I'll Have The Steak, Please: Restaurant English

One of the best things about overseas travel is trying new and different restaurants. Today's post is on restaurant English. We'll cover:

• how order food and drinks
• how to ask questions about the menu
• how to make special requests
• tipping

 For this post, we'll use the menu from a very popular restaurant chain in British Columbia, Canada: White Spot (see more of their menu here ).

Please look at the menu below (zoom in if the letters are too small).

(White Spot burger menu)

Ordering

When ordering from a menu in English, we often use the phrases:

I'll have ____ , please.

or 

I'd like ____ , please. 

They're both polite and acceptable in all restaurants. It's important, of course, to say "please", but, also to have a "smile in your voice" (sound friendly). 

Servers (waitresses and waiters) are very busy and very stressed. Be very nice to your server and you'll find the service at the restaurant much better (especially if you're a repeat customer).

Now, let's look at the dialogue below:

Asami and Hanako are in a White Spot.

Server: Hello there. Welcome to "White Spot". I'll be your server today. Are you ready to order?

Asami: Yes, I'll have the Bacon Cheddar Bigger Burger with onion rings, please.

Server: Good choice. And for you?

Hanako: Oh, I'd like the Double Double with sweet potato fries, please. I'm very hungry.

Server: Anything to drink?

Hanako: I'd like an iced tea.

Asami: And I'll have a ginger ale, thanks.

These simple phrases are all you really need to order food or drink in a restaurant.

Asking Questions About The Menu

When you travel overseas, you'll usually see new words. Often, in many restaurants, the menus don't always have English words or will have food that isn't common or available in your home country. 

Look at the menu item below.

For example, "sriracha" (səˈräCHä,ˈsēräCHä) isn't an English word. As always, ask questions. politely.

Hanako: Excuse me.

Server: What can I do for you?

Hanako: I was wondering...Could you tell me what "sriracha" is? 

Server: Certainly. It's a spicy sauce made with red chili and garlic. It's popular in Thai and Vietnamese food. It's very good with goat cheese.

If you have an allergy you can (should) ask:

Asami: Do you know/Can you tell me if (there's any peanut oil in the salad)? I have a (peanut) allergy.

Server: I'm not sure. I'll check with the kitchen and get back to you.

Restaurants often have food available that's not on the menu (leftovers from previous specials, test food, etc). 

Hanako: I was wondering if  (you have any Japanese soy sauce). 

Indirect questions are always the best in most situations (please review here) because they sound friendly and polite. Direct questions are fine, but, remember to "have a smile in your voice" when you use them. 

Special Requests

There are times where you will want to change a menu item because there's something you don't like on it. A good restaurant will do its best to make changes to dishes when possible.

Hanako: I'll have the Curried Quinoa Bowl, hold the cauliflower, please.

"hold" = cauliflower

Asami: I'd like the Curried Quinoa Bowl, but, could I get broccoli instead of cauliflower?
                                                                                                 +                                 x
"instead of" = cauliflower,  broccoli +


If you ask request a change, you may have to pay a little more money, or the same (depending on the dish). 

Tipping

In Canada and the US, tipping is an old tradition. For people from countries like Japan (where there's almost no tipping), it can be confusing about how much to tip.

Travel websites like TripAdvisor  have good advice on tipping. Personally, I use the following system when deciding how much to tip.

10% - The service was okay.

15% - The service was very good.

25% + - The service was outstanding.
Canada and many other countries do have sales taxes. Base your tip on the total before the tax. Look at the bill below:

If you're going to be a repeat customer, it's a good idea to tip well. Servers always remember good tippers. A good tip usually brings better service every time you go to your favourite restaurant.


Check out the video below from James of EngVid on basic restaurant vocabulary.

Also, Rebecca offers effective techniques for complaining and disagreeing effectively.