If you see this at a restaurant: get out
Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: If you see this at a restaurant: get out.
Strange city, strange restaurant. How do you know if you're in the right place? The hospitality staff doesn't hesitate for a moment; they can tell at a glance that something is off. Take advantage of their tips!
Pros from the restaurant business know exactly what to look for when they step into a new place. While I naively think: how nice that there is so much choice on this menu, they know: it all comes from the freezer. These insider tips come from chefs and waitstaff who know exactly how it all works.
Do the napkin test
Is there a machine where you can tap your own soda? Grab a napkin and stuff it a bit into the tap where the soda comes out. Look at that napkin: is it pink or orange? That’s a kind of mold that thrives in those machines if they aren’t cleaned often enough. Is it brown? That’s probably cola, but then you also know that the machine isn’t being cleaned properly. And that ice machine? Take a look inside; often you’ll see a green residue if that thing isn’t cleaned regularly.
Vegan? Not everywhere
A lot of kosher food isn’t really kosher and the vegan dishes aren’t truly vegan in restaurants that aren’t specialized in that. For example, the falafel is fried in a pan that has also been used for meat. Washing in between? No way, they just run a wad of kitchen paper through it.
Ten more waiting before you
When you enter a busy and full restaurant, take a good look at the tables. If you only see people waiting for their food, it means the kitchen is deep in trouble. Get out while you still can!
That comes from the freezer
A large menu is a red flag. With so many different choices, the chance is slim that everything is homemade. It probably comes straight from the wholesaler or from the Ice Palace.
You haven't eaten this salty before
Check the salt shakers on the table. If they are dirty, the kitchen is probably dirty too. The same goes for the restroom: if it’s not clean there, you already know enough.
Authentic guests
Look at the other guests. A Thai restaurant full of Thai guests? Probably a good kitchen with authentic dishes.
This is real
Is the restaurant not neat and clean? Sticky tables, clutter on the windowsill, crumbs on your chair, dusty flower arrangements? Time to leave, the kitchen is probably much dirtier.
A peek into the kitchen
Open kitchens are all the rage. Are you going to a new restaurant and can’t see into the kitchen? Not a good sign, they probably have a lot to hide.
Milk is good for...
Can you see the coffee machine behind the bar? Take a look at that pipe they use to steam the milk. If it’s white, it’s not being cleaned properly. Milk gets left behind, and bacteria can multiply rapidly there. So don’t take coffee. And maybe nothing else either, if they handle hygiene so casually here.
Source: Brightside
