The Red Flags That Make People Realize 'I Can't Eat At This Restaurant!'

Though going out to eat and have a nice dinner is becoming more and more of a luxury, most of us can say that there was at least a time when we really enjoyed going out to eat.

That said, there were definitely things that would turn us off of the idea of eating at a restaurant, even when it was more affordable.

Bracing themselves for the worst, Redditor TeachBS asked:

"What is something that is an automatic 'I am not eating here; we need to leave' at a restaurant?"

Can We Say, "Ambience"?

"Besides being filthy or having rude service, one thing that will basically make me immediately turn around and leave is blaring loud music and strange lighting. I just want to eat my meal in peace or be able to have a nice conversation with someone."

- Masedawg1

A Front For Something

"I went to a diner near me recently I had never heard of. There was no one eating at the tables inside."

"The woman who was at the front entrance walked away into the kitchen when I walked in the door. Then a dude came out of the kitchen and stood in her place and refused to acknowledge me."

"Then a girl came up and said something to him, and he said, 'I know, I know, just calm down, it’s okay.' Then she scurried off into the kitchen."

"I asked the guy if I could see a menu and he said, 'She’ll be right back.'"

"I left. I don’t know what was going in there but I will never eat anything from there."

- n2u7r1n0

Bathroom Cleanliness Speaks Volumes

"No soap in the bathroom- and no hint that it just ran out. Like, there is no dispenser on the wall and no empty container on the sink."

- Bastyra2016

"My local dive bar has the dirtiest-looking but actually cleanest bathrooms. The graffiti is probably thicker than the drywall, but I swear there's always soap, and towels, and the sink and toilet are clean and shiny."

- WormyJermy

"I actually frequent a bar like that. They've also got a stage and regularly have all sorts of bands and events. The bathroom walls are COVERED with band stickers and graffiti, but the whole place is immaculate."

- lephantome92

Proper Food Handling

"Someone handling the food while wearing gloves but then using their gloved hands to handle money, open doors, touch their face, etc."

"Or worse, someone handling food with bare hands while there are open wounds or bandaids. I've seen it. Immediate nope for me."

- JessCeceSchmidtNick

"I used to work as a waitress at a pizza place with an open kitchen. We were really busy one night and a guy came to collect his to-go order but it wasn’t ready yet. He was super rude and didn’t like me at all."

"It was the waitress’s job to put the garlic knots in the oven so I washed my hands in the sink that was visible from the register, the guy literally watched me. I grabbed some knots to put in the oven and he started literally screaming at me that it’s so unhygienic to not use gloves, he’s disgusted and wants the chef to do it, etc."

"So the pizza guy (who was wearing gloves) put them in. BUT the pizza guy used to wear the same gloves almost ALL DAY! He would grab stuff out of his pockets, handle cash, everything with the SAME pair of gloves! It was so gross. I still remember that interaction vividly 11 years later…"

- Halllllllleberry

Two Words: Burnt Grease

"The smell of a dirty grease trap. After you've worked in a kitchen for a while, you recognize it instantly. It's an awful smell, and if a place isn't getting it regularly serviced, the rest of the operation is probably terrible too."

"I was going to pub trivia at a place I had worked at years earlier. As soon as I walked in, I smelled the smell, and it was strong. I ended up calling the trap cleaning service and setting up an appointment for them without telling the manager."

- BakedMitten

"I'll never forget this smell and I'll never forgive the place I worked at for making my coworker clean it out during peak hours and then getting pissed at her for driving away customers."

"That is not a daytime type of job fam, it's a middle of the night, shamefully whisk away the sludge and try to forget it type of job."

"And yes, if you do it regularly, as you should, it won't be nearly as bad. But that's not a manager's problem, it's a minimum-wage worker's problem."

- hellerinahandbasket

What A Terrible Visual

"Cook walks out of the bathroom with an apron on."

- Words_worst_ginge

"So so much. Same with seeing them lug a filthy garbage can into the dumpster in the same apron they are wiping their hands on between plates."

- Sliderisk

Not A Combination You Want

"Walked into a restaurant and I smelled sewage. They said a sewage back-up had occurred and was being fixed by a plumber. I left anyway because the place was running like it was normal. No windows open or fans running to try and flush the smell. Yeah, it was warm outside but seriously I'd rather sweat than smell s**t while eating."

- Taboc741

"The drains recently backed up at my work (bartender). It stank so bad and I suggested closing the affected area as my work has multiple dining rooms. The plumber couldn't fix it and needed to leave to get something as the drain backup continued to rise. It got to three inches deep and I was called a baby by management and insulted. My job was basically threatened if I didn't continue to work and I needed money to survive."

"What appalled me was guests continued to come and dine, and complain about the sewage smell/conditions and be mad at my poor attitude when I literally had drain water up past my ankles."

"A few good Samaritans filed complaints on my behalf but management blamed me and said if I had a better attitude, the guests wouldn't have minded. The water coming out of the drains was thick and black, by the way. I had to work like that for over four hours, and some of the skin of my feet came off with my shoes."

"Yes, I'm applying for other jobs."

- AssociationBulky7017

Ew. Ew. Ew.

"I used to live right behind this Italian restaurant that had been there for decades. Think vinyl red and white checkered tablecloth kind of place. My friend and I went for lunch one day and as soon as we were sat, there were five or six baby roaches climbing the wall right next to us. Needless to say, we left."

"An exterminator acquaintance of mine once told me that if you see German cockroaches during the day/when the lights are on, then there is a SEVERE infestation."

"And this restaurant was directly across the street from our city’s health inspection office."

- backpackofcats

That Would Certainly Be A Sign

"I'd stop dead, pivot, and go back out the door before it could even swing closed if I saw that Gordon Ramsey was filming inside."

- SailorVenus23

"I saw someone post somewhere one time:"

"'My favorite part of the show 'Kitchen Nightmares' is when the restaurant owner applies to be on a show called 'Kitchen Nightmares' and is selected to be on the show 'Kitchen Nightmares', and then acts completely shocked when Gordon Ramsay comes in and tells them that their kitchen... is a nightmare.'"

- WildBad7298

A Gross Secret

"My wife is Arabic and one time we were at a kebab shop and her demeanor changed. When I asked why, she explained that she heard one kitchen staff ask the other:"

"A: What are you doing?"

"B: I'm throwing this old meat away?"

"A: No no no, mix it with the fresh. These stupid Westerners can't tell anyway."

- degenerate-tickler

"Yeah, that happens all the time, I can tell if the meat is off. Unfortunately, that has happened twice with my favorite kebab place that offers good lamb kebab. I complained the first time, but now I'm never going there again."

- CroutonEffect

Nasty Habits

"I got two from the same Dunkin Donuts! A worker sneezed into his gloved hands and gave them a half-hearted wipe on his pant legs. Immediately after, a customer came in to get donuts and I saw the man fill the order without changing his gloves."

"I went off and left. Later on, I went to leave a review explaining this and saw that I was not the only one to point out their disgusting ways."

"Someone else posted a picture of a worker with his shoes off and dirty socked feet up on a table. Sitting right next to a window for the public to see."

- Accidental_Taco

Be Transparent, Always

"No Prices on the menu."

- zero11235

"I actually saw a food truck like that. I walked away. Food trucks used to be cheap, and now they are often more expensive than brick and mortar."

- DerFurBabyDerp

What Work Ethic?

"When the workers look at you like you ruined their good time and now they gotta work."

- Human-Bit-1427

"My wife and I went to Dennys the other day. The waitresses were sitting around making Friendship Bracelets because they had nothing to do."

"They were still friendly when we showed up, though."

- Usual_Ice636

Not A Good Selling Point

"I didn’t even have to go into the restaurant…I was at my local bar and the head cook from the restaurant across the street started coming in after his shifts pretty regularly."

"Just an overall sloven dude with the grossest habits, body odor, funky skin growths, unkept fingernails, and similar demeanor."

"None of the other regulars, including myself, will ever go back there."

- hautestew

Inviting You In

"It's a bit specific, but if I'm looking to eat at a BBQ joint, and I don't smell it well before I walk in, I know it's not gonna be good."

"Ideally, I should be able to smell it from like a block away. Anytime I've ignored that instinct and gone in anyway the food ended up being bland and dry as h**l."

- zakkil

"My favorite BBQ joint ever got me this way. Literally smelled it driving down the road, it was like one of those cartoon smoke hands pulling me by the nostrils. I turned the car around and went back to discover the source."

"Best ribs I've had in my life, bar none."

- Zoutaleaux

With the economy being the way it is, it's more expensive than ever to order groceries, or a meal, or to go out to eat for a nice evening away from home. Because of this, it's more important than ever to think about where we are spending our time and money.

While places might have been able to get away with some of this stuff before, it's enough to stop considering supporting them altogether.