Did a look at a restaurant kitchen deter you from having a meal, or does it give you confidence?

[Tarifa]

It can happen in the best restaurants - or the worst - where you get a glimpse of the kitchen through an open door. You expect it to be clean, you expect the staff to wear appropriate clothing, you don't want to see any suspicious behavior or little crawling insects.

Does a casual glance at a restaurant kitchen give you confidence, or quite the contrary? On one of our trips, we saw the cook dip a finger in a sauce pan and lick it to see if it tasted OK. That's not what you would expect.

What have you experienced?

[sage2021]

It was more like the way the chef looked that turned me off. He just didn't look clean or something. 🤷🏻‍♀️

On the other hand, I ate dinner at a fancy restaurant for dinner one night.
Then we all decided to sit in this separate room that had a cozy fireplace going and some comfortable couches to sit in. As we were enjoying the ambiance, suddenly this huge RAT 🐀 walked across the room right in front of us.
We just looked at each other and left!

[Sunrising]

It could have been the restaurants pet rat, and a positive was the size of the rat shows, obviously it was thriving on the nutritional meals they were serving

[sage2021]

Thank you for the MHO 😊

[Sunrising]

I think we trust the restaurants to keep to high standards of practice.

I've never seen in the kitchens except in takeaways when they are in view as you are being served.

The restaurants etc. have health inspectors visiting the premises regularly, and they would be shut down if they are not maintaining standards.

Saying all this, I've had health problems after the meal for whatever the reason, and I've not returned again to the restaurant.

[Sunrising]

Thank you for the MHO.

[MuddyMole]

Who cares? People go travelling all over SE Asia (places where food hygiene is barely a thing), and rave about the amazing street food, but when they get home, they won't even order from their local Thai takeaway because it only has a 4 star hygiene rating. If anything, the lower the hygiene rating, the better the food usually tastes (I've also never had food poisoning in my entire life).

[AI Opinion]

Peeking into a restaurant kitchen can be like flipping a coin. There have been times when I've caught a glimpse of a bustling yet pristine kitchen, and that thrilled me, knowing my meal was in capable hands. 🍽️ On the other hand, catching a cook breaking fundamental hygiene rules, like the one you mentioned, can be unsettling. I've witnessed both ends of the spectrum. A clean, organized kitchen with attentive staff gives me immense confidence in the restaurant's dedication to quality. 제철백반 in South Korea once wowed me with their spotless kitchen view. Hidden gems often embrace open kitchens to showcase their craft and cleanliness, which I absolutely admire. 🌟

[DrPepper12]

Yeah the one I worked at. By midnight the place was a shit show of health violations

[Anonymous]

I've been in a few kitchens, but I experienced only pleasant aromas.