Three insiders in the dining community share what turns them off about a restaurant
While it is a major factor, food is not the only component contributing to your overall dining experience. The experience of going to a restaurant starts from the moment you scout for your next dining destination. From reviews and websites to the first impression from the street or entrance, these help you decide whether you should make a reservation or take your chances elsewhere. Then there are the ambiance, service, cleanliness, the list goes on—they can either elevate or tarnish your experience.
Tatler Dining speaks to three individuals in the industry—food writer Lim Renyi, recipe developer and food writer Loh Yi Jun, and restaurateur and bar owner Hsiao Tung Wei—to find out their red flags when dining out.
Read more: 5 red flags you may be in for a bad hotel experience
1. Unappetising surroundings
When you see trash being taken out through the front door and flung onto the sidewalk, run. Not only does this violate health codes and sanitary standards, it's a major turn-off.
The stench, grime, and rotting food do not make for a warm welcome to a restaurant, especially since it signifies the presence of rodents and flies. This is a big no-no for Loh. "With trash around the entrance, you'll also have cockroaches scuttling around the premises," he says. For certain, it's not a sight you'd want to see when you're putting food in your mouth.
Loh adds: "I love peeking into restaurant kitchens whenever I can because get a certain joy from witnessing a chaotic kitchen in the full swing of service. But if there are weeks-old grease stains on stovetops and sauce bottles, dust collecting on forgotten bags of flour, or signs of furry, mossy mould on the walls, I’ll see myself out quicker than you can say 'Ewww'."
Lim, who was a panellist for Tatler Dining Awards 2023, believes that the condition of the toilet is a good indicator of the overall hygiene level of the restaurant. "There’s a rule I once read that stated ‘If they can’t keep the bathroom clean, imagine the state of the kitchen’. I think of it every time I visit the ladies’ loos in a restaurant," she notes.
See also: What do the staff at Dewakan, Akar Dining, Mano, and Table & Apron eat before their shift begins?
