Chefs Share Their Restaurant 'Red Flags'

We've all been there. You're out in town when the hunger pangs strike, and so you go in search of a good restaurant. But what are the telltale signs that should deter you from parting with your hard-earned money and have you running for the hills? A recent question posed by Reddit user u/LeafyQueefy prompted chefs to share their red flags for bad restaurants, detailing what people should look out for when considering where they should eat. Here are 20 of their responses.

1. "Number one evaluation effect for me is smell. If it’s a sour smell or disinfectant smell — red flag."

— u/SandaledUsurpation

2. "Random, but if there's a fish tank, take a look at it. If it's clean, you can bet the kitchen is too."

— u/thedevilsaglet

3. "Dirty bathrooms and dirty floors equal dirty kitchen."

— u/RedWingWay

4. "A huge menu is a sign that food is either frozen, precooked, and reheated — or ingredients are not very fresh."

— u/DaleGribble3

5. "Ex-chef here, but weirdly, the setting. I've found if a restaurant puts effort into the ambiance, it's normally an extension of their food. Not always, but it has been a pretty solid rule."

— deleted

6. "Where's the manager and what are they doing? Do they look exhausted or are they upbeat, helpful, and engaging with their staff? Good managers tend to attract good staff which in turn leads to a good business. Bad management does exactly the opposite."

— u/Mikourei

7. "Carpet is a red flag — it's quieter and doesn't get slick, but it is one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen in restaurants. Vacuuming only goes so far."

— u/eyebrowshampoo

8. "The bread. It has to be good bread. If they can't get the bread right, they don't know anything. No chef in their right mind half-asses the bread."

— u/tissuesforreal

9. "Look at the wait staff's name tags. People usually keep the same name tags the entire time they work there. There should be a little bit of wear and tear on them. If everyone has brand new name tags, that means they're all new, and service is going to be slow and bad. It also shows that the restaurant isn't good at staff retention and should make you question the quality of what you're eating."

— u/partofbreakfast

10. "If you can smell the seafood when you walk in, then it's not fresh. Fresh seafood doesn't have that scent we usually associate with it — it doesn't get that until it's old."

— u/TheIndulgery

11. "I tend to look down on fusion places as ‘jack of all trades, master of none'. Everything might probably be passable at best. 'Oh really?! You’re serving sushi, Thai, Chinese, Korean, and pho? Get outta here!’"

— u/cltzzz

12. "If you see lots of plates left half-full, run."

— u/younggeezer109

13. "If all anyone can talk about is the view, then you might as well go to a diner, the food is gonna be bad, exceedingly bad for what you’re going to pay. Seriously, I’ve never worked nor eaten anywhere with a 'stunning view' that didn’t serve lukewarm garbage at a highway robbery price."

— u/ClintDisaster

14. "Cheap ketchup on the table, or if they even let you see the ketchup brand."

— deleted

15. "When you walk on the building and you aren't greeted or nobody makes eye contact."

— u/TheRealOWFreqE

16. "No matter how well managed a buffet is, it can never be sanitary. It is not reasonably possible to run a sanitary buffet business. This is true of salad bars, hot bars, desert bars, or whatever other kind of bulk food in a trough they are serving you."

— u/contrabardus

17. "Stock photos on the menu. Cheap silverware as well."

— u/RowdyRebel57

18. "I was employed by a national pest control service, and the salespeople told me if the dining room is dirty or gross - do yourself a favor and walk out cause their kitchen is gonna be much dirtier.

There are also roaches at expensive restaurants, the same as there are at cheaper places. Its the restaurants that don't clean kitchens properly, that attract pests and have continual problems."

- BringMeTwo

19. "Does it sound like it could be 2 or more restaurants? Example, sushi and pizza at the same place. They cant do either well."

- rukasu83

20 "If your meat or pasta, for example, has dry spots as if it was left out to dry for a good time, the kitchen is not properly covering / storing their prep correctly. The walk in is most likely not taken care of.

Edit for clarity: on let's say chicken, it's still raw. Someone leaves it out, it forms a skin looking almost like jerky. Chewy, an orangeish/yellow color. That spot wont go away because someone has cooked it. Same kind of thing with pasta but the pasta is always pre-cooked, waiting for you. There is no reason for your sensitive products to be left uncovered for that long."

- spoonedkittens