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Waiters reveal the food you should never order from a restaurant menu

We don't know about you, but when we're out at a restaurant, we sometimes can't help but ask the waiter what they would recommend.

Most of the time they'll give you their honest answer, leaving you with peace of mind that you're probably picking something that a) has just been cooked freshly in the kitchen and b) something the waiter would eat themselves, meaning it's one of the safest options.

According to a Reddit thread, where a bunch of waiters have revealed a list of things you should never eat at a restaurant, it seems we may be right to seek out help from the people in the know as some of the food preparation and storage methods are pretty eye-opening.

Waiters reveal the surprising things you shouldn't order from the menu.
Waiters reveal the surprising things you shouldn't order from the menu.

Here are the top food items they believe you should stay very clear of when you browse through your menu.

Soup

While it may seem like a pretty safe order (how can you go wrong with soup right?), the thread has revealed the dark side of storing food, with many waiters saying the soup is never cooled down and is left stewing in a massive container all night long.

"It never gets cooled properly at night in the big container so it stays luke warm for hours," one Reddit user said.

"I never eat soup when I'm out because "soup" is restaurant code for "leftovers water," another person said.

Specials

If you've ever whooped for glee when your favourite dish was on the specials menu, this chef may change your perspective on getting it at a discounted price.

"Depending on the restaurant I'll never order specials. Most of the time its a frankendish of things that are about to spoil that the chef makes the garde manger find something to do with. I was a chef," the commenter said.

Ice

It may be refreshing on a hot day, but according to waiters, ice should be avoided at all costs.

"Order your drinks without ice. The machines rarely get cleaned and often have mold issues," a Reddit user revealed.

"I currently work in a restaurant, and at least 5 of the people I work with LOVE to eat ice nonstop. Most of them insist on going to the drink station and picking pieces of ice to eat with their bare hands. I've complained to managers, I've complained to the people doing it. But it never stops. I don't even want to know where else this happens. But just in case, I'll take my drink without ice," another waiter said.

"The number one cause of contamination is bacteria in the ice machine. Enjoy your drink," a commenter said.

Another person simply left the disconcerting comment "You should be more worried about the ice in your drink".

Buffets

We all know that buffets are left sitting there for quite some hours, however we're always of the assumption that they're cleaned and monitored on an hourly basis, tested with a thermometer and any rotting food is discarded of. However if this thread is anything to go by, we are very wrong.

"I used to work at restaurant...If its all you can eat salad buffet please be aware that lots of kids have touched it and it is not sanitary," one Reddit user said.

"I worked at an all you can eat buffet, and I will say I will never EVER eat the chocolate fountain. people dipped all kinds of food in there... Fried chicken, salad, pizza, seafood, and even their hands," another waiter said.

Another person warned against chocolate fountains, claiming they're very rarely cleaned and when they are, a whole host of disgusting items is found on the bottom.

"Stay away from chocolate fountains. I worked at a classy place that had a Sunday brunch buffet with a chocolate fountain. The things I would find at the bottom of that while cleaning it out were enough to make me never eat from one again. Chewing gum, and bandaids were the worst I had encountered. It is also very common for kids to stick their hands in them," they said.

Table bread

Perhaps the most devastating news is the fact that the delicious table bread you tuck into as soon as you plant yourself down may be someone else's leftovers.

"Table bread. A lot of the time, if you don't eat it all, it goes right back to the bread warmer," a waiter said.

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