Opening up an eating and drinking establishment is not easy and sometimes owners make crucial mistakes. Whether it’s some sort of design issue like see-through bathroom doors or a ridiculous spelling mistake on a sign, these 75 clueless restaurant and bar owners messed up big time.
We’ve chosen the funniest ones to share with you today. While we would never wish failure on anyone, in these unfortunate cases it’s already happened, so why not? It’s very likely that these places will be out of business soon so we have to enjoy them while we still can.
The public health inspection resulted in the restaurant getting an A. However, right there on the glass next to the sign is a giant cockroach. Somehow, the little pest slipped through the cracks or was overlooked.
2. Dictionary Translation
Instead of hiring a professional to translate their menu from French to English, this Paris restaurant simply pulled the food definitions straight out of the dictionary. It’s not the worst strategy, except for the fact that they included every possible translation for each word.
3. Best Italian Mexican Restaurant
How does something like this even happen? The local Mexican restaurant won the award for “Best Italian Restaurant”. As far as we know, there aren’t really a lot of culinary similarities between the two countries.
The sign says it’s Sherrill’s gas station and eatery. However, it’s all one big lie. The real owners, Bill and Ann, want to make sure you are aware of the truth. They added some clarification at the bottom.
Do you notice anything off about this menu? Look closely. The menu creators accidentally put a picture of fake sushi with USB adaptors sticking out of them as their primary image. Somehow, no one noticed.
At first glance, one might think this is some sort of strip club. When driving by in the dark, the sign reads “Ho On Ho”. We imagine it might unintentionally attract the wrong sort of clientele to this roadside family diner.
It’s well known that Chinese food contains a lot of calories. Between the rice and oils, it can add up quickly. This takeaway restaurant doesn’t beat around the bush about it though. They tell their customers how it is right from the get-go.
It’s not just your mind playing tricks on you. The sunlight passing through the window sign left a pretty crude shadow on the customer’s back. Remind us not to take that seat if we ever eat there in the future.
This Italian restaurant is guaranteed to be authentic. If you don’t believe us, just read the sign. The place is Italian As F**ck and proud of it. All of the other pizza places in town are just fronting.
What’s up with all these concept restaurants recently trying to be overly fancy with their presentation? That’s what happened here. The customer ordered a caesar salad and received a couple of romaine lettuce leaves in a glass.
This person called up the restaurant to let them know about a spelling mistake they saw on the street sign. The restaurant assured them they would change it. However, they kind of messed up, again…
Lemons are a great way to add some flavor to water or an ice tea. Although, it’s important to remove the stickers from the lemon first. Otherwise, your customers won’t be happy.
Using a fun acronym is a great way to get your message across. However, it only works if you start the sentences with the correct letters. It turns out, this “smart” salad bar is actually not so smart after all.
This stunning work of art was spotted by a customer at a Mexican restaurant. We understand that modern art isn’t always easy to understand and can get pretty bizarre sometimes, but really? The best they could do was a painted pallet?
We’re not sure if you can tell from the photos, but the window is fake. The restaurant is located in a basement and they wanted to make it appear as though it isn’t. To improve the atmosphere, they used a random image of a parking lot.
Instead of removing the mount where the television used to be, they just hung a picture over it. It looks pretty ridiculous. It’s obvious that interior design isn’t the owner’s forte.
Every door in the bathroom has its own semi-transparent frosted glass window. Even though the view is partially obscured, you can clearly see that there is activity going on through them. Privacy is pretty much non-existent.
In this restaurant bathroom, every stall features an obscure naked man sculpture. It’s equal parts intriguing and creepy. Going to the bathroom here would definitely be a memorable experience.
19. Hilarious Counterfeit
Occasionally, restaurant fails are a result of employee mistakes too. Take for example this bar where an employee accidentally accepted this ridiculous counterfeit bill. It is a five-pound British note with a North Korean image on it.
Low-calorie drinks are all the rage these days, but this is the first time we’ve ever heard of diet ice. The real question though is whether it contains contain gluten? Gluten-free ice is normally our first choice.
The trash can at this bar is actually a box from a trash can. It makes you wonder what happened to the original trash can? Not to mention, after a couple of spilled beers, this box-version is going to have to go in the garbage too.
Technically, it’s not “Bad Sushi”, it’s “B.A.D. Sushi”. It stands for best and delicious, but unless you read the fine print underneath the sign, you would never know. They also advertise it as 50% off like they are trying to get rid of it quick.
This hotel totally failed here. You can either fill up salt and pepper shakers with loose salt and pepper or you can put out a little dish of the packets for customers to use. Trying to combine both into one just doesn’t work.
It’s important that your potential customers understand what your business offers. This restaurant definitely messed up on that front. At least, we think it’s a restaurant. Maybe it’s a park or a memory origin space.
25. Excellent Drive-Thru Special
The offer is so appealing, how could anyone ever pass it up? They give out free straws with every drink purchase! It’s a deal that is sure to create a lot of return customers.
This up and coming Thai restaurant dropped the ball big time on their kid’s menu translations. We have no idea what these dishes are actually supposed to be. All we can say for sure is that we won’t be letting our kids order them.
27. Convincing Wall Mural
The mural on the wall at this Texas restaurant makes it look like every booth is already occupied. It’s pretty humorous. Although, it does make the restaurant appear more busy and popular than it actually is.
Eating an entire family sounds really tasty, however, we think we’ll have to pass on this one. Maybe if we were cannibals we would dine here, but at this point, we aren’t that desperate yet.
On the other hand, if you do happen to be a cannibal, this restaurant would probably hire you. At Taco Time, people are an essential ingredient. Be forewarned though, if you ever get fired, you might find yourself on the menu.
A lot of dive bars are well known for not cleaning very regularly. In a strange way, it’s part of the allure. However, what about this bar that never cleans up the candle wax? Is it a cool idea or simply disgusting? We aren’t sure.
When a hungry customer noticed that the restaurant was closed due to “short staff”, he left them a simple recommendation — hirer taller staff. It is a straightforward solution to their problem.
“I was worried going to the fair would break my diet, but thankfully they had SlimFast bars,” wrote this enthused customer. He was really pleased that they offered his favorite healthy snack — deep-fried weight loss bars.
Don’t worry, this lobster won’t actually rob you, but it is pretty funny that the Asian restaurant messed up the spelling like this. It hits on multiple different stereotypes at once.
They are the kings of pho — a delicious Vietnamese noodle soup. However, if you read their name really quick, it sounds a little different. Some would say it’s a fail. Others would say it’s a very clever play on words.
Imagine trying to read these goofy menus. They arrive at the table wrapped around wooden sticks. However, if you get too frustrated, you can always use them to bang on the table for additional assistance.
Have you ever seen a men’s bathroom like this? It’s a first for us. They’ve provided a couple of conveniently placed leather chairs so you can get a front-row seat to someone taking a dump.
For whatever reason, this McDonalds decided to put these appetizing giant photos up next to the booths. A giant nose and beard are exactly what people want to look at while trying to enjoy a burger.
38. Poorly Designed Booths
Every time you want to sit down, you have to climb over the step to get your feet into the booth. Not only would these be hard to clean, but they also present a big tripping hazard for customers.
This goofy sign is a little confusing. On one hand, it thanks the customers, but on the other hand, it kind of appears like it is quoting a fire extinguisher. If fire extinguishers could talk, it’s pretty unlikely this is what they would say.
