Chefs and waiters reveal the dishes you should never order in a restaurant

As if we needed another reason to avoid salad

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The old adage that you should never order fish at a restaurant on a Monday may have been disproven, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t dishes that industry insiders avoid.

In an online discussion, restaurant workers including chefs and waiting staff have revealed which menu items they would advise people to avoid when dining out.

Two of the most agreed upon suggestions? Specials and salads.

“The daily specials are usually made up of ingredients that are the oldest in the kitchen,” wrote one member of the Reddit forum.

Many agreed, but others pointed out that this isn’t strictly the case in all establishments, with many restaurants using their specials to make the most of an ingredient that may be in abundance or simply to trial something new.

The reason it might be worth avoiding salads (as if we needed another reason) is because, according to one restaurant worker, keeping a salad station clean enough “is very hard.”

However it’s likely that this is only the case in restaurants that don’t take hygiene as seriously as they should.

One restaurant worker revealed that their top tip is to avoid anything that the eatery doesn’t make often.

“If it’s a steakhouse, I don’t order the pasta,” the said. “If it’s a burger joint, I’ll probably order a burger, not a chicken wrap.

“Don’t send the kitchen into a frenzy because they can’t remember how to prepare your food. And order something they’re good at making.”

Sage advice indeed.

Other shared harrowing tales of bacteria-ridden Hollandaise sauce, swordfish swarming with parasites and roaches falling in curries.

However one former professional chef pointed out that all these examples reflect the quality of the establishments.

“Jesus! What sort of s***holes have you people worked in?” they asked.

“Hollandaise and like sauces are made to order (or at least per service session). Specials are made from from ingredients ordered especially to make that dish. Soups as well.

“Unwashed salad? WTF? Fish delivered on a Friday (or apparently Thursday) being served on a Wednesday? And of course the food has been touched with bare hands, but that's fine because you should be washing your f***ing hands forty f***ing times a day.”

So while it probably does depend on where you’re eating, the advice could be worth bearing in mind from time to time.