The Three Restaurant Red Flags that Make Me Reconsider Patronizing

Folks sometimes ask me how I pick what restaurants I want to go to. Part of it is based on the recommendation of friends, industry professionals, and written reviews. But the deciding factor for me is always going to be checking out the public information available about the place, and a close examination of their vibe. I especially like to check the history of the chef/owner, as well as how the restaurant presents itself on social media.

As an individual consumer, I try to avoid spending my money at establishments where that money may end up in the hands of people who are abusive or exploitative. I also recognize that my voice can affect the business of a restaurant, and I want to make sure that I am not accidentally supporting a business that may not be living up to my own personal code of ethics.

Here are some of the red flags I frequently see that make me question how a place is run.

Important note: It's crucial to remember that these are just potential red flags, and none of them definitively indicate an abusive or exploitative kitchen. However, if I notice any of these, and especially if I notice a few together (and they almost always go hand in hand), it makes me reconsider whether I want to support that establishment.

I'd rather just avoid places that set off the alarms and focus my attention on spots with no red flags.

1. An all-male, mostly white kitchen displayed on social media or on their website.

This is the biggest red flag for me. It makes me ask two questions: Why don't women or minorities want to work here? Or: Why doesn't the chef want to hire women or minorities?

I've never heard a clean, believable answer to either of those questions, other than the simplest one: it's probably a hostile workspace for women and/or minorities.

Even if it's not, if a chef or owner is proudly displaying the photo publicly, it's a good bet they have not put much thought to it.

Bonus red flag: if they refer to the kitchen crew as "the boys" or "the lads," and/or the front of house team is majority women.

2. A white chef/owner making the food of minorities/underrepresented peoples.

I'm not saying that white people can't cook non-white food. That would be ludicrous. However, the reality is that white, male chefs have an advantaged position, and it's all too easy to take advantage of that position, even without bad intent. Historically, this has led to the food and culture of minorities and immigrants--folks without power--being taken and profiteered by those with power. Sometimes it's with a smile and a thank you and good will. Sometimes it's not. Either way, the power dynamic makes it an issue that cannot be ignored, especially not by the chefs/owners doing the profiteering.

Bonus red flag: If the chef/owner has publicly made comments that indicate they don't understand the issue, or they minimize it.

3. Resumes that include establishments known to be exploitative and abusive. 

What do I mean by exploitative and abusive?

• An abusive kitchen is one in which some form of physical, mental, or emotional abuse is taking place. This can range from outright violence to sexual assault and harassment to extended mental abuse.
• For example: I once watched from a few feet away as a Michelin-starred British chef threw a searing hot pan--complete with the scallop he was unhappy with and the sizzling browned butter it was searing--in at the cook who sent it to him. I've seen chefs intentionally slam hot oven doors on cooks hands, or intentionally heat a cook's tools on an open fire so they'll burn their hand when they pick it up, etc. I've heard chefs and cooks make disgusting comments and lewd gestures towards women, homosexuals, and trans/non-binary folks.
• An exploitative kitchen is one in which the chef takes advantage of the power imbalance to get free labor out of their staff.
• For instance: It is common for chefs to ask cooks to work off the clock after hours, or to come work for free in one of their other restaurants on their day off "for the experience." (It's also common for cooks to ask if they can do this voluntarily. I've had mixed feelings about this in the past, but now believe that it is the chef/owner's responsibility to insist on paying workers and interns for any work done that benefits the restaurant or chef in any way. In the worst cases, some 50% of the back of house working in fancy, michelin-starred places are working completely unpaid. Workers are also habitually pressured to work through breaks, work through injuries and sickness, work through mental health issues, and ignore/don't report abuse.

Does having worked for a notoriously exploitative or abusive kitchen automatically mean you'll behave the same way? Of course not. Unless they've been extremely lucky in their career, every cook and chef in the world has worked for a chef who ran an abusive or exploitative kitchen.

However, if you worked at one of those spots for an extended period of time, it's recent on your resume, and especially if you proudly display it and use it as part of your identity without having addressed what went on in those kitchens and how yours is different, that's a red flag.

Bonus red flag: an obsession with gaining a Michelin star or some other form of recognition that indicates their priorities are fame/recognition at any cost.

4. High staff turnover/insider reports

This one is not easy to spot, as it requires you to pay attention to one spot over an extended period of time, or to get information from friends or insiders who work in the restaurant. But if you can get this information, it's actionable,

Does the crew inside the restaurant seem to be constantly changing? Does it seem like every time a woman starts working in the kitchen, they last a few weeks or months, then leave? Have workers publicly come out about the conditions in the restaurant in the past?

When you look at the kitchen, do the workers seem distressed or unhappy?

There are other red flags that pop up from time to time, but those are the major ones. Let me know if there are things you tend to look out for before dining at an unfamiliar restaurant.