You may recall once sitting through a terrible restaurant service and telling yourself, “Never again” only to find yourself in a similar situation a second or third time. Here at Open Sauce, we believe that if you have to part with your hard-earned money for a dining experience, the least you deserve is a decent meal and memories to cherish. 

So yes, you’re about to check out that new restaurant everyone’s been raving about. But just before you wave the waiter over, keep an eye out for these 10 qualities.

1. Clean restrooms

Opeyemi Ejowvo swears by this test. “The first thing I do when I walk into any nice restaurant is head straight to the bathroom,” she says. “A Nigerian restaurant bathroom will tell you  much more about them than you can ever glean from the plastic smile of any waitstaff.”

200,000 people die from food poisoning every year in Nigeria, so you can never be too careful about the kind of people you allow to prepare your meal.

Is the convenience untidy or smelly? That’s an unmistakable sign of poor hygiene, and you don’t want to imagine what goes down in the kitchen where you don’t get to see. 

But if you can stay long enough to comfortably take mirror selfies while awaiting your order, then that’s a check on the restaurant’s scorecard.

2. Fully occupied dining areas

When seats are almost always occupied regardless of the time of day, that’s a bright green flag. It suggests that the restaurant is doing many things right that keep the customers coming back. Very few guests in-between rush hours is not always a bad sign, though, but if a restaurant is mostly empty, even on weekend evenings, run o!

3. Quality and affordable menu items

“The food was basic and overpriced,” is arguably the most common review about Nigerian — especially Lagos — restaurants in general. To recognise a restaurant worth the amount you’re about to splurge, check their menu before you even step out of your house. How affordable are their basic dishes and drinks? If it seems pricier than normal, don’t write them off yet — you never know, there might be a spin to their preparation. But if you’re unable to justify the amount you’ve spent on the basic menu item (not specialty dishes), then that’s your cue to pass on spending more on the specials. 

4. Rich menu

Aside from the more relaxed ambience and personalised service at restaurants, they’re essentially different from fast foods in that they offer a wide variety of specialty dishes. A good restaurant allows you the flexibility to curate your platter to suit your palates. Like Mary Omotoso, lifestyle content creator and chop life madam says, “I’m big on menus. I like options. Is it really a restaurant if I can’t get that?”

We think not.

5. Positive reviews from other people (not influencers or celebrities, please)

The best way to get quality reviews is from people who are not paid to give them. If the only people saying nice things about the restaurant are influencers (who’ve likely been paid to say them) you should probably spend your time boiling rice at home. 

Check online pages where the restaurant has been tagged by their customers. If the posts and comments have mostly positive reviews and the occasional thumbs down — for balance; no-one is stellar 100% every day — you’re likely to have a great dining experience too.

6. Visibly happy waiters

You know a good restaurant when the waiters, bartenders, and chefs look genuinely happy to see and serve you. Besides, it’s a sign that they might be willing to accommodate your preferences without making it seem like you’re bothering them. Never wait at a restaurant where any of the staff you encounter is grumpy. Their attitude could potentially ruin your mood and appetite.

7. Great ambience

Ambience ranks third on Mary’s (mentioned earlier) list of priorities when settling for a restaurant because it sets the mood for the dining experience, which ultimately influences the extent to which a meal will be enjoyed. How much a restaurant is willing to invest in decor, lighting, and space to make you warm and comfortable speaks to how much they have you in the centre of their service. Of course, sometimes, great designs might be overcompensating for poor service, but at least a restaurant should be able to satisfy your eyes once you walk through the door.

8. Active social media presence

Ilorin-based restaurant and food enthusiast, Damilola Animashaun, judges restaurants by their social media presence, and she has a point. Active social media engagement brings a business closer to its customers and provides access to an abundance of unfiltered reviews. Damilola believes a restaurant that doesn’t take social media seriously enough is likely failing at customer service already.

9. Effective customer service

Just before you place an order, look around to see how the staff relate with other diners. Do the diners appear to be having a good time, or do they look like they’re tired and running out of patience? How long have you had to sit by yourself while waiting for a waiter to come take your order? In what tone has the company and its front-line staff communicated with you so far. With these, you know whether or not you’re in good hands.

10. Open kitchen area

Nothing says “We are confident about our cooking processes and have nothing to hide” better than an open kitchen area at a restaurant. It’s easier to trust such a business with your money and palate.

Try to remember these tips always and you will avoid disappointing restaurant experiences. If you can’t trust yourself to remember everything shared in this article, bookmark it for easy reference when next you’re checking out a new restaurant. And if you have a fellow food connoisseur, share this article with them.