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Chefs Reveal the Top 10 Red Flags to Identify Bad Restaurants

If you listen to the ROR Morning Show, you know that we love to eat and go to great restaurants,  So, when I saw this online forum of chefs sharing…

Restaurateurs Protest Lockdown During The Coronavirus Crisis

What to look for to know the restaurant is bad

(Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

If you listen to the ROR Morning Show, you know that we love to eat and go to great restaurants,  So, when I saw this online forum of chefs sharing their "red flags" you should look for that reveal a place is "low quality,  I had to share. Now, most of the list are the things you could notice even Before you order anything . So as a public service I present the top 10 red flags you need to know before you go.

Bob Bronson is the host of the ROR Morning Show, weekdays on 105,7 WROR from 5:30 to 10am, Bob and his wife Carolyn have 3 daughters and one grand daughter. Bob loves being on the air every weekday morning with his co-hosts LBF and Brian because it's so fun!

Every Massachusetts Restaurant on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives

Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, hosted by Guy Fieri on the Food Network, is one of the most popular shows for food lovers. There’s just something super entertaining about Fieri, and the show is so fun to watch. What’s extra cool is that Fieri has come to Massachusetts multiple times and picked local restaurants to highlight on the show.

We used TVFoodmaps.com and FlavortownUSA.com to seek out every restaurant in the Bay State that's been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. While sadly a few of them have closed for good, most likely victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, Massachusetts still boasts over 30 locations that are mere driving distance away.

From Polish and Italian to places for brunch and seafood, the list criss-crosses Massachusetts with a number of local eateries just begging to be put on your mini road trip list.

Angela's Café - Eagle Square, East Boston

Bagelsaurus - Cambridge

Blue Eyed Crab Caribbean Grill & Rum Bar - Plymouth

Blunch - Boston

Boston Burger Co. - Boston & Davis Square, Somerville

Café Polonia - Boston

Casa Razdora - Boston

Cutty's - Brookline

Dana's Kitchen - Falmouth

Dirty Water Dough Company - Boston

Four Sisters Owl Diner - Lowell

Greek Corner - Cambridge

In A Pickle - Waltham

JT Farnhams - Essex

Kelly's Diner - Somerville

Little Depot Diner - Boston

Lobster Shanty - Salem

Lone Star Taco Bar - Boston

Mike's City Diner - Boston

Morin's - Attleboro

Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage - Cambridge

Pauli's - Boston

Patti's Pierogis - Fall River

Pickle Jar Kitchen - Falmouth

Rino's Place - Boston

Sam LaGrassa's - Boston

Saus - Boston

Shuckers - Woods Hole

Trina's Starlite Lounge - Somerville

Veggie Galaxy - Cambridge

Yankee Lobster - Boston

Chefs list the Top 10 Signs You're In a Bad Restaurant

GettyImages-1220761405.jpg(Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

What to look for to know the restaurant is bad

Bad Restaurant Red Flags


10. Plastic utensils

cheap-utensils-rotated.jpgPhoto by Bob Bronson

Cheap utensils are not a good sign that the meal will be good

Plastic silverware


9. Rude Hosts

GettyImages-1255262559.jpg(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Being ignored by the host is a bad sign

Hosts that do not greet you at the restaurant


8. Too many half empty plates

GettyImages-801147096.jpg(Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Too many unfinished plates are a sign the food is not great and diners gave up on eating


7. If You Can Smell the Seafood

GettyImages-1234099238-1.jpgPhoto by vio Jones/Getty Images)

If you can smell the seafood as you walk in the door, then it's not fresh


6. The Bread

GettyImages-1241997627.jpgPhoto by Alexey Furman/Getty Images)

If the bread is not fresh then it shows you that if they can't get the bread right than they don't care or know anything


5. Dirty Carpets

cheap-rugs.jpgPhoto by Bob Bronson

If the carpet or floors are dirty, you can be sure the kitchen is too.


4. A Huge Menu

GettyImages-1402489926.jpg(Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)

A huge menu with lots of pictures means most of the items and ingredients are frozen and not fresh


3. Very Dirty Restrooms

GettyImages-1238828934.jpg(Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images)

Dirty restrooms and dirty floors equal dirty kitchens Pee ewwww


2. Clean Fish Tanks

GettyImages-1330118397.jpg(Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

If the restaurant has a clean fish tank, than they probably have a clean kitchen, if not, than everything else is probably dirty too.


1. Bad Smell

GettyImages-1410215862-1.jpg(Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)

Bad smells are a sure sign that you need to turn and run out of the place as fast as your feet can carry you!

Bob is a native New Englander, growing up (sorta) in Maine where his love for radio started at a young age. While in high school he hosted radio shows on a local radio station, and he has never looked back. Bob joined the US Navy and served onboard the Sixth Fleet Flagship as a radio and TV host. After serving for 3 years, it was off to Emerson College in Boston. Bob hosted shows in Boston on WMEX, WVBF and WSSH in the 80’s and 90’s before heading to radio stations in Raleigh, NC, Manchester, NH, and New York City. Bob has been married for almost 25 years to Carolyn, a Woburn gal and they have 3 daughters, Nicole, Taylor, and Bridget. Bob and Carolyn are proud first-time grandparents to baby Caroline, who they plan to spoil every chance they get! “I started my career in New England and could not be happier to come back to Boston where I can root for all the Boston sports teams and eat lots of lobster rolls and clam chowder (okay not lots)… It is an honor to host the WROR morning show with LBF and wake up the World’s Greatest City!” Bob writes about recipes and restaurants, pop culture and trending topics.