14 Health Code Red Flags You Shouldn't Ignore At A Restaurant

If you've ever been unfortunate enough to suffer from a bout of food poisoning then you already understand the importance of having a health code. If a restaurant fails to follow food safety regulations, it's only a matter of time before someone ends up seriously ill. Or worse. Plus, health codes cover more than just food preparation — improper food handling can result in people with allergies having potentially fatal reactions, or even somebody choking on a foreign object that's found its way into a dish. Regulations also enforce rules around things like fire safety — if a fire breaks out in a public space, proper systems, and equipment must be in place to prevent loss of life. Whether it's an all-you-can-eat buffet, a Michelin-star establishment, or a family get-together, nobody should be in danger from dinner.

Over a long career in the international hospitality industry, I've seen the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. During the pandemic, it was refreshing to see businesses take health regulations more seriously. However, it's concerning to hear that food safety standards dropped as pandemic regulations eased. Particularly at a time when salmonella outbreaks seem to be on the rise and further deregulation seems to be on the horizon. As someone who was responsible for ensuring restaurants were up to code, I'm well-versed in how to identify potential violations. Today, I'm going to share my biggest health code red flags – signs that it's safer to walk away hungry than risk your well-being.

Nobody likes to walk into a restaurant to be greeted by grubby servers. Unpleasant body odors and dirty hands are more than enough to put most folks off their food, posing the risk of contamination. The way waitstaff present themselves can also be a solid indication of whether health code regulations are being followed.

I do think it's worth mentioning that I don't believe servers should always be wearing immaculately pressed uniforms. I've worked in some stellar establishments with extremely relaxed clothing policies. However, there are still certain standards that need to be met from a food safety perspective, many of which exist to prevent foreign objects from ending up in someone's meal. For example, long hair should at least be tied back if it's not under a hair net. Long, painted fingernails can chip off into food, and loose or excessive jewelry is also at risk of finding its way into a dish. It's also worth paying attention to footwear – heels, open toes, and shoes with poor grip are considered extremely unsafe in a food service environment. If management lets these things slide, who knows what else is being overlooked?

There are many different factors that can increase the chances of getting food poisoning from a restaurant, like cross-contamination of raw goods, improper food storage, or undercooked ingredients. However, one of the biggest risk factors might surprise you. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2017 and 2019, 40 percent of foodborne illnesses in the U.S. were a direct result of sick workers.

If restaurant staff are coughing, and sneezing – particularly if they're not wearing a face mask — there's a good chance that sickness will get passed on. The most common type of food poisoning in the U.S. is norovirus, a highly contagious illness that passes quickly through food and people and causes vomiting and diarrhea. The risk of passing the virus on is so high that some health codes stipulate that employees with any form of vomiting and diarrhea can't return to work for at least 24 hours after the symptoms have passed. I think it's worth pointing out that, for the most part, the workers aren't to blame. Hospitality is an industry with few worker protections, especially in the U.S. where paid sick days are non-existent. Ill or not, if you don't work you don't get paid, and I've seen plenty of managers insist staff work when they should be recovering.

Seeing restaurant employees eat or drink in view of customers is one of my pet peeves. For starters, it looks unprofessional and reflects poorly on the restaurant. I believe a venue should allow staff ample time to eat and drink with a dedicated space for them to do so. However, appearances aside, staff eating in service areas also poses certain health risks.

My biggest concern about staff eating in service areas is the risk of cross-contamination. I don't want staff putting their hands near their mouth at the same time they're handling someone's food. Plus, as a manager, I have full control over my kitchen. I know what ingredients we stock, where they're sourced from, and how they're prepared. I can also guarantee our food meets all necessary safety standards. However, if one of my staff brings in some leftover chili from home and starts chowing down in front of diners, I have no way to guarantee it's safe. It could also contain allergens that I'm trying to keep out of my restaurant. If they eat their food in a break room, at least if they get sick, they haven't exposed others to harm.

I hate it when my meal comes out cold, even if it's supposed to be hot. However, this is typically more of an annoyance than a genuine concern. I worry more if my food is undercooked, especially since undercooked food is one of the most common causes of salmonella.

Whether you're cooking food from raw or reheating a dish, there are defined safe temperatures that must be reached to ensure harmful microorganisms have been neutralized. Sometimes, undercooking can be easy to spot — you can see from the color and texture that some parts of the food are more cooked than others. However, that's not always the case. If your food is warm on the outside and cold in the middle, there's a strong chance it hasn't been cooked to the correct temperature. Undercooked food can also be the result of improper, unsafe defrosting techniques. Most health codes require kitchens to use food thermometers to check they're cooking food to safe temperatures. Usually, they have to record a minimum number of temperature checks too. If you're served undercooked food at a restaurant, there's a good chance they're not following some of the most basic regulations.

If you've never worked in a restaurant before, you might wonder how they're able to produce such a wide variety of meals and bring them out at the same time. Prep is obviously a huge factor but kitchens will often complete a dish and keep it hot – or cold – until it's ready to be served with the rest of the order. This is entirely safe, as long as the holding temperatures and timings are in line with food safety regulations.

You might not always be able to see where food is being held but if the restaurant has a visible pass – a service hatch between the kitchen and the dining area – it's worth keeping an eye on it. The Danger Zone is what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calls the temperature range between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit and it only takes 20 minutes for bacteria to double in number in this range. If you can see dishes sitting on the pass for an extended period of time before being served, there's an increased risk someone may get sick.

Almost every restaurant serves drinks, and I've spent just as much time behind the bar as I have handling plates. Despite what you might think, there are nearly as many safety precautions related to drink service as there are food.

One of the most obvious signs a restaurant is unaware of how to safely serve drinks is how the waitstaff or bartenders handle glassware. The golden rule is that the top third of the glass "belongs to the customer," meaning nobody else should be touching the part where the customer puts their mouth. Pay attention to beverage dispensers and ice machines too. They're both hotbeds for mold and should be free from dirt or residue. Bartenders should also be using a proper scoop for ice. Scooping ice with a drinking glass is a huge safety risk – if the glass breaks, there's no way of guaranteeing you've cleared the shards out of the machine without emptying the entire thing. Take a look at any garnishes as well. If they're not fresh, there's a good chance they're out of date.

Some aspects of a health code can be complex and convoluted while others are so simple that most of us do them regularly at home. Cleaning surfaces, countertops, and tables fall into the latter category. If a restaurant seats me a dirty or sticky table, I know their hygiene standards are likely to be below what's required.

Tables should be cleared and cleaned properly between every sitting to remove all food debris, preventing bacteria growth and cross-contamination. Plus, you don't know if the person sitting there before you was sick or whether they washed their hands after using the restroom. The caveat is when it's a busy service at a restaurant where you're supposed to seat yourself. You may end up grabbing a table before someone's had the chance to clean it but as long as it's addressed quickly, it can be forgiven. I also like to scope out other food service areas of the restaurant. Is the bar top being wiped down regularly? Are staff stacking dirty dishes out in a disgusting heap on the counter? If the answer is "no," be wary.

Many restaurants tend to have condiments on the table for diners to use. You'll almost always find salt and pepper, and probably a sauce or two. Maybe a bowl of sugar in a cafè. Some spots also provide sundries, like napkins and toothpicks. The state of these items can be a clear indication of whether the restaurant cares about health regulations.

If a sauce bottle has gunk crusted around the nozzle, there's no saying when it was last cleaned properly. Probably enough time for harmful bacteria to grow. Remember our hypothetical friend who doesn't wash their hands after using the toilet? They could have had their mitts all over that bottle. If it doesn't look like the bottle's been refilled recently, the contents themselves may be expired and unsafe for consumption. You're not as likely to get sick from expired sugar, salt, or pepper but if the granules have clumped together, someone hasn't been paying attention. The same goes for napkins that haven't been replenished. In my experience, lack of attention to detail in a restaurant isn't an isolated issue and it's a sign that other regulations could be being ignored.

It's always a good sign when restaurant staff are on top of their cleaning, but every cleaning product is different and has a specific purpose. If someone uses the wrong one, they may be violating at least one part of the health code.

The most common mistake I encounter is people not understanding the difference between a detergent and a sanitizer. Detergents are used to clean surfaces and remove dirt, grime, and oil but they don't kill bacteria. Sanitizers, on the other hand, aren't effective at cleaning but will kill 99.9 percent of germs. To make a dining table food-safe, the staff should clean it with detergent first, before applying a sanitizer. 

Sanitizers also have what's called a "contact time," which is the amount of time it takes for the chemical to do its job. A quick spray and a wipe aren't going to destroy any harmful bacteria. Using the wrong cleaning product is a bigger red flag than you might think. Restaurants utilize all kinds of different chemicals, some of which can be particularly nasty if handled incorrectly. Most health codes stipulate that if a staff member has access to a chemical, they need to know what it is and the risks associated with it.

If I sit down at a restaurant and my plate is dirty, my cutlery is greasy, or my drinking glass is cloudy, I start to doubt the standards of the place. It's not that I'm fussy – I live in Southeast Asia and eat street food daily – but I know the risk of getting sick has just increased.

There are a few reasons crockery, cutlery, and glassware might be dirty. None of them are good. Whether it's down to untrained staff or broken dishwashing equipment, dirty dishes may be cross-contaminated or harbor bacteria. How do I know the grease on my plate doesn't come from raw meat? Commercial glass and dishwashing machines also need to be topped up with the correct cleaning chemicals. If the wrong cleaning products are being used, the staff are likely insufficiently trained and at risk of getting hurt. Water spots on silverware or glassware aren't necessarily a health code red flag; however, it does imply a lack of care and attention to detail.

In the food business, "pest" refers to any unwanted organism that contaminates or destroys food or physical structures, posing a public health risk. It's a wide umbrella, covering everything from rats and cockroaches to fungi and pigeons, and most health codes have pages of regulations dedicated to pests.

Pests can leave many different signs, some more obvious than others. Insects, like flies or ants, are easy to spot. Other pests, like rodents, often leave droppings or scuff marks along the bottom of walls. Besides the potential health hazards posed by pests, their presence is often caused by poor hygiene practices. If a restaurant is storing food properly, staying on top of its cleaning procedures, and disposing of waste in the correct manner, they're unlikely to have any problems. I'm sure there have been instances of infestation that can't be blamed on the restaurant but I'm yet to encounter one. In my experience, pests are the result of poor safety standards, not the cause of them.

You've probably heard the saying, "You can judge a restaurant by its toilet." The idea is that if a restaurant can't take care of the most unhygienic room in the building – a room that customers can actually see – God knows how things look behind the scenes. Honestly, it's a reasonable assumption to make.

Besides being a good indication that the back-of-house standards aren't up to code, unclean restrooms are the perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria. It's worth mentioning that restrooms in busy venues can get filthy quickly, and sometimes staff aren't aware of a recent mess. Inspect the back of the restroom door, as many businesses will have a sign-off sheet that proves employees are making regular checks. Even if a restroom is spotless, it might be missing essential items. Without sufficiently hot water or antibacterial hand soap, it's impossible to clean your hands properly once you've done your business. There should also be waste disposal bins on hand, as well as discreet sanitary bins for feminine hygiene products.

While the health risks posed by foodborne illnesses are no joke, there's one food-related danger that's potentially more fatal. Allergic reactions can vary massively in terms of severity. Some reactions consist of nothing more than an itchy throat. Anaphylaxis, meanwhile, can kill someone in a matter of moments.

Fortunately, health code regulations surrounding allergens have begun to improve in recent years. However, that doesn't mean every restaurant is following them. If you have an allergy and inform a member of staff, their response should tell you everything you need to know. It's not expected for employees to be aware of every allergen in a menu item but there should be an up-to-date resource they can give to customers. If the waitperson seems unsure of how to deal with your request, there's a chance the restaurant doesn't have a foolproof allergen procedure in place. It's better to be told by a restaurant that they don't feel they can safely accommodate your needs than to trust an establishment that doesn't seem to understand the seriousness of food allergies.

Although health codes are full of regulations surrounding food safety, that's not the only thing they cover. When I was responsible for making sure restaurants were up to code, I spent as much time ensuring they met fire protocols as I did on maintaining food-related regulations.

As a customer, you're not going to know when the restaurant's last fire drill was or if they've recently serviced the kitchen's fire suppression system. However, there are still a few telltale signs that'll show you whether they're following the law. Most health codes require designated fire exits along with clear signage marking their location. These doors must be unobstructed and easily accessible at all times. Fire extinguishers and alarms are also compulsory for larger buildings, so if you can't spot either near any of the fire exits, someone's likely breaking the law. Another thing to be aware of is overcrowding. Venues are assigned a maximum occupancy which, for the most part, is based on how many people can safely evacuate the building in an emergency. If it feels like you're crammed in a space with too many people and not enough clear paths to an exit, the restaurant might be exceeding its legal occupancy limit.