Restaurant Red Flags Go Viral, Examples Are Disgusting

What’s a clear and obvious red flag in a restaurant?

As I’ve stated before, I rarely go out to eat, but when I do, I certainly expect it to be worth the money. There are few things more frustrating than paying to go to a restaurant and then having it be disappointing.

Generally speaking, you can tell pretty quickly if things are going to go downhill, and Reddit has a great thread breaking down all the red flags people should be on the lookout for.

Restaurant red flags go viral.

The viral thread blowing up on Reddit might be more than enough to keep you out of restaurants for a long time.

Check out some of the top answers for red flags below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com:

• I went to a diner near me recently I had never heard of. There was no one eating at the tables inside. The woman who was at the front entrance walked away into the kitchen when I walked in the door. Then a dude came out of the kitchen and stood in her place and refused to acknowledge me. Then a girl came up and said something to him and he said I know I know just calm down it’s ok. Then she scurried off into the kitchen. I asked the guy if I could see a menu and he said “she’ll be right back”. I left. I don’t know what was going in there but I will never eat anything from there.
• The smell of a dirty grease trap. After you’ve worked in a kitchen for a while you recognize it instantly. It’s an awful smell and if a place isn’t getting it regularly serviced the rest of the operation is probably terrible too. I was going to pub trivia at a place I had worked at years earlier. As soon as I walked in I smelled the smell and it was strong. I ended up calling the trap cleaning service and setting up an appointment for them without telling the manager
• No soap in the bathroom- and no hint that it just ran out. Like there is no dispenser on the wall and no empty container on the sink.
• Someone handling the food while wearing gloves but then using their gloved hands to handle money, open doors, touch their face, etc. Or worse, someone handling food with bare hands while there are open wounds or bandaids. I’ve seen it. Immediate nope for me
• Lots of flies buzzing around the tables and the kitchen
• It’s mostly empty and the staff act surprised and confused about your presence. It’s a hint that selling food isn’t their main business.
• It’s a bit specific but if I’m looking to eat at a bbq joint and I don’t smell it well before I walk in I know it’s not gonna be good. Ideally I should be able to smell it from like a block away. Anytime I’ve ignored that instinct and gone in anyway the food ended up being bland and dry as hell.
• No Prices on the menu.
• I hate when they do this. I get it you want fancy people who don’t care about money, but even the rich people I know hate this because it is simply stupid. If you base your restaurant around your guests being financially irresponsible, I assume your food is sh*t.
• When the workers look at you like you ruined their good time and now they gotta work.
• When cooks don’t wash their hands.
• My brother told me this story. He saw a black cord like thing sticking out of a wall. Thought it was a wire or something…. Then it started to move. Apparently it was a mouse tail. That’s not the worst part. He tells a waiter. Waiter grabs a spoon, one that is obviously something guests would be given to eat with, and attacks the tail with it. Him and his entire group just left.
• If the restaurant smells bad or has dirty tables, I’m out.
• Compulsory service charge.
• No menus, just a QR code stuck to the table.

Lots of great answers and advice above. The biggest one for me is poor service. If the service is bad, then I’m going to assume everything about the place is bad.

There’s nothing more annoying than a bartender or waiter/waitress acting like they’re doing me a favor. It’s your job! If you hate your job, then get a new one. It’s not complicated.

Rude staff gets me irrationally frustrated, and I’m generally a very calm and patient person. Growing up in the brutal Wisconsin winters will do that to a man.

There’s just no excuse for staff to be rude. Fortunately, it’s pretty rare that I see it or personally experience it. It does happen, but not often.

A viral Reddit thread is shining a light on red flags at restaurants. (Credit: Getty Images)

Do you have an automatic red flag in a restaurant? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.