2 Tips To Remember When Deciding On What Restaurant To Visit

Going out to eat can be one of life's greatest pleasures, offering you the chance to taste delicious food that might be out of your personal culinary wheelhouse, while getting a little pampered along the way (and no dirty dishes to clean!). But these days, even a simple meal can come with a hefty price tag, and you certainly don't want to waste time and money on a disappointing restaurant experience. To help break down the restaurant red flags to avoid when choosing an establishment, we turned to dining expert Taylor Hester, the Executive Chef of Roscioli NYC.

Roscioli NYC brings famed Roman cuisine to New York's trendy SoHo neighborhood. As Executive Chef, Hester is one of more than 50 New York-based chefs, restaurateurs, and mixologists participating in City Harvest's BID 2024: CHTV! event on October 29, which will raise funds to help feed New Yorkers in need, while offering guests a unique tasting experience. Reflecting these impressive culinary credentials, Hester offers some exclusive advice to Chowhound, recommending that a prospective diner stay away from a restaurant with an excessively long menu or one that "lacks focus." "People should be looking for the use of seasonal ingredients and a more concise menu," he says. In addition, Hester cites apparent staff satisfaction as a green flag to look out for when picking a restaurant.

There are a number of reasons why a restaurant with a menu lengthy enough to include such disparate items as say, burgers and sushi, should not be trusted. It's highly unlikely that one restaurant will be able to source high quality ingredients for two entirely different cuisines, let alone employ a chef who is trained to execute each dish to its greatest potential. A kitchen operating under a tight, succinct menu and a consistent culinary theme is much more likely to produce a dish that is perfect every time.

A great dining experience is not just about the food — it's largely about service and atmosphere. "A staff that seems happy to be there usually speaks to the overall quality of the restaurant," says Hester. Indeed, a restaurant with attentive and professional staff both in the front and back of house is one we'll likely want to visit again and again.

There are plenty of incredible restaurants that manage to nail these two components, and if you're lucky enough to secure a reservation at one of them, you'll likely be a very happy customer. Just keep in mind that sometimes, even fancy restaurants have menu items you're better off skipping.