Restaurant Red Flags: Veal Vs Pork, All You Can Eat & Daily Specials

Dr Oz: What Not To Order

Dr Oz invited chef & TV host Michael Symon to share some of his insider restaurant secrets that could save you from getting sick or eating something gross the next time you go out. He already talked about Dirty Lemons & Restaurant Bathrooms. Now he’s turning his attention to red flags on the advertising and menus that you should avoid when you’re going to your favorite restaurants, such as the special of the day or all you can eat promotions.

Michael Symon is a co-host on ABC’s The Chew, and in addition to that he’s a successful restaurateur. He’s not the first chef to share kitchen secrets, but that doesn’t mean his advice isn’t useful. Here is some of what he had to say to Dr Oz.

Restaurant Red Flags: Special Of The Day

A restaurant’s special is usually based on whatever they are trying to get rid of from the kitchen cooler. That means it may be old, left over, or about to go bad. It’s hard to say what the story is, but the one thing worth knowing is that the special may not be so special after all. Michael Symon suggested patronizing restaurants that regularly refresh their menus, to ensure quality and fresh ingredients for your meal.

Restaurant Red Flags: Veal Replaced With Pork

According to Michael Symon, we should probably be skipping Veal altogether when dining out. It’s so expensive as meats go, but sometimes restaurants have bargain pricing or specials on Veal dishes. How do they do that?

The secret is that you’re not really getting Veal. Michael Symon said restaurants may be swapping out Veal for less expensive proteins such as pork. Underneath all the sauce and cheese, can you really be sure what’s on your plate? If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Restaurant Red Flags: All You Can Eat

All You Can Eat is another warning to watch for when deciding where to get dinner. It may sound like a good deal, but buffets have to cut corners to make the economics work. They tend to rely heavily on lower quality proteins that are riddled with hormones and antibiotics.

If restaurants are in business to make money, what’s in it for an all you can eat place to serve quality stuff? Michael said that you’re better off at buffets if you stick to the cheap stuff, like pastas and grains, because at least you know what you’re likely to be getting.

Have these Restaurant Red Flags made you sick yet? Will they affect the way you plan your next meal out? Share your thoughts in the comments.