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 source: Ok_Whatever_Buddy, Alva Pratt
#2
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 source: ThePaddedCashier, Magic Mary
#3
Servers that get excited when talking about the menu, and recommend an item that is not the most expensive.
Image source: reallynotmeforsure, Lan Pham
#4
The same people are still working there 20+ years later, that means they treat their employees right.
Image source: Aldous_Hoaxley, krutarth shah
#5
Clean bathrooms. Tells you a lot about the cleanliness behind the kitchen doors.
Image source: DavidCantReddit, Curology
#6
Small, focused menu.
ionised replied:
This is green flag #1.
Image source: AlcoholicMasculinity, Shay Gordon
#7
Employees in good spirits.
Image source: giraffe_on_shrooms, Big Dodzy
#8
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 source: Esme-Weatherwaxes, bady abbas
#9
Busy on a Monday night.
#10
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 source: Misterstaberinde, Louis Hansel
#11
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 source: Global_Fail_1943, Roman Arkhipov
#12
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 source: purpleRN, Clay Banks
#13
Menus you don’t need a QR code to scan.
Image source: Spiritual-Clock5624, Albert Hu
#14
Owners’ kids doing their homework at one of the tables or even operating the register.
Image source: BatMacumbaHeyHey, Santi Vedrí
#15
If they’ve had the same linoleum counter top and booth sets since the 80s, the breakfast is gonna slap.
Image source: JBOYCE35239, Dayanara Nacion
#16
A place that seems to have “regulars”.
Image source: StandStillLaddie, Toa Heftiba
#17
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.
Image source: beadle03, Centre for Ageing Better
#18
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 source: PhabioRants, Marek Rucinski
#19
I like it when I ask their opinion and they give a thoughtful, sincere answer that shows they really know the food.
Image source: MCDexX, Hyoshin Choi
#20
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 source: HuckleberryUnited613, Soheb Zaidi
#21
Small menu, clean, the menu isn’t sticky.
Image source: DutchHasAPlan_1899, Amanda Vick
#22
The owner is on the floor doing work, taking orders, chatting with customers etc.
Image source: WehingSounds, Jesson Mata
#23
They could fit more seats and tables in, but have chosen not to.
Image source: Odd-Concentrate-6585, piotr szulawski
#24
They don’t offer coupons, groupons or other deals.
Image source: Apart-Bathroom7811, Matt McGee
#25
I once was in the Subway we frequented at a past job. The health inspector happened to come in, and get in line.
#26
My bestie went to culinary school and worked in some great places. She looks to see if the people eating there are smiling.
Image source: monkeysatemybarf, Alex Haney
#27
Lots of vegetable options. fresh ingredients
Image source: subtle_existence, Julia Joppien
#28
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.
Image source: SurrealAprilFeels, lasse bergqvist
#29
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 source: reedspacer38, Hamish Duncan
#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 source: llcucf80, Regina Victorica
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