I Person B Fast Order Ready Dessert Listen

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There are many types of restaurant. In this lesson, we will cover what you need to say in fast food restaurants, regular sit down restaurants, and luxury fine dining restaurants.

Fast Food

McDonald's is a popular restaurant, so I will use McDonald's as an example. The only thing you do when you go to a fast food restaurant is to go to the counter and order your food, then pay for it. That's all. Let's go through some quick sentences.

"Welcome to McDonald's. May I take your order?"
"I'll take a Big Mac and a small coke."
"One Big Mac and one small coke. Will that be all?"
"Yes."
"Will that be for here or to go?"
"For here please."
"The total comes to $3.87."

A common mistake is to answer yes or no when you don't know the answer. I heard of many stories when the cashier asks, 'for here or to go', and the person says, 'yes'. It is simple to avoid this mistake by studying and being prepared.

In most fastfood restaurants, it is even easier to order. They have value meals and you just have to say a number.

"I'll take number 2."

But the difference is that there are sizes.

"Would you like medium, large, or super size?"

"Medium please."

Regular Restaurant Ordering

When you sit down to eat at a restaurant remember to leave a tip. The average you should leave is 15 percent.

After you are seated, the first thing they ask is if you want something to drink.

"Can I get you a drink?"
"Can I get a drink for you?"
"Would you like to order a drink now?"
"Can I get a drink started for you?"
"What would you like to drink?"

"I'll take a coke."
"I'll have an orange juice."
"Water will be fine."
"Can I have a glass of water?"

After they bring out your drinks, they will take your order. The reason they do this is because most people know what they want to drink, but want a few minutes to decide what to eat.

"May I take your order?"
"What would you like to order?"
"Are you ready to order?"
"What would you like today?"

If you need more time, you can simply say, "Can I have a couple more minutes?"

When you are ready to order, just read off what you want.

"I'll take the Salisbury steak with hash browns."

Depending on what you order, they will have side options they will ask you about. Listen carefully to your choices and choose one. You should prepare yourself by reading the menu carefully. It should indicate what your options are.

"Would you like toast, a muffin, or a cornbread?"

Regular Restaurant Eating and Requesting Bill

Most places will come by once when you are eating and ask how everything is. This is a chance for you to order something else, complain about something, or get a refill on your drink. Some of the things they might say are:

"How is everything?"
"Is everything ok?"
"How is your dinner?"
"How is your lunch?"
"Are you guys doing ok?"
"Do you need anything else?"

When you are almost done with your meal, they might ask if you want some dessert.

"Would you like dessert today?"
"Would you like our dessert menu?"
"Would you like to order any dessert?"
"Any dessert for you today?"
"Would you like to hear our dessert special?"

If you are finished and want your bill, you can look for the server, make eye contact, and raise your hand. When they come by, ask them for the bill.

"Can I have my check?"
"Can I have my bill?"
"I'm ready for my bill."
"I would like my check please."

Fine Dining

The process of fine dining is very similar to the previous example. I'll list a couple of additions for fine dining that I didn't include above.

If you order wine, they will pour a tiny bit into your glass. You should immediately take a drink of it and shake your head yes. After you approve, they will pour your glass and other glasses full of the wine.

Some restaurants need to prepare dessert 20 minutes in advance. That means they will ask you if you are going to have dessert while you are eating instead of waiting for you to complete.

Finally, these types of restaurants take reservations. Here is an example of making a reservation through the phone.

"Hello, McCormick's. How may I help you today?"
"I would like to make a reservation."
"What day did you want to come in?"
"This Friday at 7:00pm."
"We have a table at 7:15. Will that be acceptable?"
"Yes."
"May I have your name?"
"Rich Yu. That's Y U."
"I have reserved a table for Mr. Yu on Friday at 7:15. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"That will be all."
"Thank you for calling."
"Thank you. Good Bye."
"Good Bye."

When you come in, you can tell them that you have a reservation.

"Hi, I have a reservation at 7:15 for Rich Yu."
"Oh, yes. Mr. Yu, your table will be ready in just a moment. You can wait right over there."