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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.
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#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 3 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.
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."
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#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 3 years ago
Thankfully, here in Australia, we do pay hospitality a living wage. They don't have to kiss a$$ for a 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 3 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!
"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."
#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 3 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.
"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
#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.
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
#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.
#10
Dirty bathrooms.
#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.
#12
If the table is sticky and it gets stickier after they wipe it.
#13
Tables packed closely together to the point where you might as well just be sitting with the strangers next to you.
Dan Padgett 3 years ago
I know people are defending this and I understand why. I personally am not a fan.
#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.
#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 3 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.
#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! 😏)
#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.
#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 3 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?
#19
Being seated next to other diners *in an otherwise empty restaurant **if it’s not a shared dining experience like a BBQ
JuniorCJ82 3 years ago
Just ask for another table. If they give you some bs reason why not, leave.
Jeff Gabrisl 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 years ago
I hate this. Are these people *really* that desperate to see another person?
Marnie 3 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 3 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.
Amy Guthrie 3 years ago
That’s because servers have sections. 1 person doesn’t want to have to run around the entire restaurant. And shouldn’t have to.
Big Chungus 3 years ago
I think this is more often to happen if only one server area is open so they can easily cover the smaller area
Jack Harris 3 years ago
🤦🤦 Jesus be a fence. This is why everyone needs to wait tables for at least 1 week before being allowed to eat out. It's called having sections. As a server you have an assigned section of tables. They are grouped together to so the server isn't running all over the restaurant. And, as it's clear many of you don't know, the server who waits on the table LAST, has to clean it. So, your server is working a double, both lunch and dinner shifts. In at 10am to open and prep for lunch, back at 4 to prep for dinner. You really think you're entitled to f**k your servers small break between shifts by running them all over the restaurant to serve 3 late tables at opposite ends of the restaurant? AND not tip them? 🤣🤣 Y'all are out your damn minds. Stay the hell home.
Craig Reynolds 3 years ago
It makes it easier on the server. They are on their feet all day and don't enjoy walking more than necessary. If you want distance from others, just stay home.
Carol Karbowiak Gilbert 3 years ago
Probably due to staffing issues. Usually they will close sections if not busy
Patricia Steward 3 years ago
This is my #1 restaurant peeve, especially since my asthma requires I still wear a mask in crowded situations.
Who cares what I think, but... 3 years ago
This is most likely when the restaurant has limited servers? But still, shouldn't have to sit right next to anyone in an otherwise empty restaurant.
#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 3 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.
#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 3 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.
#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 3 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.
#23
Automatic 10% ‘Service Charge’ added to your bill. Just increase your prices. Service Charge should always be discretionary.
Display_Name 3 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.
#24
If I can smell the bathroom as soon as I walk in. I’m out.
#25
Flies.
censorshipsucks 3 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.
#26
Warm water served in a piping hot glass from the dishwasher.
#27
Having no seats with backs. Nobody wants to sit on a bench.
#28
Hidden fees or changing prices regularly. I'll go once, but if that happens, I won't return.
Jus Frpn 3 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.
#29
When you have to pay for tap water.
Claire the Devils Advocate 3 years ago
In Australia, its mandatory for a sit down food venue to provide free tap/still/table water.
#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.
#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.
#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 3 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.
#38
Roaches… I know how hard they are to keep out of restaurants, but if I see one I’m done…
James Edwards 3 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!
#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 3 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 !
#42
Difficult parking.
Donkeywheel 3 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.
#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 3 years ago
I really don't appreciate how the OP phrased that. Parkinson's isn't a joke.
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What do you think ?
VonBlade 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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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