You enter a nice-looking restaurant and you're ushered to what appears to be a sticky table. Or you ask your sluggish waiter about the oysters and he has no clue what you're talking about. You know, the usual red flags that just beg to stay clear of the place.
But as much as we enjoy helping you not to fall into the wrong hands by calling out the telltale signs of a bad time when eating out - what if we flip things over like a patty and look at promising signs instead? Inspired by u/halfblood_god's "What are some green flags in restaurants?" prompt on Ask Reddit, we decided to hand-pick the best answers to see how people spot fine dining establishments from a mile away.
#1
If you walk into a restaurant that serves food from a different country and every single person in there (working and dining) is from that country.In my experience that means you're about to have an awesome meal.
Image credits: Ok_Whatever_Buddy
#2
Busy on a Monday night.
Image credits: Jarek86
#3
They don't offer coupons, groupons or other deals.
Image credits: Apart-Bathroom7811
#4
A place that smells good when you walk in. The best restaurants I’ve ever been to have all smelled fantastic as soon a you open the door.
Image credits: Esme-Weatherwaxes
#5
Owners' kids doing their homework at one of the tables or even operating the register.
Image credits: BatMacumbaHeyHey
#6
Small, focused menu.ionised replied:
This is green flag #1.
Image credits: AlcoholicMasculinity
#7
Clean bathrooms. Tells you a lot about the cleanliness behind the kitchen doors.
Image credits: DavidCantReddit
#8
A huge lineup of locals willing to wait for food is our number one way to find the best places to eat. We live in Mexico 6 months a year and look for restaurants full of happy Mexican families, not full of tourists!
Image credits: Global_Fail_1943
#9
My bestie went to culinary school and worked in some great places. She looks to see if the people eating there are smiling.
Image credits: monkeysatemybarf
#10
Check the salt and pepper shakers. This is the easiest way to tell if management gives a damn in a restaurant. If the salt and pepper shakers have a dead ant in them, or look congealed, this place is cutting some pretty basic corners.
Image credits: Behold-Roast-Beef
#11
I like it when I ask their opinion and they give a thoughtful, sincere answer that shows they really know the food.
Image credits: MCDexX
#12
If cops and firemen go there. When the burglar or fire alarm malfunctions in the middle of the night, we get to see the kitchen conditions. And if it's going to give you agita or the runs, we're not touching it. Just in case something pops off, you don't want to be percolating trying to climb a ladder or running through alleyways.#13
I like seeing a broad distribution of demographics eating somewhere. If you go to a taco truck in the hood and there are a few old timers, a couple cops, a few office workers, and a few construction types all eating there you know it is going to be great.
Image credits: Misterstaberinde
#14
A place that seems to have “regulars”.
Image credits: StandStillLaddie
#15
The same people are still working there 20+ years later, that means they treat their employees right.
Image credits: Aldous_Hoaxley
#16
I'm in the south. If the cooks are over 50,over 300 lbs and barefoot or wearing flip flops it's going to be good.
Image credits: HuckleberryUnited613
#17
Employees in good spirits.
Image credits: giraffe_on_shrooms
#18
Servers that get excited when talking about the menu, and recommend an item that is not the most expensive.
Image credits: reallynotmeforsure
#19
One time I was at the Hawthorne Hotel with my family. Our orders were taking a while because they started a bunch of new staff members that day so obviously mistakes will be made. My mother did have to send one thing back because it wasn't cooked all the way but otherwise it wasn't a big deal.The manager of the dining area kept communicating with customers and she offered us a free slice of cheesecake each for desert to compensate for the delay.
The free cheese cake was nice but moreso was the communication and the fact that the manager wasn't belittling the kitchen staff but just letting us know that some of them were inexperienced.
Image credits: ThePaddedCashier
#20
Small menu, clean, the menu isn’t sticky.
Image credits: DutchHasAPlan_1899
#21
Seeing staff eating the food. Especially bits of leftovers during service.Seriously, I'm a career chef. We see and make the same food day in and day out, and if the staff are still excited to eat it, that's always a great sign.
Also, a healthy work/social dynamic. If the staff clearly dislike eachother, chances are they're too preoccupied to give you their best.
Image credits: PhabioRants
#22
How long the servers have been there. We frequent a restaurant where a server remembers us from when my wife was pregnant. That was almost 7 years ago. The owner takes care of his staff who in turn take care of the customers.#23
A lot of elderly customers inside. You’re going to get a good meal at a good price.
Image credits: Ohsoeasy
#24
Menus you don’t need a QR code to scan.#25
If they've had the same linoleum counter top and booth sets since the 80s, the breakfast is gonna slap.#26
If the restaurant is not a chain, and not a celebrity restaurant, but even still it is always packed, and always has a reservation/ wait list, that's a great sign you gonna eat well and probably not pay out the nose for it either.#27
If it's Vietnamese or Chinese and the bathroom doubles as a cleaning product stockroom, and there's a grandma in the hallway snapping green beans (or other minor prep).Food is going to be bomb.
Image credits: purpleRN
#28
I completely disagree about the customer service / good mood wait staff comments here. Maybe it’s a Northeast US thing, but some of the restaurants with the saltiest salt of the earth employees and dogsh*t / nonexistent customer service have the tastiest food.Conversely, sometimes when a place has really good or “happy” customer service it’s because they’re compensating.
Image credits: reedspacer38
#29
Can they do the basics well. E.g., if they serve a bread basket, is it good bread or some crappy store-bought, mass produced rolls? Is their coffee good? Whatever the cultural equivalent is for the type of food to those kinds of things. These are easy to get right if you care. If you’re cheap or lousy on these things, then there is a lack of care or corners being cut.If they give no attention to the supporting players, I doubt they’re doing anything good with the stars of the show.
Image credits: StudsTurkleton
#30
They're busy during times you'd expect them to be. A restaurant that's dead during dinner hour is a huge red flag but then being packed is good.
Image credits: llcucf80
#31
If when I walk in someone looks at me and says "I'll be with you in a second" instead of walking by me as if just because they aren't the host/hostess of the joint that means they don't have to acknowledge my existence or help me in any way unless I'm in their section.Damn my bar is low.
#32
A Mexican/Central American restaurant with extremely little English proficiency.#33
Warm bread and nice salted butter.#34
1. Refusing to serve something as they aren't happy with the quality2. Double ply toilet paper
#35
As Freddie Wong once said: a 3/5* Chinese restaurant. Perfect balance between good food and unfriendly personnel due to the Chinese manners (meaning it's original food).#36
Complimentary appetizers, owner or head chef checking in, wait staff quick to give things for free if they are not up to standards. Checking in after food is delivered.#37
prompt/polite/brief greeting at the host stand and after you're satsmall menu, that menu includes all the menus you might want to look at (food, drinks, wine list, spirits list, dessert) with exceptions for places with very extensive wine or spirits lists
The menu is also clean and is either very designed like a bound book or it looks easy to replace pages frequently. The menu is also clean
Drink orders show up before any food with the exception of small snacks like nuts, popcorn, chips
Food ordered with a specific drink pairing shows up within a reasonable time of the drink, the server should inform the guest if that means they may have to wait for the drink and if they'd like anything in the meantime
All of the staff has their head up looking at guests as they walk through the space so it's easy to get their attention (this one is so uncommon but also so easy it's crazy)
If you go to the bathroom your napkin is folded when you return.
Waters stay full.
Check gets dropped promptly upon request and card is charged promptly after it is given
You are bid farewell by staff when you leave.
#38
They could fit more seats and tables in, but have chosen not to.
Image credits: Odd-Concentrate-6585
#39
Non-laminated menu.
Image credits: Aromatic-Maize-247
#40
I once was in the Subway we frequented at a past job. The health inspector happened to come in, and get in line.
Image credits: paiaw
#41
Clean open kitchen.#42
No TVs/TVs turned low.#43
While traveling in Europe: menu exclusively in local languages.#44
If you order the food and the person ringing you up yells at the chef in their native language, you KNOW the food's gonna be good. As someone who's Indian, it's basically how I differentiate good and bad restaurants.#45
The tables are clean.#46
A menu not afraid to show prices in font that the average person can understand.Bad restaurants don't show any prices at all.
#47
You hear one of the staff say "just the usual again?" to someone.#48
The owner is on the floor doing work, taking orders, chatting with customers etc.#49
Lots of vegetable options. fresh ingredients#50
Absolutely terrible, surley, rude service in a Chinese restaurant.The more they openly despise you, the better the food.
Image credits: OrdoMalaise
#51
More than 2 days off a week.#52
If it’s a hole in the wall placeIt looks like a bomb exploded inside
Half the tables are covered in toys/schoolwork from the owners kids
Sticky note with an A+ Health and Safety rating.
—————
No joke if you see all of these signs then just know that you are about to eat the best food of your life.
Image credits: JRockThumper
#53
They list every potential allergen on the menu.Waiters ask followup questions about potential allergens.
#54
Bringing extra napkins without having me ask and an extra plate when I eat chicken wings. Thank you for giving me a dish to place my bones!#55
Good mozzarella sticks.#56
When the waiter memorizes your order and gets it right#57
I'm all about the lighting.#58
Doesn't try to rush you out.#59
Frequent thorough washing of hands.#60
The chef is not sitting at the bar with their finger two knuckles deep in their nose.The GM is helping in the dining room, be it clearing tables, running the hokey over the rug in the foyer, rolling silverware, helping the bartender stock the bar.