Restaurant ‘Red Flags’

Chefs Share Red Flags at restaurants!  These guys would know best what to look out for to ensure the restaurant is clean and of good quality!

Here is what Chefs had to say on Reddit!

“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.”

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

If there’s a fish tank, take a look at it. If it’s clean, you can bet the kitchen is too.”


“Dirty bathrooms and dirty floors equal dirty kitchen.”

“A huge menu is a sign that food is either frozen, pre-cooked and reheated — or ingredients are not very fresh.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.” 

“If you see lots of plates left half-full, run.”

“Stock photos on the menu. Cheap silverware as well.”

“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, dessert bars, or whatever other kind of bulk food in a trough they are serving you.”