Posted by TikTok user @toofar_north, the video was viewed more than one million times as it got viewers talking about these signs and what else consumers may look out for before eating at a restaurant. Some of these red flags included buffets and unclean bathrooms.
“I’ve seen a lot,” read the caption of @toofar_north’s video.
Lori Freeman, the chief executive officer of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, told Newsweek that the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted customers to pay attention to the establishment’s cleanliness.
“In general, consumers learned how to pick up the cues once they walked through the door,” she said.
Some of the first warning signs may be trash bins that are full and have not been emptied, if the floors or tables are sticky and if the employees are idle.
“If you look around a good, clean restaurant, employees will be cleaning the entire time between guests, wiping off the salt and pepper shakers, wiping off the tables and the seating to the extent they can and cleaning the front windows,” Freeman said.
The health inspector’s process is much more thorough, as they examine the back of the house to see how food is stored, ensure that nothing is cross contaminating and confirm that food is cooked to the appropriate temperature.
TikTok user @toofar_north went through four different things that would give her a reason to reconsider eating at a restaurant.
In addition to buffets and unclean bathrooms, she also said large menus and an unhappy staff may mean that the restaurant is not suitable for dining.
She took to the comments section to provide an explanation behind each red flag.
Germs often spread in a buffet, and dirty bathrooms are a sign of a dirty kitchen, @toofar_north said. A large menu may mean there is “lots of cheap frozen food,” while unhappy staff can point to “bad owners.”
Viewers took to the comments section to express their thoughts on the signs that @toofar_north shared. Some left a comment about what they look for when dining at a restaurant.
“Bartender of 8 years here, and I couldn’t agree more especially the staff,” a viewer wrote. “It shows good management aka a good restaurant.”
“My dad would always check out the restrooms before dining out,” another viewer commented. “We didn’t understand until we got older and told us the reasoning for doing that.”
One viewer said they check the windows to see if they’re dirty before eating at a restaurant.
In a second video, @toofar_north revealed some green flags she’s seen at restaurants, like places with strong inspection ratings, locally owned businesses, and establishments where the employees are treated well by management.
Newsweek reached out to @toofar_north for further comment.
Other videos as they relate to the restaurant industry have previously gone viral.
A man who said he is a public health specialist revealed how much bacteria is found on restaurant silverware, while one health inspector revealed how consumers can tell what restaurants they should avoid.
Another video showed a manager who called a friend to help clean and close a restaurant after her employees pulled out of their shifts.
