Restaurants don't pay enough attention to hygiene and cleanliness, with Britain and Spain the worst offenders according to four in 10 Europeans.
More than 44% of Britons and 48% of Spaniards interviewed said their countries could raise standards.
Four-fifths of 5,469 adults interviewed across Europe for a Mori poll said they wouldn't return to a restaurant if they thought it was dirty, even if the quality and price of the food was good.
Dirty crockery, cutlery, kitchens and toilets are the key deciders for customers when deciding whether to return to a restaurant.
The good news for the restaurant industry is that 53% of adults questioned agreed that hygiene and cleanliness in restaurants have improved in the past few years, with France the most improved country, and the Netherlands the worst.
Interviewees liked the concept of open kitchens in restaurants, where the cleanliness of the facilities can be seen more clearly.
Almost six out of 10 agreed that, given the choice, they would return to restaurants which had an open-kitchen area.
Mori Results
Of 5,469 adults questioned about what would put them off returning to a restaurant:
- 35% said dirty crockery/cutlery
- 34% said waiting staff with dirty clothes or fingernails
- 28% said dirty kitchens
- 28% said bad smells
- 23% said dirty toilets
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 29 April - 5 May 2004