9 Dishes Restaurant Workers Never Order, According To Reddit

For many, going out to a restaurant is a treat, so the last thing anyone wants is bad food. That really puts a downer on the whole experience. That's why we turned to Reddit to see what restaurant workers would never order. After all, they spend most days in the kitchen or serving customers, so they see and hear things behind the scenes that most of us don't.

Some of these are pretty surprising, we have to say. Salad? Soup? Swordfish? Yep, all three of these dishes are examples of items that restaurant workers would never order when they go out to eat themselves. The reasons vary. For some, it's because they see the dish as overpriced, while for others, it's because they can't guarantee it's fresh. But just as a warning, some of these might turn your stomach a little. If you're squeamish, spoiler alert, but beware of the swordfish.

The U.S. oyster market is big business. Per Imarc, the market is expected to grow from 1.9 million tons of the shellfish in 2025 to around 2.5 million tons in 2034. Most of that growth is coming from restaurants, which are looking to cater to rising demand for more nutrient-dense options. But while oysters are full of vitamins and minerals, they can also be dangerous — especially if they're not prepared properly.

When oysters are served raw, there is a risk of contracting a Vibrio infection. The most serious type, Vibrio vulnificus, can result in limb amputations and even death. In short: Do not mess about with oyster safety. This is why many people who have worked in the restaurant business don't order oysters when they dine out, unless it is the restaurant's specialty. On Reddit, experienced oyster shuckers and chefs note that oyster expertise is not to be underestimated, as people who work with the shellfish every day will know the tell-tale signs of a bad one.

While it's not always possible to tell if an oyster is bad from its appearance, there are important things to look out for. Cracked or broken oysters, for example, should always be thrown away. An oyster that is already open before it's shucked, or sounds hollow when tapped, is also unlikely to be safe for consumption.

Be honest: Do you feel super smug when you order a salad? Lots of people feel that choosing the leafy green option should come with a health halo. But actually, many Redditors who have worked in the restaurant industry say that, actually, you might be more likely to get sick from choosing the salad. This is because servers often (especially in fast food establishments, according to Reddit) make salads with unwashed, bare hands.

Some note that salads are usually thrown together quickly, which means that very little attention is paid to hygiene practices. Others say that workers cover wilted old lettuce with sauce, in the hope you won't notice that it's no longer fresh. One former Cracker Barrel worker even recalled a manager removing a cockroach from a salad with his bare hands, before finishing the salad to be served to customers. We are also sceptical about some fast food salads. When we ranked them from worst to best in 2023, McDonald's Crispy Chicken Salad (which is actually now discontinued) came in last place for its mix of soggy lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and red onions.

But what about ordering an expensive salad at a fancy restaurant? Well, it might be made with more hygienic practices, but workers on Reddit say these dishes are usually the most overpriced options on the menu. Sometimes, restaurants will charge over $20 for a salad that costs less than $5 to throw together. That health halo isn't looking quite as desirable now.

Most restaurants offer some sort of soup on the menu; usually, it's a lunch or starter option. But if it's near closing time, some restaurant workers on Reddit say ordering the soup isn't the best idea.

This is because it might not be entirely fresh. Throughout the day, it's common practice to simply top up the old pot of soup with the freshly made soup. This means that some of the contents might have been sitting on the stove or warmer all day, and there's no way of knowing whether you're eating the newly made soup or some of the old batch from the morning.

Other Redditors say that, if you're at a sports bar, it's best to avoid the soup completely, regardless of the time of day. They explain that soups are usually ordered frozen, and they're not very popular, so once thawed, they just sit around getting thicker and thicker until someone decides to order a bowl.

Plenty love ordering swordfish when they dine out. It's a very meaty, tender fish, with a slightly sweet and not overly fishy flavor. But despite this, many people who have worked in the restaurant industry (including the late Anthony Bourdain) wouldn't order it for themselves. And brace yourself, but there's a pretty grim reason for that: worms. 

All fish can have parasites, but swordfish is one of the worst offenders, say restaurant workers on Reddit. Like many finfish, swordfish is prone to anisakis, a food-borne parasitic worm. It's not that these parasites make swordfish particularly dangerous (as long as the fish is cooked thoroughly, that is), but the image of them alone is enough to turn your stomach if you've spent a long time working in the kitchen, cleaning swordfish, and cutting them out.

The worst part? Some Redditors say that the parasites are not dead when the swordfish is being prepped, which means that they have been known to actually jump out of the flesh and onto the kitchen surface. We told you it was grim.

Most Americans love chicken wings. During the Super Bowl alone, spectators chow down on nearly 1.5 billion of them. Outside of the sporting event, they're still a popular choice — they even have their own day (it's July 29, just in case you were wondering). But for many restaurant workers, chicken wings don't bring up the same level of excitement. In fact, some who have spent a lot of time preparing them say they would never order them for themselves. 

Some Redditors say it's not that there is anything particularly wrong with chicken wings (we're not talking frequent parasitic worms again), but the smell of congealed chicken fat and juices from hundreds of chicken wings is hard to forget. For some, it's enough to put them off their enjoyment of the popular snack altogether. For others, one particular type of chicken wing puts them off: Sonic wings. Workers say they're made with low-quality meat, and there are far better options on the menu.

Of course, this topic is divisive, and customers don't always agree with restaurant workers. Back in 2024, when we ranked fast food chicken wings from worst to best, our reviewer was a little more taken with Wingstop wings, awarding them fifth place. In last place? Little Caesars.

For many, the first thing they do when they enter a restaurant is make a beeline for the specials board. The specials are particularly appealing if you're a regular at a certain restaurant, because they offer a chance to try something different from the standard menu. There are a few reasons why something might end up as a special. It could be because the chef is simply experimenting with a new dish, or because they wanted to make something seasonal. But in many cases, there is a pretty boring reason why something ends up as a special: The ingredients were approaching their use-by date.

Yep, according to restaurant workers of Reddit, most specials just aren't that special. They're often made with old ingredients or something that is about to go bad. This is why many Redditors with experience in the industry say they usually wouldn't bother ordering them. Another reason why a special might make it onto the board? It has a high profit margin, and it's a high-traffic day (like Valentine's Day). Remember those expensive salads we spoke about earlier? If you see one on the special board, it's even more reason to steer clear.

Calamari has been a common sight in American restaurants since the 1990s. And while "calamari" is the Italian word for squid, the type you'll usually find served as an appetizer in your local bar or favorite eatery isn't usually the fresh kind. The type most people are after is usually battered and deep-fried, maybe served with a creamy garlic-and-lemon aioli or spicy marinara.

But while calamari has a huge fan base, many Redditors who have worked in the restaurant business say it's not really worth the hype. Some say that unless you eat it almost immediately out of the fryer, it's usually going to be greasy and unsatisfying. Others say they wouldn't order it simply because it has the highest markup of most of the appetizers on the menu. 

We have to agree that calamari isn't worth ordering in many places. We recently ranked it as the worst appetizer at Olive Garden, for example. Our reviewer said it was rubbery and overcooked, with more breading than actual seafood. In 2024, we also added it to our list of items you should think twice about ordering from Red Lobster. This time, our reviewer said the calamari was too chewy, and the breading was too soft.

Let's be honest. Mondays, in general, don't have the best reputation. Who really likes going back to the grind after a relaxing weekend? One thing that can ease the pain of a new working week, though, is taking a night off from cooking and heading out for a meal. But if you see fish on the menu, it might be best to avoid it.

On Reddit, many chefs and servers recommend not ordering seafood early in the week at all, because it's usually left over from the weekend. Fresh seafood is usually delivered towards the end of the week, which means that some seafood might have been sitting around since the previous Thursday. Most restaurant workers on Reddit say they would avoid any half-price fish special on a Monday, or even on a Sunday, for that reason.

Of course, there are exceptions. Some experts say it's perfectly safe to eat fish any day of the week, including Mondays, if you're eating at a good restaurant with optimal health and safety practices. Even Anthony Bourdain, who recommended avoiding fish early in the week in a New Yorker essay in the 1990s, retracted this advice later in his career. That said, if restaurant workers are still warning against it today on Reddit, this likely means not all eateries are serving fresh fish every day. The lesson? Do your research on the restaurant before you order, and if there's any doubt, it's probably best to skip.

Lemons are a staple in most restaurants. They're used in dishes to enhance flavor, and, of course, they're also often served in drinks, too. But some restaurant workers on Reddit say they wouldn't order anything that's too lemon-heavy.

Some say this is because in many eateries, lemons are frequently touched by serving staff, as they're usually sat out next to the ice for the drinks. While it's not recommended to touch lemons that you're serving to the public with your bare hands (and people have even been fired for doing so), it still happens. So maybe if you're offered a lemon with your drink, take a look around to see where the fruit is being stored and how it's being handled before you say yes.

Another reason some restaurant workers avoid lemons? Well, some say that it can be used to mask the smell of overly fishy fish. It sounds weird, but in general, if seafood is good quality, experts say it will smell like the ocean, rather than strongly fishy. Other restaurant workers on Reddit say they've seen lemons go bad and grow mold quickly, which is enough to put them off ordering them for life.