The Restaurant Menu Red Flag Gordon Ramsay Urges Customers To Avoid

We've covered some important red flags that always make us think twice when eating out, like multiple empty seats in a restaurant or a dirty parking lot. Gordon Ramsay, our favorite potty-mouthed British chef, has spoken of another warning sign that makes him reconsider an eatery: a list of "specials" that is too long. "Specials are there to disappear throughout the evening. When they list 10 specials, that's not special," he told the Daily Mail.

Despite his famous on-screen bellicosity, Ramsay can be surprisingly down-to-earth. His favorite fast food burger is from In-N-Out, for instance. So, when he cautions us to beware of a long list of daily specials, we're inclined to believe him. The logic, after all, makes sense. While restaurant specials can be a vehicle for the executive chef to play with limited-time ingredients or experiment with potential new additions to the permanent menu, this list can also be a dumping ground for excessive produce, meat, or dairy that is facing spoilage. 

Did the kitchen order too many potatoes? Surprise, surprise ... vichyssoise is on deck. This isn't necessarily a bad thing — nobody loves the idea of food waste, do they? — but a big assortment of specials might lead you to wonder. You may grow concerned about the competence of the kitchen staff, or wonder if traffic has been poor, which could indicate other problems. Watching the specials like a hawk isn't the only bit of useful menu-perusing advice that Ramsay offers to diners, either.

More menu items that trigger Gordon Ramsay's suspicion are those designated as "famous," or anything else of that glowing nature. "They start coming up with these terminologies, saying 'and the wicked, famous, best in the country profiteroles'. Who said that? Who named that?" he asked the Daily Mail. This, too, makes sense: if a restaurant serves a genuinely famous pasta, it is likely the last one that will have to tell you about it. Word of mouth will do the advertising, along with online or print write-ups and glowing reviews. An eatery calling attention to its own menu item is perhaps disingenuous, unless it has a long history in the community.

Many diners don't remember this when they sit down in a new place to eat, but keep in mind that, if you have questions (or suspicions!) about the menu, you can and should ask your server for clarification. This doesn't just go for fine dining, either! Wondering if the Dover sole on the specials menu was last week's catch? Ask when it was delivered. Curious as to the story behind a so-called "famous" burger? Get your server to either tell you the tale behind it, or find someone who can. Even in humbler establishments, these are fair questions. If your inquiries are met with resistance or unsatisfactory answers, you can make an educated decision as to whether or not you want to proceed with your meal.