The Red Flag You Should Never Ignore At A Pizzeria

Pizza is one of life's greatest gifts, and luckily for pizza lovers (aka everyone), America is filled with incredible pizzerias. Unfortunately, while pizza has the potential to be transcendent, it can also be truly terrible. There's plenty of not-so-great pizzerias out there, and it's best to sniff them out before wasting money and stomach space on tragically bad pizza. Luckily, one major pizzeria red flag is hard to miss, because it's literally on display.

Many pizzerias keep pies visible behind the counter or in the window to attract hungry customers and to quickly serve up pizza by the slice. If the pizza on display behind the counter appears old and dry, or, less generously, desiccated, it's a good sign that you might want to take your business elsewhere.

Pizza that has been congealing in a display case for hours isn't just unappetizing; it could be dangerous. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), food that has been sitting at room temperature for more than two hours should be tossed, because it's spent too long in the bacterial "danger zone," a range between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit where bacteria grow rapidly. Of course, not all old-looking pizza will make you sick, and it's impossible for the average customer to know the exact history of the pie in question, but if that pizza looks like it could have been sitting there for many hours (or even days), it's best to trust your gut and move on.

Beyond visibly desiccated pies, there are some more subtle signs you can look for in a pizzeria's display pizza to make sure your slice hasn't been sitting around for longer than it takes to smoke a brisket. One of the biggest green flags in a pizza display case is condensation — if there's a little moisture on the glass above the pizza, that's a surefire sign that the pie is relatively hot and fresh. Additionally, the pizza should be a bit shiny on top from the gloriously delicious pizza grease. Pizza tends to lose its sheen over time, so older slices will appear duller and drier.

Another potential pizza display red flag is if the pies are just chilling on a tray behind some glass, and there's no heated display case or cabinet. Storing cooked pies in heated cases or pizza warmers keeps the pizza out of the bacterial growth danger zone. Although pies that have been stored this way aren't the same as a slice fresh from the oven, it's safer and tastier than pizza that's been sitting out at room temperature waiting to be reheated. Pizza not stashed in a heated case isn't always a red flag — it could simply mean the pizzeria is doing quick business and the pizza will surely be sold within minutes of coming out of the oven. However, dull, condensation-less slices chilling on trays (especially in a nearly empty restaurant) should raise alarms.