Dining out is one of life’s simple pleasures, but to make it an enjoyable experience for customers, restaurants must ensure that they follow strict hygiene policies to avoid food contamination. According to the World Health Organization, every year, about 600 million people fall ill after eating contaminated food. Moreover, billions of dollars are lost each year in medical expenses and productivity due to unsafe food handling practices in food carts and dining establishments.
If you regularly get your food from a food delivery business, a fast food franchise, or a sit-down restaurant, it’s important to be on the lookout for the telltale signs that they’re running an unhygienic business so you can safeguard your health. Here are the five signs that you’re in a dirty restaurant.
Pests Within the Premises and in Your Food
Finding a roach in the restaurant’s restroom, or the presence of even a tiny bug in your food is not only highly unpleasant, but it can also affect your health. According to research, cockroaches are often responsible for a host of food-borne diseases that range from gastrointestinal infection to Hepatitis A. Dining establishments should make it a point to follow basic restaurant pest control guidelines, such as ensuring that outdoor dining areas are free of food scraps and waste and using professional pest control services on a regular basis. They should also motivate staff to go above and beyond to keep pests problems at bay.
If you do find a bug in your food, document it by taking a picture of your dish, then calmly call a server or the manager and show them the bug. Ideally, they should replace your food immediately or comp your dinner. You should also call the health department in your city or state so you can report the incident.
A Dirty Rest Room
If you want to check if a restaurant is hygienic, simply go to the rest room. If an area that everyone can see and use is dirty, then it’s likely that the kitchen, which is off-limits to customers, is dirty as well. Rest rooms should be cleaned several times throughout the day, so check to see if the toilet bowls are clean, the garbage bins aren’t overflowing, and the floors and bathroom sink are wiped down and free of dirt and grime.
Grimy Menus
Menus are some of the dirtiest items in a restaurant since a lot of people get to touch them. In a study, it was found that the average menu has more than 180,000 bacteria. If the restaurant’s menu feels sticky or there’s sauce or food bits stuck to it, it’s a sure sign that the restaurant isn’t prioritizing cleanliness at all. After handling the menu, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly to avoid contaminating your food with germs and bacteria. If the menu is laminated, consider spraying it with some liquid hand sanitizer or alcohol before handling it.
Dining out should be enjoyable, but eating at a dirty restaurant can put a damper on your experience. Be on the lookout for these signs to ensure that you’re eating at a place that prioritizes cleanliness. If you spot several serious health code violations, make sure to contact the health department in your area.