A health inspector has dished out the warning signs to look out for when dining at restaurants, sharing the four red flags that would set off warning bells.
The woman, who inspects eateries to ensure they're not posing any risks to public health, shared the four places she would refuse to eat at in a video that has since racked up more than 1.1 million views on TikTok.
"I've seen a lot," she captioned the clip, which has been liked by almost 30,000 people.
Firstly, the woman - who goes by the username @toofar_north on the platform - said she would refuse to dine at buffets due to the spread of germs and "unsanitary" conditions.
According to previous studies, buffets are said to be a "breeding ground" for germs and bacteria, particularly where customers are handling the food at self-serve stations.
Secondly, the health inspector noted that restaurants with a dirty bathroom are usually indicative of a "dirty kitchen".
Additionally, @toofar_north said she will avoid restaurants with a significant number of options on the menu as the more extensive the menu, the more likely the establishment serves frozen food.
"Large menu means lots of cheap frozen food," she said.
"In my experience, the majority of the places I've inspected with large menus do not have fresh food. There's always exceptions of course, but very few."
Last but not least, the inspector said she will never return to a venue where the staff seem "unhappy to work there", noting that unhappy employees are typically synonymous with bad management or owners.
"Unhappy staff usually means bad owners," she claimed. "I love to see places where staff are happy. [It] breaks my heart when I see an abusive owner."
Other hospitality workers have agreed with her, with one noting: "Bartender of eight years here, and I couldn't agree more, especially the staff. It shows good management, also known as a good restaurant."
Another declared: "As a restaurant owner for over 30 years, she's absolutely right."
"I always go into the bathroom first. If it's dirty I walk out. If the bathroom is dirty, the kitchen and the cooks and servers hands probably are too," one wrote, with another agreeing: "I learned from a health inspector that if the bathrooms are bad the kitchen is probably bad. My rule of thumb."
"My dad would always check out the restrooms before dining out. We didn't understand until we got older and told us the reasoning for doing that," another recalled.
