Dining out should be a delightful experience, but unfortunately, things don’t always work out. Sometimes, the food and service are simply terrible, making you feel ripped off. To avoid this happening again, here are 21 warning signs that you’re stepping into a bad restaurant.
Overly Complicated or Long Menu
If a restaurant has an excessively long menu, Mass Live points out that this can be a serious red flag, as this means the kitchen is stretched thin, compromising the quality of the dishes. It’s also unlikely that every dish will be prepared to a high quality, so it’s better to seek a restaurant that has a specialty menu.
Unpleasant Odors
A restaurant should smell inviting, with aromas of delicious food wafting through the air. So, if you notice foul or musty smells upon entering, something’s not right. There’s a high chance that you’re smelling spoiled ingredients, the very same ingredients that will be used to cook your meal.
Dirty Restrooms
Upon entering a new restaurant, always investigate the restrooms first. If they’re dirty, this sets a standard for the restaurant’s attention to hygiene, and that includes the kitchen. Ask yourself whether you really want to eat somewhere where they don’t keep things clean, and move on.
Empty Dining Room During Peak Hours
If you arrive at a restaurant during peak hours only to find it empty, that’s a serious red flag. Popular spots tend to attract diners, especially during lunch and dinner hours. So, if you find a place nearly deserted when it should be bustling, the quality is probably lacking.
Sticky Floors and Dirty Tables
Cleanliness is crucial in any dining establishment, so you shouldn’t tolerate sticky floors or dirty tables. These are major indicators that the restaurant is neglecting basic hygiene practices, raising concerns about the overall standards, including food preparation and storage practices.
Long Wait Times Despite Empty Tables
It’s frustrating to wait a long time to be seated at a restaurant, especially when the restaurant is nearly empty. If you notice this, beware: it often points to understaffing or disorganized management, and if they can’t manage a team effectively, it raises questions about the preparation of your food.
Unenthusiastic or Rude Staff
While receiving a negative attitude from a staff member at a restaurant doesn’t necessarily mean the food is bad, it can still make or break a dining experience. Even if you had the most delicious meal of your life, it would still taste sour when the mood is spoiled.
Visible Health Code Violations
Another warning sign to leave a restaurant immediately is if you notice health code violations, such as improper food handling or storage practices. These aren’t just boring rules; violating them can lead to foodborne illnesses, which nobody wants to encounter when they’re treating themselves to a dining experience.
Poor Quality Ingredients
If you’ve already been served your meal only to find low-quality ingredients on your plate, that’s a sign you shouldn’t return. Bland flavors, off textures, and questionable freshness are all things to keep in mind. If you experience this, do yourself a favor and take your money elsewhere.
Lack of Proper Licensing
Restaurants have a legal obligation to display updated licenses and health inspection reports, so if they don’t, it’s a warning sign. Proper licensing ensures the establishment meets regulatory standards, and while they might consider this to be legal jargon, it sets a precedent for their cooking standards, too.
Unprofessional or Unkempt Staff Appearance
This might sound strange, but the appearance of staff members can tell you a lot about a restaurant. We’re not talking about natural looks; unkempt or unprofessional attire suggests a lack of attention to detail and professionalism. Do you really want someone like that cooking your meal?
Loud Environment
A dining environment should always be pleasant and accommodative for conversation, and excessive noise or loud music can ruin this experience completely. Quality restaurants will always strive to create a comfortable ambiance where guests can relax, so unless it’s from having too many customers, give loud restaurants a miss.
Overly Expensive for Quality
There’s nothing wrong with treating yourself to an expensive restaurant occasionally, but such high prices should correspond with exceptional quality. Upon entering, take a look at the prices and investigate the food quality, and if it doesn’t add up, get out and take your money elsewhere.
Poor Online Reviews
While it’s true that reviews can be subjective, it’s always wise to check online reviews for a restaurant before entering. If the average rating is below 4.3 out of 5 amongst countless reviews, think about it: this means that hundreds of customers didn’t feel completely satisfied.
Lack of Customer Feedback
You should also be concerned about a restaurant if they have no online customer feedback. This brings up many concerns, such as whether nobody has tried the food or if the restaurant is deleting negative reviews. Quality restaurants always encourage customer feedback, so without it, that’s a red flag.
Overly Positive Reviews
The third thing to look out for when it comes to restaurant reviews is if they seem too good to be true. Even the best restaurants will have the occasional bitter customer, so if every review is perfect, they might not be authentic.
English Menus in a Foreign Country
Dining out abroad is a fantastic opportunity to try the local cuisine, but if you notice the menu is only printed in English, give it a miss. Authentic local restaurants will always print their menus in their native language, so seeing only English means it’s a tourist trap.
An Empty Tip Jar
One of the more obscure tips on our list is to avoid restaurants that have an empty tip jar. Most restaurants will openly display their tips, encouraging others to contribute, and it’s a sign of excellent food and customer service. When you see an empty tip jar, you have to ask yourself why that is.
Incorrect Orders
If you’re making an order at a restaurant and the waiter or waitress needs to be corrected several times, it might be best to walk out. It’s a sign of disorganization and removes the trust that you should have for your server, feeling like you’re rolling the dice.
Poor First Impressions
When walking into a restaurant, take note of your first impressions. A shabby exterior, poor signage, or an uninviting entrance can set a negative tone before you even step inside, and at that point, you should be walking away. Quality restaurants pay attention to all details, even the most basic of first impressions.
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