Things you should never order in a restaurant

[iridaceae]

I worked at Taco Bell for 9 years and the restaurant I worked at for most of that time always passed our yearly (surprise)  health inspection with flying colors and we worked hard to make sure it did.

That said at the time during slow periods we'd be farmed out to other Taco Bells and man one or two of them were just nasty. We'd go back and tell everyone "don't eat at the X road location".

[Dazi]

Skip the daily specials...it's often food that is about to go off or over ripe veges that need to be used  ASAP. 

I refused to eat at one particular restaurant in town because they would come in daily to the grocery store I worked in at the time to buy all the really discounted ground meat and nearly rotten veges to make the daily specials.  My brother has worked in several restaurants and basically told me the same thing, just skip the daily specials.

I don't drink soda at all now, but what put me off fountain drinks years ago was when I was refilling my drink and the flow slowed down and a big blop of mildewy slime plopped into my drink.  Haven't touched a fountain drink since.

[BigBadBetty]

Skip the daily specials...it's often food that is about to go off or over ripe veges that need to be used  ASAP. 

This is not necessarily true. I am not saying it doesn't happen, but I would hate people to avoid the special because of that feeling. Where I worked, the stuff that was about to go bad was made into soup. They never used it for the special. I know that some of the restaurants make specials out what looked particularly good at the market. I love watching our most renowned local chef shopping the market.

[Zilla]

Unless they are well known for it, I would not order something that the restaurant is not primarily known for.  Ie, ordering a seafood dish from a steakhouse where 90 percent of the menu is beef based.   I know someone that does this and every single time she complains about it and sends it back saying it's not well prepared.  Well duh, they aren't known for it.  Why pick the one lonely menu item and expect it to look as good as their signature dishes. /end rant.  Can you tell I hate eating out with her?   Oh and she isn't a non beef eater.  She will order a steak at the seafood restaurant after we tell her it isn't good as it's a token steak dish.  Sure enough she sent it back saying it was gristly and horrible....

[camlan]

That's actually why when you go to a foreign country don't have ice in your drink.

I thought that was because often local water has bacteria that can make visitors sick, while the local population is used to it and can drink it without harm. Often, travelers order bottled water or sodas to avoid this, but ice cubes are usually made with tap water and will still have the bacteria in them.

[mechtilde]

Skip the daily specials...it's often food that is about to go off or over ripe veges that need to be used  ASAP. 

It depends- in some places they take less expensive ingredients (like chicken thigh rather than breast, or belly pork instead of leg) and do something really good with it. But yes, in a bad place they will use it as a way of using up the old stuff.

[cicero]

Unless they are well known for it, I would not order something that the restaurant is not primarily known for.  Ie, ordering a seafood dish from a steakhouse where 90 percent of the menu is beef based.   I know someone that does this and every single time she complains about it and sends it back saying it's not well prepared.  Well duh, they aren't known for it.  Why pick the one lonely menu item and expect it to look as good as their signature dishes. /end rant.  Can you tell I hate eating out with her?   Oh and she isn't a non beef eater.  She will order a steak at the seafood restaurant after we tell her it isn't good as it's a token steak dish.  Sure enough she sent it back saying it was gristly and horrible....

this is so true. especially with meat in seafood/fish places and vice versa.

[Venus193]

Unless they are well known for it, I would not order something that the restaurant is not primarily known for.  Ie, ordering a seafood dish from a steakhouse where 90 percent of the menu is beef based.   I know someone that does this and every single time she complains about it and sends it back saying it's not well prepared.  Well duh, they aren't known for it.  Why pick the one lonely menu item and expect it to look as good as their signature dishes. /end rant.  Can you tell I hate eating out with her?   Oh and she isn't a non beef eater.  She will order a steak at the seafood restaurant after we tell her it isn't good as it's a token steak dish.  Sure enough she sent it back saying it was gristly and horrible....

There is a diner in my area where I learned this lesson.  It's a famous diner and one of the best in my county, but I will never order anything ethnic there.  Meat loaf, burgers, fish and chips?  No problem.

[NyaChan]

That's actually why when you go to a foreign country don't have ice in your drink.

I thought that was because often local water has bacteria that can make visitors sick, while the local population is used to it and can drink it without harm. Often, travelers order bottled water or sodas to avoid this, but ice cubes are usually made with tap water and will still have the bacteria in them.

This is my understanding as well - nearly didn't make it on a flight out of a foreign country when I forgot that the previous plane's ice had been loaded locally.  In my defense, I was really tired. 

[Dawse]

That's actually why when you go to a foreign country don't have ice in your drink.

I thought that was because often local water has bacteria that can make visitors sick, while the local population is used to it and can drink it without harm. Often, travelers order bottled water or sodas to avoid this, but ice cubes are usually made with tap water and will still have the bacteria in them.

While that is a large factor, it's also worth bearing in mind that hygiene standards differ from country to country, so what may pass for 'clean' in one place might have a restaurant shut down in another.

[Library Dragon]

Skip the daily specials...it's often food that is about to go off or over ripe veges that need to be used  ASAP. 

This is not necessarily true. I am not saying it doesn't happen, but I would hate people to avoid the special because of that feeling. Where I worked, the stuff that was about to go bad was made into soup. They never used it for the special. I know that some of the restaurants make specials out what looked particularly good at the market. I love watching our most renowned local chef shopping the market.

This.

DS1 works the hot pass in a fine dining restaurant. He'll send me a text that they just received a fresh shipment of ingedient A and it will be featured as the special.  Other places I dine they will post photos on Facebook or send out a text alert that they just got in seasonal ingredient B and will be serving X that night.

[Allyson]

I think it's almost impossible to generalize about a particular franchise, honestly. It's so individual to the location. Usually head office has strict standards that are maintained to a greater or lesser degree depending on who's on staff, and a bad employee can happen anywhere. Sure, some places are more notorious from it, but I don't think anywhere is immune to having a bad location. I also agree with 'don't order something the place isn't known for', for the most part--there are exceptions, but usually I am not going to order a salad from a place known for sandwiches, or meat dish from a seafood place.

[ica171]

http://www.wtsp.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=25442 (links to news video and text)

In short: a 12-year-old did a science fair project where she compared the amount of bacteria in fast food restaurants' ice to the amount of bacteria in their toilet water.  The toilets were cleaner 70% of the time.

My DH always rolls his eyes when I insist on no ice in my soda when we eat fast food. It's for this exact reason.

The article mentions restaurants reusing garlic bread and rolls. I've heard that you should tear up or otherwise visibly "ruin" any food you don't eat for this exact reason.

[jmarvellous]

http://www.wtsp.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=25442 (links to news video and text)

In short: a 12-year-old did a science fair project where she compared the amount of bacteria in fast food restaurants' ice to the amount of bacteria in their toilet water.  The toilets were cleaner 70% of the time.

My DH always rolls his eyes when I insist on no ice in my soda when we eat fast food. It's for this exact reason.

The article mentions restaurants reusing garlic bread and rolls. I've heard that you should tear up or otherwise visibly "ruin" any food you don't eat for this exact reason.

While I suppose you are welcome to do what you want with food served to you, I hardly think it's the patrons' responsibility to assure the restaurant doesn't re-serve the rolls!
Maybe my response is colored by knowing my share of dumpster divers, but I am fine with leaving uneaten food untouched.

My grandpa was one of those people who would not order spaghetti when he went to an Italian restaurant,  but if it were on the Chinese or English restaurant menu, he was all over it! And universally disappointed (and no, this was not because he had Italian dishes he liked better -- he'd order the hamburger there). He never understood what he was doing wrong that he was always the disappointed one.

I find it best not to order things like lasagna or casseroles because they dry out over the course of the day. I'll make an exception for quiche or frittata in the morning,  but not generally after noon unless it's a great place or I'm in the mood for rubber.
Soups, on the other hand, are a large-batch dish that holds up great in many cases.

[Shoo]

I work in a pub and our ice machine gets turned off, drained, cleaned and sanitised at least once a week. All the ice scoops get dishwashered nightly. According to a warning label on the front of the machine, allowing the machines to go too long between cleanings can allow e-coli to build up to harmful levels.

How do the ice machines get e-coli in them in the first place?  I have never cleaned my ice maker at home, and my ice smells and tastes fine.  There isn't anything growing in there that I can see, either.  The water it uses is filtered.  Does that make a difference?