15 Things You Should Never, Ever Eat at a Restaurant

Readers Digest ^ | no date given | Sheri Alzeerah

[Leaning Right]

We surveyed dozens of people in the restaurant biz on what they never, ever touch, whether it’s to avoid outrageous markup, food poisoning, or germ minefields. Watch for these offenders.

The iceberg wedge salad is one of the industry’s biggest rip-offs. Take into account that iceberg lettuce is about 98 percent water, and it’s easy to see why. “It’s marked up at least 20 times,” says Peter Chastain, executive chef and owner of California’s Prima Ristorante. Plus, germs can hide inside lettuce’s cracks, corners, and edges.

[Leaning Right]

As indicted by the title, the article is a bit alarmist (never, ever!). But something to think about anyway. I've read that many cases of "stomach flu" are actually cases of mild food poisoning.

Here's the complete list. The ones at the top make some sense. The ones at the bottom, not so much.

Iceberg lettuce
Best-sellers
Tap water
Free bar snacks
Meat with the bone in
Sauced-up specials
DIY grilling
Meatloaf
“From-there” seafood
“Gourmet” Burgers
Ice cream
Chicken
Pizza
Edamame
Bread baskets

[mad_as_he$$]

Soup, never soup.

[rdl6989]

Yeah, the ones at the bottom seem odd. Don’t eat pizza at a pizza place?

[fwdude]

The germaphobes on display.

Please, you have an immune system. Use it!!

[freepertoo]

Nothing, probably.

[EagleUSA]

In San Francisco, never eat tacos sold on the street.....

[Quality_Not_Quantity]

“One weird trick to scare people...”

[Leaning Right]

> Yeah, the ones at the bottom seem odd. Don’t eat pizza at a pizza place? <

I think Readers Digest might have been stretching a little to get a list of 15. Their argument against pizza is that it has a high mark-up. Well, a good pizza is worth it.

[gundog]

I like to poke germaphobes by telling them that cooked foods are safe to eat because the bacteria in them are dead.

[outpostinmass2]

Actually they state only order pizza at a pizza place.

[RatRipper]

. . . and Alar causes cancer. Stopped listening to crap like this 25 years ago

[Snickering Hound]

Actually if you haven't had meatloaf with brown gravy in the Deep South, you're missing out.

[rktman]

Hmmmm. Drinks locally(sodas, ice tea and coffee) are pushing $4.00 at the casino restaurants. Water is still “free”. Having ta ask for evil erf killing straws is becoming a thing here too.

[fwdude]

I completely agree with the bar snacks. Of course, I avoid that pitfall by never going to bars.

[morphing libertarian]

isn’t a place that has pizza, a pizza place by definition?

[bk1000]

If NY dirty water hot dogs didn’t kill me I can’t be killed by food.

[cherry]

its a hard list because it mixes food cost with food that can make you sick...

you don't go "out to eat" because you're worried about cost..

[KC Burke]

A bar owner buddy of mine advises me that when he grew up cooking in NOL restaurants that “blakened” seasoning procedures were instituted to sell the past it’s prime seafood.

Mussels are very problematic when bad and take a lot of attention and good sourcing to avoid problems, so I avoid mussels in most places except those I trust.

I don’t eat ground beef that is not from a good source and I don’t eat it with any pink left inside — cook it well.

Chicken salad from unknown cooks.

Old sausage.

[outpostinmass2]

The article said only order pizza for a place known for their pizza.

[JPG]

I like to poke germaphobes by telling them that cooked foods are safe to eat because the bacteria in them are dead.

If you knew everything nasty that you've eaten in your life, unaware at the time, that knowledge alone would make you feel sick.