It’s well established that the North Bay is known for its excellent restaurants—with Michelin-stars and celebrity chefs throughout Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties. However, the eateries across the state as a whole could use some freshening up, according to a recent survey.
A new report from Affordable Seating, a company providing expertise in restaurant furniture, places California as third among states with the poorest hygiene ratings. The company researched TripAdvisor reviews with ratings of 2.5 (out of 5) or lower that reference poor food hygiene or cleanliness. The only states rated worse than California were New Jersey—at No. 1—followed by Florida. The keyword sweep focused on each state’s largest cities, mitigating some population-weighted differences, though denser cities will inevitably have more overall reviews. 
The reviews were analyzed for keywords such as “dirty restaurant,” “rats,” “roaches” and “hair in food,” according to Affordable Seating. The Golden State had the overall most mentions of “rats” or “roaches,” the survey takers observed—101% higher than the Top 10 average.
Zach Kanoff, spokesperson for Affordable Seating, said with the growing pressure of working in hospitality, it’s only natural that mistakes will be made. Still, he said in an announcement of the survey, “It’s shocking to see a high volume of complaints regarding food hygiene.”
He said restaurants (and customers) should always be on the lookout for unwashed plates, glasses or cutlery, plus food not being warmed through, or meat not being thoroughly checked before eating.
“If a complaint is necessary, it’s worth making one,” he said. “Hopefully, by doing so, the establishment will improve the quality of its food, making the customers happy and reducing the number of negative reviews.”
Here are the Top 10 states with the dirtiest restaurants, according to a survey of TripAdvisor reviews:
New Jersey
Florida
California
Arizona
Texas
Louisiana
Maryland
Nevada
Georgia
—Source: Affordable Seating
