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From dirty dining rooms to unwelcome pests, a viral ranking highlights where restaurant cleanliness complaints are piling up, and which states patrons say have the biggest problems.
The list comes from Chicago-based restaurant furniture company Affordable Seating, which analyzed more than 2.8 million TripAdvisor reviews across roughly 40,000 restaurants in 2024, according to reports.
The company focused on low-rated restaurants that received 2.4 stars or fewer in major cities, flagging reviews that mentioned terms such as “dirty restaurant,” “hair in food,” “rats,” and “roaches.”
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The rankings are based on crowdsourced online reviews, not official restaurant inspection data, which is tracked by local and state health departments.
A viral ranking revealed where complaints about dirty dining conditions and pests appear most frequently. (iStock)
Here’s how the top 10 broke down — and what put each state on the list.
New Jersey topped the list by a wide margin, driven by an unusually high volume of complaints referencing dirty dining conditions. The Garden State had 320,520 mentions of “dirty restaurant,” 1,883 of “hair in food” and 810 of rats and cockroaches.
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The number of “dirty restaurant” mentions was more than eight times higher than the top 10 average, pushing the state far ahead of the rest, according to Food Safety News.
Restaurant cleanliness complaints analyzed in the ranking were drawn from low-rated eateries in major U.S. cities. (iStock)
Florida’s ranking was fueled by thousands of cleanliness complaints in major tourist hubs. The analysis focused on Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville and St. Petersburg, and excluded Broward and Palm Beach counties, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
It turned up 4,560 mentions of “dirty restaurant,” 1,691 of “hair in food” and 636 of bugs and rodents, according to reports.
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California’s high ranking was driven largely by pest-related complaints rather than general cleanliness issues. While diners flagged “dirty restaurant” concerns 3,332 times and mentioned hair in food in 1,731 reviews, the state led all others in the top 10 for reports of rats and roaches, with 960 complaints — the most on the list.
Food safety officials note that health department inspections remain the primary measure of restaurant compliance. (iStock)
Arizona landed in the top 5 due to steady complaints across all tracked categories, particularly in its most populated metro areas. Reviewers cited “dirty restaurant” issues 1,759 times, along with 639 mentions of hair in food and 443 complaints involving critters.
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Texas’ ranking reflected consistent — though lower — complaint totals spread across its large urban markets. The Lone Star State logged 1,068 “dirty restaurant” mentions, 471 references to hair in food and 232 pest-related complaints, a volume likely influenced by its size and number of restaurants.
Pest-related complaints played a significant role in pushing some states higher in the rankings. (iStock)
Louisiana’s placement was driven by a relatively high number of pest-related complaints compared to its overall cleanliness mentions. Reviews included 951 references to dirty restaurants, 412 mentions of hair in food and 399 complaints involving rats and roaches.
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Alabama saw notable complaints about cleanliness and food handling, though fewer pest reports than many other states on the list. Diners cited dirty restaurants 918 times, hair in food in 404 reviews and pest sightings in 141 cases.
The list is reportedly based on millions of TripAdvisor reviews. (iStock)
Maryland’s ranking reflected balanced complaint levels across all tracked categories, rather than a spike in any single issue. The state recorded 884 mentions of dirty restaurants, 436 references to hair in food and 201 vermin-related complaints.
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Nevada’s position was influenced by a high number of pest complaints relative to its total review count, particularly in tourism-heavy areas. Reviews included 881 mentions of dirty restaurants, 579 references to hair in food and 414 complaints involving rats and roaches.
Several major tourist states ranked high on the list, driven by large volumes of diner reviews. (iStock)
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Georgia rounded out the top 10 with moderate but consistent complaint volumes tied to both cleanliness and pests. Reviewers flagged dirty restaurants 856 times, cited hair in food in 375 reviews and mentioned rats or roaches in 216 cases.
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