This Is How You Know You're At A Bad Steakhouse

Steakhouses are the site of anniversaries, birthdays, holiday parties, engagement parties, first dates, and so many other meaningful moments in our lives.

And because of that, it's especially important for a steakhouse to really get it right, every single time. From the moment you walk through the front door to the moment you pay your tab, a good steakhouse should make the entire evening feel effortless and fun. There's nothing worse than visiting a steakhouse to celebrate an occasion or to spend quality time with someone you love, only to leave feeling disappointed or worse, upset because of a bad experience.

Luckily, most steakhouses do a great job. But there are a few bad apples here and there, as with anything. Bad customer service, overcooked steak, misinformed waiters, dirty bathrooms — these are all warning signs that you're eating at a bad steakhouse.

The next time you visit a steakhouse for dinner, be sure to keep an eye out for these red flags. If you experience one (or several!), it's time to move along and find a new favorite steakhouse.

Think about it: The bathrooms are one of the few places that members of the public actually see when they visit a steakhouse. If this very public-facing spot is gross or not very well maintained, just think of the spots you're not seeing — the kitchen, behind the bar, and the stock room, for example. If the restaurant staff isn't willing or doesn't have time to clean the bathrooms, they're probably not doing a great job cleaning in other places, either. It's gross to think about, but likely true.

Why does cleanliness matter? Well, foodborne illnesses are no joke. In fact, some 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness every year — every year! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the top five germs that cause these foodborne illnesses, aka food poisoning, are: norovirus, salmonella, clostridium perfringens, campylobacter, and staphylococcus aureus. Restaurant cleanliness and hygiene — across the board, throughout the entire restaurant — are the keys to making sure these nasty hitchhikers don't hop aboard your plate of food or your cocktail, then take up residence in your stomach. Your restaurant's staff should be washing their hands, sanitizing surfaces, washing their utensils, and following tons and tons of other food-safe guidelines, according to the CDC. Bathrooms are just as important to keep clean as other spaces.

Traditional steakhouse sides haven't changed much over the years. Baked potato, house or caesar salad, French onion soup, maybe some green beans here and there. And some people might be fine with that — as the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

But it doesn't have to be this way. One of the marks of a good steakhouse is an innovative chef who's putting his or her unique spin on the menu. Sure, you'll find those classic steakhouse sides on the menu, but you'll also have the option of trying something new and exciting. Side dishes don't have to be an afterthought, even though you probably came for the steak. There are tons and tons of delicious side dishes to accompany your meal, according to Taste of Home. These days, farmers love partnering with restaurants and providing just-picked vegetables from the farm. Likewise, there are artisanal breadmakers, adventurous mushroom foragers, and worldly purveyors offering up their delicious wares to steakhouses across the country. Why settle for boring and bland sides when you could be eating something that truly enhances your steak?

There is nothing more frustrating than walking into a steakhouse, starving, then waiting and waiting for a server to stop by your table to take your order. It doesn't happen all that often, but when it does, it's likely an indication that you're not at a very good restaurant.

Why? Because keeping diners happy is the No. 1 job of restaurant servers, bartenders, hosts, and managers. If you're kept waiting at your table for what feels like an eternity, it likely means there was a breakdown in communication between the host who seated you and the waitstaff responsible for your table. Even worse? A waiter who walks by your full table multiple times and doesn't even make eye contact. If your server is oblivious to a table full of people, what else might she/he be overlooking or forgetting? It's just bad news.

If you've been waiting for your drinks or food for an inordinately long time, it's perfectly fine to stand up, walk over to the bar, pay for what you've already ordered, and boogie, according to The Takeout. And maybe ask to speak to the manager on your way out the door.

Any steakhouse worth its salt (no pun intended!) should have a sommelier on staff, a trained wine snob who can help you decide which glass of wine to pair with your meal. And if they don't have an actual sommelier, at the very least, they should take the time to train their waitstaff and bartenders to make wine-pairing recommendations.

Sommeliers aren't just there to get you to spend more money on your meal. In fact, they go through months and months of rigorous training in order to be eligible for certifications that demonstrate their knowledge and expertise (via Business Insider). Having the right wine with your meal can actually enhance the flavors, smells, and textures in your mouth, making it worth every penny you spend. If you're going to order some wine, why not make it count, right?

If you're visiting a steakhouse without a sommelier, it's not a total dealbreaker. But this may not be the restaurant you take your in-laws to while they're in town if you're trying to impress them.

It's no secret that restaurants are notorious for oversalting the food they serve. In fact, researchers with the American Heart Association, say that eating out is contributing to our overconsumption of salt across the board — at all different types of restaurants serving all different types of cuisines. 

If you're having dinner at a nice steakhouse, however, you'll want to be mindful of how the food on your plate tastes. A good chef knows that adding just the right amount of salt — not too much and not too little — can make a steak taste savory and delicious, without hiding the natural flavors of the meat. Too much salt could be an indication that the cut of meat is not very nice or that the chef just wasn't paying much attention during the cooking process. Either way, if you leave a restaurant with a dry mouth, you may want to think twice about visiting again.

When you walk into a high-quality steakhouse, sit down, and open the menu, you're typically bombarded with information about where the restaurant sources its beef, other meats, and produce. In fact, there may even be farm or ranch logos printed on the menu, proudly declaring that the steak you are about to eat came from a sustainable ranch just down the road.

If this type of information is not readily available, you might be dining at a second-rate steakhouse. These days, diners demand to know where their food is grown, how it was raised, and how far it traveled to get to their plates (aka its carbon footprint), according to the Culinary Vegetable Institute.  Many restaurants even use their sourcing as a selling point — they're proud to be partnering with hard-working, local farms and ranches that do right by the land and their animals. There's a reason why the phrase "farm to table" is so popular and ever-present these days. Restaurants that are tight-lipped about their food sources may not be sourcing their ingredients from ethical or sustainable purveyors.

Steakhouses already sometimes get a bad rap for being outdated and uncool — they're where your parents and grandparents loved to eat, but they're not really all that hip for the younger generations. Without a creative chef in the kitchen, the menu items can become bland and predictable. Too heavy, too much salt, not enough vegetables.

Another element that can make a steakhouse feel old and tired? The decor. Sure, the food might still be very good, but a large part of the dining experience is the ambiance, or the way the physical space itself makes you feel when you're celebrating an anniversary or special occasion. Fresh, updated decor sends the message that the steakhouse is constantly innovating and that it's a warm, comfortable place to spend the evening. People "eat" with their eyes first, so the decor isn't something that a steakhouse should simply ignore, says Fine Magazine. The same goes for outdated uniforms, menus, and other restaurant staples.