Not every restaurant outing offers a five-star experience — and diners don't always need to taste the food to know something is off.
From management gaps to social media hype, key signs can tip you off early to a disappointing experience, say restaurant insiders.
These red flags suggest a restaurant may be struggling with service, quality or culture, according to experts.
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Any of these sound familiar when it comes to a restaurant you know?
"Great managers are visible," Salar Sheik, a restaurant consultant based in Los Angeles, told Fox News Digital.
"They touch tables, support staff and keep the energy up."
Restaurant managers should be on the floor helping servers — and making their presence known to customers as well. (iStock)
In addition to operational duties like working with vendors and managing inventory, managers should be greeting customers, taking their feedback and helping out servers as needed, according to Indeed.
"If you can't tell who's in charge, it might be because no one is," Sheik warned.
While social media influencers can boost a restaurant's identity and draw people in, experts note they could be getting freebies or special treatment.
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"When every post or review is from a hosted experience, I can't trust that," Candy Hom, an Atlanta-based food critic, tour guide and chef, told Allrecipes.
Their ring lights and food photo shoots can also put a damper on the experiences of other customers.
Experts say influencer overload at a restaurant can be deceiving. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
"If it feels more like a photo shoot than a place to break bread, odds are the experience is built more for the 'gram than the guest," Sheik said.
A restaurant with low traffic could also have slower food rotation, leading to fewer fresh ingredients, according to insiders.
Context matters, Sheik said, but beware of dining rooms that are empty at peak hours.
"Consistently empty restaurants often point to a loss of community trust – whether from poor service, declining quality or mismanagement," according to Sheik.
The customer might not always be right, but experts say an argumentative staff member could be a sign of poor service standards and a breakdown among the team.
An argumentative employee at a restaurant could be a sign of poor service standards. (iStock)
"If they mess something up, they should try to make it up to you," Hom told Allrecipes.
A waiter at a celebrity-owned restaurant once split her table's receipt five ways instead of six – then blamed the fact that he usually serves tables of five, Hom said.
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"Even if the food was good, the experience was ruined," she added.
"If I hear and read about staffers alleging not-great work environments and management issues over and over again from trusted sources … I take those to heart," Nadia Chaudhury, an editor at Eater, told Allrecipes.
Sheik said there are also signs to watch for while at the restaurant.
If servers are afraid to make a mistake, it can be a sign of a negative workplace environment, according to a restaurant consultant. (iStock)
"If you hear managers talking down to staff in front of guests, if your server seems visibly anxious or afraid to make a mistake, or if there's no energy, no personality, no smiles, it often means the culture is toxic or punitive," he said.
Sticky menus and lipstick-stained glasses are bad enough, but Sheik pointed to the restrooms as the real test of cleanliness.
"If those aren't clean, I guarantee you the kitchen's not being held to a higher standard," he said.
Cleanliness is one of the most controllable elements of running a restaurant, he added.
"If the team can't manage that, they're likely failing at much more complex things, too."
"If your server has to guess ingredients or check on every question, it signals poor training and a lack of pride in the product," Sheik said.
Experts say servers should know the menu thoroughly and be able to answer questions about the items on it. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
Menu knowledge is key to providing guests with accurate allergen information and enhancing their overall experience, according to Toast, a restaurant management system.
If you're being upsold too much, it can be another sign of trouble.
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Servers should be enlightening guests, not harassing them, experts claim.
"Suggestive selling is part of the job," Sheik said.
"But when it feels like a script or desperation, it often means the restaurant is struggling to hit numbers and pushing sales at the cost of genuine hospitality."