what draws you to,,or puts you off eating in a resturant???

What usually puts us off a restaurant is whether the place is clean, light and bright. We have found an amazing little local restaurant that looks quite unusual from the road, but inside it is lovely. Fresh flowers on the tables, good lighting and well laid out. I don't like the look of some places that have a very fancy menu pinned to the wall and yet it looks empty and grubby. One of the best places we found lately is a "greasy spoon" type place, basic food but the tables are always clean.

Yes the general appearance makes a difference but to make me come back I like a place where I feel comfortable ,like the food,friendly staff...Mostly want to feel at home... Cheers R

We actually rarely eat out on impulse. We tend not to choose new restaurants and more so especially after we had a disastrous experience a few weeks ago when we tried a new restaurant based on looks alone for our 3rd wedding anniversary meal out. The restaurant looked fabulous from outside and this was why we chose to eat there. The service was dire, the food even worse and to top it all off, they overcharged us by about 15%. Of course it's essential that any place to you go out to eat in looks 100% clean and hygienic. Otherwise I wouldn't set foot in there! Good for you for checking out the curtains weehun. x

Cleanliness is something most of us will be looking into. I won't go to the place where the waiter picking their nose in front of customers or the cup that smell like onions.But i don't mind to go to the place that look old as long as they can maintain the cleanliness.

There are many factors. One of which is the setting. If it is too posh, I give it a miss. I can't afford it. Next is the capacity. If it is too crowded or there is a queue and I do not have any reservation, I give it a miss too. I don't like to queue. Next is the irony. If it is real empty and there are no diners, I too give it a miss. I don't want to be a guniea pig :P

I too look at the establishment and how clean it is. I also don't like over crowding either. But mostly I look to see if the floors are clean, the windows, tables and items on tables are clean and certainly the window treatments, this alone makes me want to eat there. If the staff isn't well maintained either, then that shows me that they don't care about their own appearance, they don't care about their surroundings either. I used to be a waitress and I was meticulous about my outward appearance and the look of my area. I cleaned my tables like they were my own. I didn't want people coming to the restaurant I worked at and go away thinking that I was a bad server and I didn't care about myself or the establishment I worked at. It certainly doesn't hurt to add a little personal touch to the restaurant, like flowers on the table, or a candle or something to add to the ambience. I sometimes think the best places are the small roadside country eateries I often frequent. You know those little mom and pop places. They often take the most care in their establishment and really care about the customer!

Well Wee my Job was an Area Manager for a Cleaning Company and I do have the habit in public Places of looking at the cleaning on of the Places lol Mel used to hate it when it was Parents Evening as I always used to comment on how the bad the cleaning was in the School lol But yes I would at the cleaning of the Place like Tables Cobwebs and chairs So I will join you in being odd lol And never let me go to the Toilet in a public Place first lol.

i love eating out but i am particular where i eat too. i like clean obviously but i also like a place where the seats are not too close together. it creeps me and i get panicky.when i go in i like to pick my own seat and no way will i sit in the middle of the floor. i feel everyone is staring at me. lol. i sound like a real pain but if i want to change seats i always ask the waitress nicely and my husband knows my wierd quirks so he passes no remarks on me. i hate too bright lights also .

How sensible of you weemam. If the curtains aren't clean and tidy and nice then the rest of the place will be lacking as well. Funny how some people don't understand this. Unfortunately I rarely get to put this to the test. I don't get to go out very often and when I do, there are not many places around here to go to. PS My cutains are lovely.*wink*

Yes I am like that, but not just about the window's. I inspect just about everything from the cutlery to how clean is the salt cellar, there is nothing worse than dirty condiment's. I have been known to walk in and do my inspection and then leave straight away. I have even stayed to fill in a comment slip before walking back out again. LOL

not even going to answer that one, I mean .........have you seen the state of my windows! lol lol lol lol

Cleaniness shows that the establishment cares, plain and simple. I won't eat at a place that can't be bothered to clean the windows, the silverware etc. So yes, I am the same way :) xx

well thats a different view.i am not exactly like you bout ya it bothers me that what curtains are there.when my family goes with me out to eat i first have a look a table cloth.if its not clean we would ask it to get changed.when it comes to staying at some place,i want the place to be clean.gud bed,gud bedsheet.in the end i would say its not bad if you look at these thigs.they are gud.

I look at how clean a resturant appears but I also like to watch how the employees handle the food. I have often seen an employee wipe /blow his nose , then proceed to get our drinks or food. EWWWW ... Thats normally when we ask for a manager an leave.

HA! That is great, I am not like this, but I think I may adopt this way of finding a good place. I always look at the cleaness of the grounds and the structure. If the grounds are neat and clean I feel the inside will be too.

thats your way of finding if the food serve is clean or not isnt it??im not really choosy ..im not too often in eating out...when i got a chance..its always mcdo or any fastfood chains or the likes..but on especially occassion i like to dine in a chinese restaurant...

Well most places here are clean, and inspected regularly by the Dept. of Health. I wouldn't return if the food was bad or I received bad service. We recently ate out at a popular seafood place in town and the food was horrible. My stuffed potato was still cold (had been frozen) and the seafood was not very good. My husband got a platter and an 8 yr old could have wiped it out. Half of it was french fries. Needless to say, we won't be going back.

Like you, I'm very particular with the places I'm going especially when my girls are with me. But I don't really pay much attention to the curtains or windows. I will took stock of the place based on the cleanliness and the efficiency of the staff. There is one small restaurant near my house that has a very nice ambiance. They have assorted curtains nicely matched and the windows are painted with a little floral design. The place looks so cozy and the food were excellent and affordable. I frequented the restaurant that I know all the staff's names by heart. :)

Im not so particular with the other factors other than the cleanliness and the food. I go for the food and the taste. Tjose are the things that matter to me most when eating. Another factor that I consider is the kind of service that they give.

I am totally like that too. I am not so judgemental what the outside looks like, but if i walk into a place and see any noticeable dirtyness, i walk out just as quickly as i walked in, because i figure if they dont care about the cleanliness of the areas that people see, then what does the kitchen look like, and what conditions is the food i am about to eat being cooked in??? ugh, it grosses me out just thinking about it lol. Good topic!