You have probably wondered at least once in your life what red flags mark some hotel with a bad review. I have thought about it a lot and decided to create a list that represents the 13 most important signs you should look out for if you have decided to have that delicious dinner with your partner in that glamorous restaurant.

We have a lot of work so let’s go straight to the list!

The server looks sick but is still working. Some restaurants force their staff to work in such conditions when they shouldn’t even be around food. If they don’t respect people and don’t let them rest and recover, how can they respect you? Such restaurants only think about the money they will make and nothing else.

Dirty bathrooms. You know how it’s said – if you want to check how clean and tidy someone is, check their bathroom. Does the same rule apply for restaurants as well? Definitely!

The meal arrives too fast. Why is this a problem? Because it means that your meal has been precooked. Don’t eat something that is not fresh.

Buffet. The biggest sanitation flag… Just think about it for a moment – underpaid employees most of the times don’t wash their hands, someone decided that they don’t want to eat that fried chicken and returned it back to the plate (probably with dirty hands), some man didn’t wash his hands after peeing, a child picked his/her nose and touched bread etc. Food safety is obviously not something they have thought about…

There are too many ‘special’ dishes available. Why is this a problem? Because they just want to sell you something ‘ordinary’ for a special price. In that case, people feel how they will get something better than others. The problem is that you won’t, but your bill will definitely be very special.

Dust on ceiling fixtures or dirty ceiling. No one likes to eat in a dirty restaurant, and especially we who suffer from dust allergy. I mean, cleaning it doesn’t take more than 10 minutes!

Most restaurant’s menu items are purposely misspelled. That’s not a mistake. They did it so they don’t have to sell you the real thing. Tricky, right?

The server argues about sending food back. Arguing is not something you have expected to see while having your dinner and especially when it is related to your meal.

Angry and unhappy employees all around… They are probably underpaid, working long hours, not doing their best and not thinking about food safety. Besides that, you don’t want to give money to a restaurant that doesn’t respect people.

No service safe certificates are posted. Those should be a must. There are many people who are sick or have some allergies and food intolerance. We all want to know what we are eating and if it is safe for us.

The city has already fined a restaurant many times. It can be for anything, but be sure to stay away from it.

‘Hidden’ bill items. If they want you to pay for something no one told you costs, you are in the wrong restaurant. For example, while I was having dinner at one restaurant, I never asked for bread but they have brought it. I didn’t eat it, it wasn’t written anywhere that bread is a must. And the bill? They have put bread as an item on it, of course.

You simply cannot relax there. Don’t feel relaxed while enjoying your lunch? Is the atmosphere just weird and unfriendly? Do you feel like someone is watching you all the time? Skip that restaurant next time.

Which of these red flags have you already seen in practice?

Would you like to add some others to this list?