States with Most Restaurant Cleanliness Complaints

A recent viral ranking has drawn attention to issues of cleanliness in restaurants across several states. Conducted by the Chicago-based restaurant furniture company Affordable Seating, this study examined over 2.8 million TripAdvisor reviews from about 40,000 restaurants in 2024 to pinpoint where patrons voiced the most concerns about dining conditions.

The company directed its focus on restaurants garnering poor ratings—2.4 stars or less—located in significant urban centers. Key terms like “dirty restaurant,” “hair in food,” “rats,” and “roaches” guided the analysis in identifying problematic areas.

The rankings are derived from crowdsourced online reviews rather than official inspections carried out by health departments.

Here is a breakdown of the top ten states plagued by cleanliness complaints:

1. New Jersey

New Jersey emerged at the forefront with an overwhelming number of cleanliness-related grievances. Reports highlighted 320,520 mentions of ‘dirty restaurant,’ alongside 1,883 incidents of ‘hair in food,’ and 810 references to pest problems featuring rats and cockroaches. The high level of ‘dirty restaurant’ complaints placed New Jersey significantly ahead of other states.

2. Florida

Florida’s position was largely influenced by the few thousand complaints gathered from major tourist spots like Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and St. Petersburg. There were a total of 4,560 ‘dirty restaurant’ mentions, with 1,691 related to hair in food, and 636 pest-related complaints.

3. California

California ranked high mainly due to pest-related issues. Diners reported cleanliness concerns with 3,332 ‘dirty restaurant’ mentions and 1,731 hair in food incidents but led the table with 960 complaints about rats and roaches.

4. Arizona

Continuous complaints across Arizona’s populated cities landed it in the top five. Reviewers noted ‘dirty restaurant’ issues 1,759 times, found hair in food 639 times, and documented 443 critter sightings.

5. Texas

Despite broad urban presence, Texas had relatively consistent but lower complaint figures. There were 1,068 mentions of ‘dirty restaurants,’ alongside 471 hair in food and 232 pest-related complaints.

6. Louisiana

Driven largely by pest complaints, Louisiana accumulated 951 ‘dirty restaurant’ mentions, 412 hair in food complaints, and 399 reports of rats and roaches.

7. Alabama

Although Alabama had numerous complaints concerning cleanliness and food handling, it reported fewer pest issues compared to its peers. References to ‘dirty restaurant’ occurred 918 times, with 404 hair in food and 141 pest sightings.

8. Maryland

Maryland’s complaints were evenly distributed across the categories. Reports showed 884 ‘dirty restaurant’ mentions, 436 hair in food instances, and 201 pest complaints.

9. Nevada

Nevada faced a high frequency of pest reports compared to its overall number of reviews, particularly in tourist-dense regions. It logged 881 ‘dirty restaurant’ instances, 579 hair in food cases, and 414 pest-related reports.

10. Georgia

Georgia finished the list with moderate but steady volumes of complaints about both cleanliness and pest problems. The numbers cited were 856 ‘dirty restaurant’ occasions, 375 hair in food cases, and 216 pest allegations.

The analysis underscores the importance of maintaining rigorous hygiene and pest control standards in dining establishments to meet customer expectations, particularly in high-traffic areas.