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.
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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.
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.
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."
“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.
Thankfully, here in Australia, we do pay hospitality a living wage. They don't have to kiss a$$ for a tip
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?
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!
"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."
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.
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.
"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?"
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
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.
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.
QR code menus
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.
Dirty bathrooms.
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.
Tables packed closely together to the point where you might as well just be sitting with the strangers next to you.
I know people are defending this and I understand why. I personally am not a fan.
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.
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.
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.
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! 😏)
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.
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.
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?
Being seated next to other diners *in an otherwise empty restaurant **if it’s not a shared dining experience like a BBQ
Just ask for another table. If they give you some bs reason why not, leave.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Automatic 10% ‘Service Charge’ added to your bill. Just increase your prices. Service Charge should always be discretionary.
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.
If I can smell the bathroom as soon as I walk in. I’m out.
Flies.
In Africa we have a bigger problem with bees. Our bees are bastards and they love sugar, so they climb into your soda.
Warm water served in a piping hot glass from the dishwasher.
Having no seats with backs. Nobody wants to sit on a bench.
I think it might. I have no problem with it, especially not outside.
Load More Replies... 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.
Very true, and despite my cultural upbringing, my back hates it. 😅
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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
I never lean back in my chair at a restaurant or at home. I'm always leaning on the table.
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.
That is so uncomfortable. My back aches so much if there's no support.
Hidden fees or changing prices regularly. I'll go once, but if that happens, I won't return.
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.
When you have to pay for tap water.
In Australia, its mandatory for a sit down food venue to provide free tap/still/table water.
I’m not entirely sure what the word is, but promoters who stand outside the restaurant and try to get you to eat there.
Note: this post originally had 43 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
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)
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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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?
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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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.
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.
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.
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)
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... 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?
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... 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.
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.
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.
