It can happen to anyone, but it's always good to listen to more experienced people to avoid pitfalls when traveling, right? Therefore, we brought in this post 6 signs you need to identify to know when to avoid unrecommended restaurants!
The tips come from restaurant expert and writer Darron Cardosa, who makes a point of sharing his expertise in the gastronomic universe in magazine Food & Wine.
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It's a fact that, nowadays, you can easily know whether a restaurant is good or not before you even leave home, just take a look at online customer reviews on Google Maps or specialized websites. Even so, you can never have too much knowledge when it comes to tips that can save your trip, without relying on prior research (which can be forgotten during a busy trip).
Therefore, pay attention to the following 6 signs to know when you may have made a wrong decision when entering an unfamiliar restaurant, according to the expert:
6 signs that the restaurant is bad
1. Dirty bathroom
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again from the mountaintops. When you walk into the bathroom and it has a dirty floor, an overflowing trash can, or no soap in the dispenser, listen to your inner lifeguard whistle. If a restaurant doesn't make an effort to clean one area that customers see, what would other parts of the restaurant be like? Rinse your hands in hot water, shake them off as there are no paper towels, and escape to a safe place.”
2. 10-page menu
“If the menu is more wordy than Gone with the Wind,” you might want to reconsider. A truly great restaurant focuses on a select number of entrees, while an extensive menu, well, just doesn't. It's hard to trust a kitchen that can make meatloaf, lasagna and exiladas. The restaurant may think it has mastered all cuisines, but frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. Disclaimer: If it's a diner, the menu can be as long as they want, but choose wisely. Eggs, yes. Lobster fettuccine, no.”
3. Sticky menus, dirty salt and pepper shakers
“This is another clue that the restaurant does not consider cleanliness to be important. When you sit down, look at the items on the table to see what condition they are in. Anything that has a higher viscosity than normal means no one bothered to clean it after the last customer used it. That salt shaker could be in the mouth of a child who just ate cereal. By the way, the correct level of viscosity on the menu is to have absolutely no viscosity.”
4. Strong odor
“Entering a restaurant should delight your olfactory senses, not assault them. You want to smell herbs, garlic, bacon or brownies, but smelling bleach, insect repellent or chemicals is not a good sign. If the perfume is a disgustingly strong air freshener that smells like funeral home flowers, what smell are they trying to cover up?”
5. Being ignored
“You must be recognized by someone when you enter a restaurant, be it the receptionist, maître d', waiter or even someone behind the bar. You want to know that they know you are there. If after sitting down you still feel neglected, it could be an indication of things to come. The service is not up to par. You deserve better than this and it’s okay to leave.”
6. Photos of all dishes on the menu
“Restaurants that need pictures instead of words or explanations to describe the food may leave you disappointed. Furthermore, there is no way the food that arrives at your table will be identical to the image you saw on the menu.”
All tips are interesting to consider when entering a restaurant that you have no reference to. But, like everything in life, the expert says that there may be some exceptions:
“It is possible that you will be pleasantly surprised when you order a plate of pasta, based on a picture that was on page nine of a sticky menu, after being ignored by the waiter, in a restaurant that smells like bleach and has a bathroom covered in dirt, waaaay the chances are slim!”
The article in English was published on the specialized website Food & Wine and you can read it here.
I confess that being ignored has made me leave a few times and the sticky menu makes me rethink whether I want to stay there. Of course, good manners recommend being discreet when leaving a restaurant, but we also don't have to stay somewhere that doesn't seem acceptable at all. What do you think? Do you agree with the expert’s tips? Participate in the comments!
