Restaurant cleanliness complaints by state ranking reveals worst offenders

From dirty dining rooms to unwanted pests, a viral ranking highlights where restaurant cleanliness complaints pile up and which states customers say have the biggest problems.

According to reports, the list comes from Chicago-based restaurant furniture company Affordable Seating, which analyzed more than 2.8 million TripAdvisor reviews from nearly 40,000 restaurants in 2024.

The company focused on low-rated restaurants in major cities with 2.4 stars or less and flagged reviews that included terms like “dirty restaurant,” “hair in food,” “rats” and “cockroaches.”

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The rankings are based on crowdsourced online reviews, not official restaurant inspection data tracked by local and state health departments.

Here’s how the top 10 breaks down and what puts each state on the list.

1. New Jersey

New Jersey came in at the top of the list by a wide margin due to an unusually high amount of complaints about dirty dining conditions. There were 320,520 mentions of “dirty restaurants,” 1,883 “hairs in food” and 810 mentions of mice and cockroaches in the Garden State.

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The number of mentions of “dirty restaurant” was more than eight times greater than the average in the top 10; This put the state far ahead of others. Food Safety News.

2.Florida

Restaurant cleanliness complaints analyzed in the rankings were from low-rated restaurants in major US cities. (iStock)

Florida’s ranking was driven by thousands of cleanliness complaints at major tourist destinations. Analysis includes Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville and St. It focused on Petersburg and excluded Broward and Palm Beach counties. South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.

Reports revealed 4,560 mentions of “dirty restaurants”, 1,691 “hair in food” and 636 mentions of insects and rodents.

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3. California

California’s high ranking was largely due to complaints about pests rather than overall sanitation issues. The state ranked in the top 10 for reports of mice and cockroaches with 960 complaints, the most on the list, while diners flagged the “dirty restaurant” concern 3,332 times and mentioned hair in food in 1,731 reviews.

Food safety officials say health department inspections remain the primary measure of restaurant compliance. (iStock)

4.Arizona

Arizona ranked in the top 5 due to consistent complaints across all categories tracked, especially in the most populous metro areas. Reviewers cited “dirty restaurant” issues 1,759 times, with 639 mentioning hairs in food and 443 complaints about critters.

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5. Texas

Texas’ ranking, though lower, reflected consistent complaint totals spread across major urban markets. The Lone Star State recorded 1,068 “dirty restaurant” mentions, 471 references to hair in food, and 232 complaints about pests; This volume was probably influenced by its size and number of restaurants.

Pest-related complaints played a significant role in pushing some states higher in the rankings. (iStock)

6. Louisiana

Louisiana’s settlement was prompted by a relatively high number of pest-related complaints compared to general cleanliness. The reviews included 951 references to dirty restaurants, 412 mentions of hairs in food and 399 complaints about mice and cockroaches.

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7.Alabama

Although Alabama has fewer pest reports than many other states on the list, it has seen notable complaints about cleanliness and food handling. Diners mentioned dirty restaurants 918 times, hair in food in 404 reviews, and pests were seen in 141 cases.

8.Maryland

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 one issue. The state recorded 884 mentions of dirty restaurants, 436 mentions of hair in food and 201 complaints about vermin.

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9.Nevada

Nevada’s position has been impacted by a high number of pest complaints relative to the total number of reviews, especially in high-tourism areas. The reviews included 881 mentions of dirty restaurants, 579 mentions of hair in food, and 414 complaints about mice and cockroaches.

Many major tourist states ranked high on the list, driven by a large number of restaurant reviews. (iStock)

10. Georgia

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Georgia ranked in the top 10 with moderate but consistent volume of complaints related to both cleanliness and pests. Reviewers flagged dirty restaurants 856 times, mentioned hair in food in 375 reviews, and mentioned mice or cockroaches in 216 cases.