Diner, beware—you’re going to want to watch out for these signs when you eat out.
Reviewed by Dietitian Jane Leverich, M.S., RDN
Key Points
- According to chefs, there are certain red flags you should look out for when choosing a restaurant.
- If the restaurant you’re at has missed the mark on cleanliness or has an endless menu, it may be worth going somewhere else.
- Reading reviews beforehand and checking health inspection scores may be useful in choosing a restaurant.
Despite rising food costs across America, dining out remains a popular way for adults to enjoy a meal. In fact, research shows that while spending on food prepared at home has declined in recent years, spending on food away from home has increased., When you’re spending your hard-earned money on a meal, you want to feel confident that it’s worth every bite—and that the restaurant is taking food safety seriously.
With food-safety concerns making headlines recently, it’s worth knowing that there are signs you can look for long before a potential outbreak hits your news feed. Chefs say certain red flags can tell you a lot about a restaurant’s cleanliness, organization and overall operation, even before your first bite. “There are a few things that catch my attention as a chef before I’ve even tasted the first dish, with many of them having nothing to do with the food itself,” says Chef Isaac Bernal Carbajo.
Read on for five restaurant red flags chefs say diners should watch for, plus their tips for choosing a restaurant with food safety in mind.
1. The Restaurant Isn’t Clean
When it comes to restaurant red flags, chefs seem to agree on one nonnegotiable: cleanliness. Chef Sara Haas, RDNsays, “If the place feels off to you, then turn around to leave, but my biggest red flag is absolutely cleanliness. That starts when you enter the restaurant too. If the spot where you’re greeted is a mess, you can likely assume other parts are as well—including the kitchen.”
And she’s not alone. Chef Carbajo notes that you don’t need access to the kitchen to get a sense of how a restaurant is run. “The restrooms, floors, tables, menus and even the areas around the entrance say a lot,” he explains. If a restaurant isn’t keeping customer-facing areas clean, he says, it’s reasonable to question how much attention is being given to areas diners can’t see.
There are plenty of other clues you can spot without ever stepping into the kitchen. Chefs Abbie Gellman, M.S., RD, CDNand Amber Pankonin, M.S., RD, LMNT, CECboth point to trash and visible debris as potential warning signs, from overflowing bins to cigarette butts or other litter around the restaurant’s exterior. While none of these signs alone can tell you exactly what’s happening behind the scenes, they can offer useful clues about a restaurant’s overall attention to cleanliness.
2. You Spot Signs of Pests
A pesky fly buzzing around your meal may be annoying, but chefs say a single insect doesn’t necessarily mean you need to leave, especially when you’re dining outdoors or during warmer weather. However, if you notice multiple insects inside a restaurant, rodent traps in visible areas of the dining room or other obvious signs of pest activity, it may be time to choose another spot.
Chef Pankonin says, “Seeing rodents or evidence of rodents is a major concern. An occasional fly can get through an open door, but multiple insects or obvious pest activity could point to larger sanitation or facility issues.”
Another way to get a sense of a restaurant’s food-safety record is to check its most recent health inspection. This information is public and should be available online or upon request at the restaurant. Inspection records are generally public and may be available online or through the local health department.
3. Food Isn’t Being Kept at the Right Temperature
One of the most common ways food can become unsafe is through improper temperature control. The “danger zone,” which generally refers to temperatures between 40°F and 140°F, is a range where bacteria can multiply quickly, making proper food handling and storage especially important.
That’s why chefs recommend paying attention to the temperature of your food, particularly at self-service stations. Chef Pankonin says, “At buffets and salad bars, hot foods should be hot and cold foods should be cold. Food sitting at lukewarm temperatures can be a food-safety concern.”
Chef Gellman agrees, encouraging diners to use their senses as a quick check. A chilled dish should feel cold, while a hot dish should arrive hot. If something that should be cold feels lukewarm, or a hot dish is barely warm, it may be worth sending it back or choosing another option.
4. The Menu Is Way Too Long
Hoping for tacos? A restaurant that specializes in Mexican cuisine may be a better bet than one that serves everything from sushi to steak. When a restaurant tries to do everything, chefs say it may end up losing sight of what it does best and serving mediocre food in the process.
Chef Carbajo says, “When I see sushi, burgers, pasta, seafood, steaks, 20 appetizers and 15 desserts all on the same menu, I start asking questions. It’s not impossible to keep that many fresh ingredients on hand and execute so many different dishes well, but it is much more difficult.”
With that in mind, Carbajo encourages diners to look for restaurants with shorter, more focused menus that highlight what the establishment does best. A streamlined menu can also suggest that the kitchen and staff are trained to execute those dishes well, rather than spreading their attention across an overwhelming number of options.
5. The Restaurant Feels Chaotic
While it may be a less obvious sign, the overall atmosphere of a restaurant can offer clues about how well it’s operating behind the scenes. If you walk in and everyone from the host to the servers looks stressed or overwhelmed, chefs say it may be worth considering another place to dine. Of course, restaurants can get busy during peak hours, but a rush shouldn’t necessarily translate into chaos throughout the entire dining room.
Chef Carbajo says to watch for signs like overwhelmed servers, long waits, plates piling up and employees who can’t answer basic questions about the menu. “Every kitchen has a bad service now and then, we’ve truthfully all had them, but when disorganization seems to be part of the restaurant’s everyday routine, it usually ends up showing on the plate as well,” he says.
A little hustle is normal, but if the entire restaurant seems consistently disorganized, it could be a sign that the same lack of organization extends to the kitchen.
Tips for Choosing a Good Restaurant
If you decide to dine out, you deserve a meal that’s both delicious and safe. But, finding a great restaurant doesn’t necessarily mean choosing the most expensive, elegant or trendy spot. As Chef Carbajo notes, some of the best meals can come from simple, unassuming restaurants. As you search online and make your next reservation, keep these tips in mind to help you choose a restaurant that delivers where it matters most.
- Read recent reviews and look for patterns. One negative review doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story, but repeated comments about cleanliness, service or food quality are worth paying attention to. Chef Pankonin recommends looking for consistent themes across multiple recent reviews rather than focusing on one customer’s experience.
- Check health inspection scores. A restaurant’s most recent health inspection can offer useful insight into its food-safety practices and cleanliness, notes Haas. In some states, restaurants receive letter grades that must be displayed for customers to see. While an A is the highest grade, checking the restaurant’s inspection record can give you a better idea of how it’s performing from a food-safety standpoint.
- Look at recent customer photos. Before making a reservation, Chef Pankonin recommends scrolling through recent photos posted by diners. These candid images can give you a better sense of portion sizes, food presentation, cleanliness and the overall atmosphere than styled marketing photos.
- Check the menu ahead of time. Most restaurants publish menus online, meaning a quick peek can help you identify if the restaurant is trying to do one cuisine well, or perhaps trying to do too much. Chef Carbajo also encourages customers to look at how they incorporate menu seasonality. He writes, “ Daily specials that genuinely reflect what’s available in the market, or ingredients that make sense for that time of year, give me much more confidence than seeing exactly the same menu 12 months a year.”
Our Expert Take
Dining out can offer an opportunity to escape the realities of your “to-do” list while offering a fun environment to socialize and try new dishes. But before you make that reservation or step in the door, chefs encourage you to do a little homework first. If the place you’re eyeing has missed the mark on cleanliness, shows signs of pests, struggles to keep food at proper temperatures, has an endless menu or just feels chaotic, it may be worth dining somewhere else. You can easily spot these by checking out reviews online, viewing public health records and looking at the menu ahead of time. With a little effort, you may save yourself the headache of a less-than-stellar dining experience.