Picture walking into your favorite restaurant with complete confidence in your order, only to later discover that professional chefs would never touch what you just eagerly devoured. The reality behind restaurant kitchens reveals surprising truths about which dishes even experienced culinary professionals avoid at all costs.
The insight from industry insiders paints a fascinating picture of what really happens behind those swinging kitchen doors. These revelations come from recent surveys and chef interviews that expose the uncomfortable realities of restaurant dining.
The Daily Special That’s Actually Yesterday’s Problem
Restaurant servers pushing the special of the day might have motives that are more economic than culinary, with according to industry reports, many chefs avoid ordering specials when dining out. His reasoning is straightforward: “Some restaurants put together their specials for the day based on what’s about to expire or what they’re trying to get rid of faster.”
Chef Davis isn’t alone in this thinking, as Gordon Ramsay also never orders soup of the day at restaurants, citing similar reasons about freshness and ingredient quality. The harsh truth is that many daily specials represent a kitchen’s effort to move inventory rather than showcase culinary excellence. Asking your server what yesterday’s specials were can reveal whether today’s soup of the day is actually made from leftover roast chicken and vegetables from previous nights.
Bread Baskets with a Side of Germs
That warm, inviting bread basket that graces your restaurant table may be fresh from the oven, or reheated after gracing another table. According to Food Network’s chef survey, it’s not uncommon for uneaten bread to make its way to multiple tables. The concept is revolting yet surprisingly common in the industry.
Not only are those delicious loaves full of carbs and calories, but they may also be full of germs from the diner who just left. Short of fingerprinting each scone, you’ll never know for sure unless you catch your server in the act. This practice represents one of the most widespread yet hidden corners of restaurant operations that customers rarely consider.
Chicken That’s Always Overcooked
Many chefs report avoiding chicken at restaurants because it tends to be overcooked. According to the Food Network’s website, chefs avoid ordering chicken in restaurants for many reasons, including overinflated price and lack of originality.
The problem with restaurant chicken extends beyond simple preparation issues. Ososky is not alone in his no-to-chicken stance among professional chefs. Many restaurants treat chicken as a safe, boring option that requires little creativity, often resulting in dry, uninspired dishes. The economics of chicken preparation in busy kitchens often prioritize speed over quality, leading to the consistent overcooking that drives chefs away from ordering it elsewhere.
Monday Fish That Smells Like Weekend Problems
Since most fish markets don’t deliver on weekends, the don’t-eat-fish-on-Monday debate continues to rage among freshness-loving chefs. In Hawaii, many fish markets are closed over the weekend, so if fish is on the menu on Monday, it’s probably not fresh. This timing issue creates a fundamental problem with seafood quality.
“Here in Hawaii, all the fresh, local fish comes from the auction, and it’s closed on Sunday, so unless the delivery was made on Monday morning, I wouldn’t want to eat the special that has fish in it.” Executive chef Eric Duchene warns against ordering fish specials with bacon, noting that “Bacon is used to cover up the smell of old fish,” and advises against ordering raw fish on Sunday nights because restaurants don’t receive deliveries on Sunday.
Vegetarian Dishes with Secret Animal Products
According to industry reports, some chefs have admitted that vegetarian dishes sometimes contain animal products. Even experienced restaurant professionals were surprised that a full 15 percent of survey respondents admitted to putting animal products in vegetarian dishes. This shocking statistic reveals a disturbing trend in restaurant kitchens.
The reasons range from chef laziness in finding flavor alternatives to outright hostility, with one survey respondent recalling seeing another cook pour lamb’s blood in a vegan’s entrée. This practice not only violates trust but can pose serious health risks for those with dietary restrictions or allergies. The deliberate contamination of vegetarian dishes represents one of the most concerning revelations from recent chef surveys.
Risotto That’s Not Really Risotto
Industry professionals often avoid ordering risotto at restaurants, explaining that “most of the time risottos are pre-cooked, heated up, finished with cream (which is a big no), and then over-cooked beyond the al dente texture that you’re looking for.”
Real risotto requires constant attention and stirring, making it impractical for most restaurant service. The chef explains that risotto is best when the rice is cooked to order, finished with butter and parmesan, and has a consistency that’s both luscious and meltingly rich. Most restaurants cut corners by pre-cooking batches and reheating them with cream, destroying the authentic texture and flavor that makes risotto special.
House Salads Made from Kitchen Scraps
Chef Suhum Jang, co-owner and managing partner of Hortus NYC, personally avoids ordering house salads, noting “I’ve seen restaurants repurpose leftover scraps from other dishes as salad ingredients, which is off-putting.” Additionally, the base greens aren’t always fresh, and heavy dressings are often used to mask this lack of quality.
The house salad represents the ultimate restaurant afterthought. Many restaurants neglect salads and just turn out lettuce with onion and tomatoes, with pizza restaurants in particular seeming to think of salads as an afterthought. When it’s so easy to make a great salad at home, why order one when you’re splurging on a nice meal?
Fusion Dishes That Confuse More Than Delight
Chef Peter He, head chef at Meili in Brooklyn, personally avoids complicated dishes that try to fuse five cuisines onto one plate, explaining “They often sound exciting on the menu but rarely deliver balance or depth. I’d rather have one cuisine done well than a confusing mix of flavors that feels like it’s trying too hard.”
Chef Dickerson warns against dishes that look like they were made more for Instagram than eating, while Chef Jorge Dionicio avoids “anything that feels overly processed or gimmicky things that rely more on presentation than substance. I value food that’s rooted in intention, not trend. I want to taste the ingredient, not just the concept.” The modern tendency toward viral, photogenic food often sacrifices substance for style.
Steak When You Can Make It Better at Home
Chef Luke Shaffer, an instructor at the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, admits “I never order steaks when I dine out. Why? I can cook a darn fine steak at home.” According to Brian Hatfield, chef of Surveyor in Washington D.C., too much sauce often ruins good steak, with signature rubs and marinades usually trying to cover up lower quality beef.
Executive chef Russell LaCasce of Hotel Valley Ho warns against cheap meat, advising “Do not go for a $20 filet of beef. It’s always worthwhile to pay for great cuts of meat, and you really can taste the difference.” Professional chefs understand that steak preparation is deceptively simple yet requires premium ingredients, making restaurant versions often disappointing compared to what they can achieve at home.
Overpriced Pasta with Underwhelming Results
Ryan Jones, co-founder and executive chef of Free Reign Restaurants in Charleston, often hesitates to order cacio e pepe at restaurants due to high prices, finding that pasta is typically made with dry pasta instead of fresh and has seen prices as high as $38. Executive chef Oscar Cabezas explains that some people eat out because they don’t like cooking, while others go to restaurants to get inspired: “When I go to a restaurant, I want to be wowed by the outstanding and unexpected food that I wouldn’t think of making at home.”
Chef Yulissa Acosta of Hearth ’61 notes “An entrée I will not order while eating out is mac & cheese of any sort.” The markup on pasta dishes often makes them poor value propositions, especially when the preparation doesn’t justify the premium pricing. Simple pasta dishes that cost pennies to make at home often carry restaurant prices that would make your wallet weep.
These revelations from professional chefs offer a sobering glimpse into restaurant reality. The next time you’re scanning a menu, remember that the people who cook for a living have learned to navigate these culinary minefields with hard-won wisdom.
What surprises you most about these chef confessions? Have you noticed any of these red flags during your own dining experiences?
Key Takeaway
Even in the best restaurants, not every dish earns a chef’s stamp of approval. The items chefs avoid often reveal important truths about food safety, ingredient quality, kitchen workload, and how certain menu staples are more about customer demand than culinary pride. Whether it’s overly complex dishes, items prone to spoilage, or meals that rely more on markup than craftsmanship, these chef-avoided plates offer diners a rare look behind the curtain – and a better sense of what’s truly worth ordering.
Why Chefs Stay Silent About These Menu Mistakes
You’d think chefs would just remove dishes they hate from their menus, but the restaurant business isn’t that simple. Customer favorites often stay on the menu even when they make chefs cringe – because removing that popular pasta dish could mean losing regulars who come specifically for it. The economics get even trickier when you consider that some of these questionable items have the highest profit margins, subsidizing the more labor-intensive dishes that chefs actually take pride in. There’s also the reality that many chefs don’t have final say over their menus, especially in corporate-owned establishments where decisions get made by people who’ve never worked a dinner rush. Plus, admitting certain dishes are subpar would be professional suicide in an industry where reputation is everything. So instead, chefs develop an unspoken code – they’ll steer friends and family toward certain items while quietly hoping nobody orders the things that keep them up at night, creating this weird double life where the menu tells one story and the kitchen staff knows the real truth.
The Psychological Game of Menu Engineering
Here’s something most diners never realize – your eyes don’t randomly wander across a menu. Restaurants strategically place their worst dishes in prime visual real estate because they know exactly where you’ll look first. That overpriced seafood tower sitting in a fancy box at the top right corner? It’s there because studies show that’s where eyes naturally land, and even if you don’t order it, it makes everything else seem reasonably priced by comparison. Chefs call these items “anchors” or “decoys,” and they’re designed to manipulate your perception of value rather than deliver actual quality. The dishes chefs genuinely love often get buried in less prominent spots because they don’t need the marketing push – regulars already know to ask for them. What’s really wild is how restaurants will use elaborate descriptions and fancy fonts to dress up their weakest offerings, hoping flowery language can compensate for mediocre execution. Meanwhile, the chef’s true passion projects might get a simple one-line description because the food speaks for itself. It’s a psychological con game happening right under your nose, and once you understand the pattern, you’ll never read a menu the same way again.
