 2 years ago
Maybe start the visit with an open tab that includes a 20% tip if you don't close it out before leaving. Works very well at my local breweries.🍺🍺
#23
Automatic 10% ‘Service Charge’ added to your bill. Just increase your prices. Service Charge should always be discretionary.
Display_Name 2 years ago
I went to a local Mexican restaurant that has decent prices on the menu. I've been going there most of my life. I ordered a taco salad that was listed as $5.50. I got the bill and it was $7.25. I would have gotten an ala carte burrito instead. I never said anything because I was already having a bad night.
rn42 2 years ago
Of course if you ordered a burrito four $7.25 the bill would have been $10
Load More Replies... Miki 2 years ago
AFAIK It's usually added when there is a bigger group. Not that it makes sense.
Craig Reynolds 2 years ago
Actually it does make sense. It ensures at least a minimum tip for the staff. Just like instructions and warning labels on toothpaste, that policy came into effect for a reason.
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Phil Vaive 2 years ago
It's because it's added without consent. If the price increase is added to the menu items, then we know the price before hand. If it's added at the end without anybody knowing about it, you're making the choice of how much they're spending for them. It's not ok.
Load More Replies... Phil Vaive 2 years ago
If it's added to the prices on the menu, then you know what you're paying. If it's a secret fee added after all is said and done, it's sketchy and may actually put the meal outside of someone's budget. Don't spend people's money for them. It's rude.
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#24
If I can smell the bathroom as soon as I walk in. I’m out.
Chewie Baron 2 years ago
This was one of the problems that happened when the UK brought in the smoking ban in public buildings. I remember going into a pub and all you could smell was the toilets and stale beer.
#25
Flies.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
In Africa we have a bigger problem with bees. Our bees are bastards and they love sugar, so they climb into your soda.
Rachel K 2 years ago
I thought they did everywhere. They go down the straw to avoid falling in
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matt adore 2 years ago
Once worked at a restaurant with outdoor seating. It was amazing how many complaints we would get about flies and bees... I actually loved that complaint... You are OUTSIDE! We have zero control over nature in this situation.
Luna Crow 2 years ago
Outdoor dining is different, you can't expect it to be bug free. But if you're walking up to a bar and there are fruit flies there's a serious concern over how often they clean the taps and how old the garnish is
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Richard Graham 2 years ago
I once had a fly land in my soup and I said "Waiter, there's a fly in my soup." He apologized and took the soup away. This is one of the saddest moments in my life. He DIDN'T say "Don't worry, he won't drink much." or "Be quiet, or all of the diners will want one." I mean, I gave him the greatest straight line, and he failed to respond.
yellow-power ftw 2 years ago
no matter the season, all restaurants need to have inside and outside those electric killers with UV light. not enter if i not see them.
Danish Susanne 2 years ago
I wouldn't blame any restaurant or shop for one og two flies. They are really hard to keep out.
Big Chungus 2 years ago
Yes this for sure, unless it is like an indoor outdoor place that is wide open then it is kind of expected you may have a fly or bug around
Angie Falzarano 2 years ago
This was a problem at a Starbucks that had only been open 3 weeks and there were flies all around the registers and in the food area.
#26
Warm water served in a piping hot glass from the dishwasher.
Christof Irran 2 years ago
"Warm water served in a piping hot glass from the dishwasher" means your water glass actually got washed instead of just getting rinsed in cold water after it's previous use, with lipstick traces still on it...
matt adore 2 years ago
Cold water (w/o ice) in a freshly washed hot glass is surprisingly satisfying... Didn't believe it til I tried it...
Jeff Hrusko 2 years ago
Conversely, many non-Americans perfect tepid water... so my times receives iced water, despite always specifying no ice. Not a huge deal, time and entropy solves all problems.
Sasha Mair 2 years ago
Or tap water with no ice. Ahhh lukewarm chlorine. Feel like I am sipping from the local community pool
Sabrina 2 years ago
When I work in this event hall as a waitress, before the guests arrive, we need to make sure the utensils are clean, they give us a jug of water to use as wetting the clothes, and the jug of water is later service to the guests. From that day on I try not to ask for ice water.
Lady of the Mountains 2 years ago
This may just mean they're busy and didn't have time to let the glass cool
#27
Having no seats with backs. Nobody wants to sit on a bench.
Mim“the Swede”Sorensson 2 years ago
I think it might. I have no problem with it, especially not outside.
Load More Replies... censorshipsucks 2 years ago
You must be american. Pubs in europe and South Africa often have benches. It's not a big deal. I almost always lean on the table anyway.
Karin Jansen 2 years ago
Very true, and despite my cultural upbringing, my back hates it. 😅
Load More Replies... Alfredo Contreras 2 years ago
Maybe, just maybe, go to another type of restaurant? You will pay more but you will seat in a real chair. Lord this people, crying for everything
featherytoad 2 years ago
I never lean back in my chair at a restaurant or at home. I'm always leaning on the table.
Cory Tollman 2 years ago
Having been drinking, I first read this as "having no seats with blacks" and had a minor WTF? moment. It's doubtful that there are places I would be looking forward to eating at that could specify that they don't allow for black people. JTF, to these people even eat food !?! We won't even go into the music use for ambiance.
Karen Philpott 2 years ago
That is so uncomfortable. My back aches so much if there's no support.
#28
Hidden fees or changing prices regularly. I'll go once, but if that happens, I won't return.
Jus Frpn 2 years ago
One of my favorite places has done this multiple times and I now won't go. We ordered take out last week and every price was $2 - $4 more on the receipt than the online menu. Even their to go menu they gave me had incorrect prices. If prices change that quickly than add a disclaimer on your website.
Sasha Mair 2 years ago
Look at you “Chuck’s roadhouse”. Dumbest chain slogan about being cheaper for being a no frills place but then they charge you a fee on the bill for being… no frills? Hate it
#29
When you have to pay for tap water.
Claire the Devils Advocate 2 years ago
In Australia, its mandatory for a sit down food venue to provide free tap/still/table water.
Tabitha Abbott 2 years ago
No it’s not 🤣 it’s just courtesy. Not mandatory at all.
Load More Replies... Synsepalum 2 years ago
In the US it's pretty standard that tap water is free. When I was a kid growing up in Texas, iced tea and water were free. Also, there were three kinds of iced teas to select from, sweetened, unsweetened, and half-and-half. All free.
Oerff On Tour 2 years ago
In my country, they're allowed to charge €0.50 per glass, as they have to wash it. Or they have to put up a sign at the entrance, as well as on the menu, that they don't serve tap water *with* an explanation to why.
CanadianaKa 2 years ago
It varies from country to culture (looking at the people below listing that it's free in THEIR area, forgetting it's an international site). It also varies from circumstance to circumstance. I've visited areas with water rationing that started charging for water during that time, too.
gerard julien 2 years ago
"In the United States, restaurants have no legal obligation to serve free drinking water to customers as no law requires restaurants to do so. However, most restaurants throughout the country do extend the courtesy of complimentary drinking water. In February 2018, the EU Commission reviewed the Drinking Water Directive that mandates certain establishments in Europe are obliged, by law, to offer free drinking water to customers."
Hutt'nKloas 2 years ago (edited)
Hmm that is an invalid reason. A glass of water costs about 0.0003E,- Charge me for 2-2.5E for a glas of tapwater? Service & maintenance costs yes, but fgs dont charge it the same as a glass of beer or of soda
Load More Replies... #30
I’m not entirely sure what the word is, but promoters who stand outside the restaurant and try to get you to eat there.
Hutt'nKloas 2 years ago (edited)
True, too much competition & a lack of customers. Seen it frequently in touristic areas during low season.
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#31
I haven't experienced this where I'm currently living, but back home it was not uncommon to wait for ages until a waiter acknowledged your presence. Like 10-15min. I'd just stand up and leave.
And cleanliness of course, but that's a given.
Dani M 2 years ago
Come to Vienna. Where people are boasting how long the waiter in the cafe they go to every day is ignoring them. It means yiou matter...
Hugh Cookson 2 years ago
Vienna has changed. When I used to visit in the 90,s / 00's service was pretty good.
Load More Replies... Heffalump 2 years ago
Actually, it's a little rude. You're telling them their service is inadequate before they have a chance to give you any. A couple of minutes for a server to become free (or at least free enough to acknowledge you and say they'll be with you in a moment) is reasonable. They have other customers too.
Load More Replies... #32
I took some co-workers out to lunch on Friday and we didn't get seen by the waiter. No water, consultation about the menu, nothing. Even after 15 minutes from being seated. Probably the only time I've ever walked out of a restaurant.
#33
Being seated at a dirty table
Jeff Gabrisl 2 years ago
Even worse is when guests seat themselves at a dirty table, and expect the service staff to jump to clean it.
#34
Ever walk on a floor mopped with sugary water? Yeah, that stickiness will have me turn around instantly.
#35
Visibly poor hand hygiene
#36
Big wait time for server to take my order, although the restaurant is not busy.
#37
If everything on the menu has mayonnaise in it. It has happened before.
Ace 2 years ago
If everything on the menu has mayonnaise in it that's not a restaurant, it's a sandwich shop.
Two_rolling_black_eyes 2 years ago
There are parts of America where everything comes with either mayo or ranch dressing. Its in your salad, on your fries, on your eggs. You are fortunate to never eat a meal where the hollandaise sauce for your eggs benedict turns out to be mayo because its all the same ingredients anyway right?
Load More Replies... #38
Roaches… I know how hard they are to keep out of restaurants, but if I see one I’m done…
James Edwards 2 years ago
One time at McDs I ordered a McRib, opened it up to remove the pickles and found one of big yard roaches in it, now formally known as McRoach. BTW I got my money back and another sandwich!
Jeff Gabrisl 2 years ago
In Florida, working on the outside deck, guests would complain if there were bugs. This is Florida, there are going to be ants, roaches, flies and possibly bees flying around. Don't try to get your meal comped because there are bugs outside
Boots 2 years ago
Don't forget those irritating seagulls that some people still seem to think is okay to feed!
Load More Replies... Christof Irran 2 years ago (edited)
LOL. My roach adventure took place in February 2000 at Gasthof Kammel in Sietzenheim near Salzburg. This hapless roach tried to cross the space between two tables, which happened to be a major thoroughfare for waiters, and it got trodden flat. Its flattened cadaver just stayed there, and my siblings and I started making bets as to how long it would take for waitstaff to discovery the lifeless remains. I was too optimistic and lost, with my bet being 10 minutes or less.
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
If a place has roaches, then you call the health department. Having one roach is an automatic failure of your health inspection for any restaurant.
#39
Hard cold butter for the bread. Just let the butter out of the fridge for the day so we can spread it on our bread without destroying the bread
Marie Dahme 2 years ago
Restaurants should use those French butter bells. It keeps the butter from turning rancid and it holds about a 1/4 stick inside. Google butter bell, those things are great. Love mine !
deathrose 2 years ago
Real butter has milk and can't sit out for more than 2 hours. If it's soft then it's margarine. (Not hating on margarine)
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
Sorry, but you are wrong about this one. Real butter can be left out for several days just fine without any problems.
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#41
Don’t accept cards
#42
Difficult parking.
Donkeywheel 2 years ago
Crazy how everyone is so off topic and missing the point. If you absolutely need your car for whatever reason and don’t want to go to a restaurant with no or difficult parking, that’s ok. But saying it’s a red flag and a sign that the restaurant might be awful is completely dumb.
Donkeywheel 2 years ago (edited)
Hahahahhahahahhahaah Oh no, I cannot park my gigantic hummer that I definitely needed to drive 1km. This restaurant must be bad for sure.
liam newton-harding 2 years ago
You are really, really bad at being a troll *laughing at you*
Load More Replies... Ban-One 2 years ago
Many many small towns and villages throughout Europe (especially Spain, Portugal and France) have little to no parking. Park at the edge of the town or village. And walk. So many wonderful places to dine in. Worth a bit of a walk. I enjoy a bit of a walk after my meal anyways.
LibrarianJanet 2 years ago
There's a difference between "this is a terribly designed parking lot" and "the parking lot is always full." There's a crazy-popular pizza joint in my town that has a tiny lot. It's always jammed. I will 100% park elsewhere and walk. If the lot's jumping, that's usually a sign it's a fabulous place to eat.
Seabeast 2 years ago
Sadly, one of my all-time favourite restaurants had this problem. It was okay in warm weather because we didn't mind walking for a bit, but in winter not everyone on the surrounding streets shovelled their walk. Pity, it was a really great restaurant, but I'm sure this is why they didn't succeeed.
ProcrastinationStation 2 years ago
Actually, this one time I would defend our murican friends. When we're travelling across the country (possibly the size of one of your states) and we check nearby places, we won't stop there if the parking is terrible
RMA 2 years ago
It doesn’t have to not have a car park to qualify as difficult parking. If it is in a section of town that is no parking, no taxi access and it’s raining and your choice is go somewhere where I can walk less than five blocks or I can walk ten or fifteen, I’m not going to the latter.
Load More Replies... #43
Wobbly Tables. Drives me insane. Trying to cut up my steak whilst the table shakes like Michael J Fox shits me to tears.
Shyla Bouche 2 years ago
I really don't appreciate how the OP phrased that. Parkinson's isn't a joke.
Marie Dahme 2 years ago
Aww man, you really had to go there and disrespect Marty McFly ? So, not cool. Wow, that’s heavy.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
Fold a paper napkin four times over, jam under the leg. Any table with four legs that's smaller than about 2m wide will wobble. Always. Also, most dining tables in restaurants have adjustable feet. Look on the floor, turn the little foot clockwise till it stops wobbling.
Ozymandias73 2 years ago
I get what they're saying about the tables, but really? The MJF reference is poor taste and uncalled for.
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What do you think ?
VonBlade 2 years ago
Not being able to adjust your order. If I wanted a pre-prepared meal reheated I'd have stayed home. (I don't mean swap the chicken for bacon, the chips for roast potatoes and change out the red wine sauce for bechamel, I mean just don't add the blue cheese on top)
Colin 2 years ago
This is a big one for me. Cheeses can do many awful things to me. Very light cheese, mozzarella for example, I can eat some before my stomach gets upset and bad movements happen. Stronger cheeses, cheddar or parmesan, will result in vomiting. Not a lactose thing as I eat ice cream, drink milk, enjoy yoghurt. If I was a superhero, cheese is my kryptonite.
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Izzy Curer 2 years ago (edited)
My biggest pet peeve is when the server asks what you want to drink before you get your butt into the seat. Just throwing the menus on the table, standing in my way, badgering me first thing before I've even had time to think. Let me sit down first! Let me look at the menu for 2 seconds. I don't know, lady, I just got here! It happens all the time. I used to serve tables, but that was admittedly 20 years ago. Maybe things are different now? It's fast, I guess, but does anyone actually want this, or are these servers just poorly trained?
Scrolling Panda 2 years ago
What kind of restaurants do you encounter this in? In my experience, I've only ever had this treatment at diners and franchise chains. I'm just curious if you are experiencing this at anything higher end than that.
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R Dennis 2 years ago (edited)
I started in the food industry at 15 and was a consultant for several years. More than once after sitting down and looking around, my wife has looked at me and said "We're not eating here, are we?" To which I responded "Nope!" and we got up leaving. Details of cleanliness, pests, staff behavior flash at me like huge warning signs and I can't turn it off. Dirt along the edges of the seat and floor. Dirty condiment containers. People touching their hair or faces. One fly doesn't mean much - two or more is a problem. Cleaning cloth left out of sanitizer. How they carry cups (palm over top, multiple glasses with fingers in them). All are hard passes. What the customer sees is the cleanest and best behavior they have - if that is bad, you don't want to see the hidden nightmares.
T'Mar of Vulcan 2 years ago
Cream that is off. When at a new place I order a cappuccino with cream, and if the cream is sour or has that weird 'sweet-so-it's-on-the-turn' taste, I know the food is not going to be good.
Neuridivergent 2 years ago
Ok. I have been saying the Republicans have split into two parties. Fiscal conservatives are closest to the original Republicans. The fascist end have no sense of fiscal responsibility. If they did they would disband the death penalty so we don't have to pay for 24\7 suicide watch for 10 years. They would tax the rich to reduce the debt. They would stop prosecuting drug crimes the same and use drug court. And restorative justice for low level crimes is cheaper and more healing to the community than punishment. And don't get me started on for profit prisons.
VonBlade 2 years ago
Not being able to adjust your order. If I wanted a pre-prepared meal reheated I'd have stayed home. (I don't mean swap the chicken for bacon, the chips for roast potatoes and change out the red wine sauce for bechamel, I mean just don't add the blue cheese on top)
Colin 2 years ago
This is a big one for me. Cheeses can do many awful things to me. Very light cheese, mozzarella for example, I can eat some before my stomach gets upset and bad movements happen. Stronger cheeses, cheddar or parmesan, will result in vomiting. Not a lactose thing as I eat ice cream, drink milk, enjoy yoghurt. If I was a superhero, cheese is my kryptonite.
Load More Replies... Izzy Curer 2 years ago (edited)
My biggest pet peeve is when the server asks what you want to drink before you get your butt into the seat. Just throwing the menus on the table, standing in my way, badgering me first thing before I've even had time to think. Let me sit down first! Let me look at the menu for 2 seconds. I don't know, lady, I just got here! It happens all the time. I used to serve tables, but that was admittedly 20 years ago. Maybe things are different now? It's fast, I guess, but does anyone actually want this, or are these servers just poorly trained?
Scrolling Panda 2 years ago
What kind of restaurants do you encounter this in? In my experience, I've only ever had this treatment at diners and franchise chains. I'm just curious if you are experiencing this at anything higher end than that.
Load More Replies... R Dennis 2 years ago (edited)
I started in the food industry at 15 and was a consultant for several years. More than once after sitting down and looking around, my wife has looked at me and said "We're not eating here, are we?" To which I responded "Nope!" and we got up leaving. Details of cleanliness, pests, staff behavior flash at me like huge warning signs and I can't turn it off. Dirt along the edges of the seat and floor. Dirty condiment containers. People touching their hair or faces. One fly doesn't mean much - two or more is a problem. Cleaning cloth left out of sanitizer. How they carry cups (palm over top, multiple glasses with fingers in them). All are hard passes. What the customer sees is the cleanest and best behavior they have - if that is bad, you don't want to see the hidden nightmares.
T'Mar of Vulcan 2 years ago
Cream that is off. When at a new place I order a cappuccino with cream, and if the cream is sour or has that weird 'sweet-so-it's-on-the-turn' taste, I know the food is not going to be good.
Neuridivergent 2 years ago
Ok. I have been saying the Republicans have split into two parties. Fiscal conservatives are closest to the original Republicans. The fascist end have no sense of fiscal responsibility. If they did they would disband the death penalty so we don't have to pay for 24\7 suicide watch for 10 years. They would tax the rich to reduce the debt. They would stop prosecuting drug crimes the same and use drug court. And restorative justice for low level crimes is cheaper and more healing to the community than punishment. And don't get me started on for profit prisons.
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