Restaurant English: Useful Expressions Used at a Restaurant • 7ESL

Learn Useful Restaurant English for Restaurant Staff and Common Expressions Used at a Restaurant. We’ve divided the lesson into six sections: making a reservation, being seated at the restaurant, ordering, dealing with problems, making comments on food, getting the bill.

Restaurant English: Useful Expressions Used at a Restaurant

Restaurant English: Making a Reservation

Customer

• I would like to make a dinner reservation for two.
• I need to make a dinner reservation.
• We will need the reservation for Tuesday night.We will be coming to your restaurant on Tuesday night.

English for Restaurant Staff

• We will have a table for you.
• I can seat you at 7.30 on Tuesday, if you would kindly give me your name.
• We don’t have anything available at 8.30. Is 7.30 OK?
• I have a table for four available at 7.45, please just give me your name.

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Restaurant English: Being Seated at the Restaurant

Customer

• I booked a table for two for 7pm under the name of John Thomas.
• A table for two, please.
• May we sit at this table?
• We have a dinner reservation for two at 7.30.
• Our reservation is under the name of Thomas at 7.30 for two people.

English for Waiter/ Waitress

• Of course. Please come this way.
• Your table isn’t quite ready yet.
• Would you like to wait in the bar?
• We’re fully booked at the moment. Could you come back a bit later?
• If you wait, there’ll be a table for you free in a minute.
• Would you follow me, please?
• If you would please be seated over in the waiting area, our hostess will be with you in a moment.

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Restaurant English: Ordering

English for Restaurant Staff

• Can I take your order, Sir/ Madam?
• Are you ready to order?
• Can I take your order?
• Are you ready to order yet?
• What would you like to start with?
• What would you like for a starter?
• Anything to drink?
• Do you want a salad with it?
• How would you like your steak?
• Do you want vegetables with it?
• Why don’t you try the pizza?
• Can I start you off with anything to drink?
• May I get you anything to drink?
• What would you like for dessert?
• Do you want a dessert?
• What would you like to drink with your meal?
• Would you like any wine with that?
• Can I get you a drink while you’re waiting?
• Would you like any coffee?
• Would you like an appetizer?
• Can I get you anything else?
• Would you like to order anything else?
• Would you like to try our dessert special?
• What did you want to order?
• Would you like coffee or tea with your dessert?
• Would you like dessert after your meal?
• What would you like to drink?
• Would you like to see our dessert menu?
• Would you like to finish your evening with us with some dessert?

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Customer

• Could you bring us the menu, please?
• Yes, can I see the dessert menu please?
• No, thanks. I am full after the meal.
• The menu, please.
• What’s on the menu?
• Do you have a set menu?
• Could you bring us the salt/ pepper/ ketchup/ vinegar, please?
• I’ll have the soup as a starter.
• I’ll have the steak for the main course.
• That’s all, thank you.
• May I have some water, please?
• May I get an order of barbeque wings?
• That’ll be all for now.
• Yes, please. May I get a glass of lemonade?
• I would like a Coke.
• I would like to order my food now.
• We’d like to order a cheeseburger and some fries.
• We’ll have the chicken with vegetables and the vegetable pasta, please.
• Just some water, please.
• Let’s have four coffees, please.
• We would like two coffees and two teas.
• We’d like a little longer, please.

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If there are problems with the order, the waiter/ waitress can say

• I don’t think we have anymore steak left. I’ll check with the kitchen.
• I’m sorry, but the king prawn soup is finished.
• Sorry, the hamburgers are off.

Restaurant English: Dealing with problems

Customer

• Excuse me, but I didn’t order this.
• I’m sorry, but this is cold.
• Can I change my order please?
• I’m sorry, but can I change my order?
• I am sorry, but I think I ordered waffles.

English for Restaurant Staff

• Let me take it back for you.
• I am so sorry!
• I am sorry that I misheard you.
• Let me change it for you.
• I am so sorry, Sir!
• I’m so sorry. I’ll change it for you straightaway.

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Restaurant English: Asking about the menu

• Is this served with salad?
• What do you recommend?
• Does this have any seafood in it?
• Is that shrimp in the soup?
• Is the soup a shrimp soup?
• What is in this chicken dish?
• Is there anything you recommend?

Restaurant English: Making Comments on Food

• What a wonderful dinner!
• I especially like the wonderful chicken dish.
• I really love this meal.
• My salad is very soggy.
• The vegetables are kind of mushy.
• My fish has good seasoning but is a little dry.The cake is too sweet for me.

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Restaurant English: Getting the bill/ check

When you want to pay, you can say

• Could I have the check, please?
• Can I have the check, please?
• We’ll take the check.
• Can I have my bill?
• Can we have the bill, please?
• Could we get the bill?
• Could I have the bill, please?
• I am ready for my bill.
• Could we pay please?
• I am ready to pay the bill.
• I would like my check, please.

Sometimes, you may also want to say

• Do you accept credit cards?
• Can we have separate checks?
• We’re going to split the bill.
• Are you paying together?

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Restaurant English: At the Restaurant Conversations

Restaurant English Conversation 1: Making a Reservation

Restaurant staff: This is Emma Restaurant.

Customer: Hi, I would like to make a dinner reservation for 2 people.

Restaurant staff: What night will you be coming?

Customer: We will need the reservation for Sunday night.

Restaurant staff: What time would you like?

Customer: 8.30.

Restaurant staff: We don’t have anything available at 8.30. Is 7.30 OK?

Customer: Yes, that’s fine.

Restaurant staff: Please just give me your name.

Customer: My name is John Thomas.

Restaurant staff: Thank you, Mr. Thomas, see you this Sunday at 7.30.

Customer: Thank you. Bye.

Restaurant English Conversation 2: Being Seated at the Restaurant

Waiter: Good evening. Welcome to Emma Restaurant.

John: I booked a table for two for 7.30 under the name of John Thomas.

Waiter: Yes, Mr. Thomas. Please come this way.

Waiter: Here is your table.

John: Thanks for your help!

Restaurant English Conversation 3: Ordering

Waiter: May I get you anything to drink?

John: Yes, please. May I get 2 glasses of orange juice?

Waiter: Sure. Would you like an appetizer?

John: I’ll have the tomato soup to start.

Lisa: I’ll have the shrimp soup.

Waiter: Would you like to order anything else?

John: That’ll be all for now.

Waiter: Let me know when you’re ready to order your food.

Waiter: Here is your potato soup, Madam.

Lisa: But I ordered shrimp soup!

Waiter: I’m so sorry. I’ll change it for you straightaway.

Lisa: I would appreciate that.

John: Excuse me. Could you bring us the menu, please?

John: We’d like to order a cheeseburger and some fries.

Waiter: Sorry, the fries are off. Why don’t you try the steak? It is excellent

John: I’ll trust your taste and take one order of that.

Waiter: Do you want a dessert?

Lisa: The chocolate mousse cake sounds great.

Waiter: Would you like coffee or tea with your dessert?

John: Just some water, please.

Waiter: Can I get you anything else?

Lisa: That’s all, thank you.

Restaurant English Conversation 4: Making Comments on Food

Lisa: John, is your steak OK?

John: The steak tastes wonderful!

Lisa: How is your cake?

John: My cake is too sweet for me.

Lisa: So is mine. I think they put too much sugar in cakes.

John: The food here is usually good, so I think that we should mention this to the waiter.

Lisa: You’re right. Maybe they can bring us some better food.

Restaurant English Conversation 5: Getting the bill/ check

Cashier: Can I help you?

John: Yes, could I have the bill?

Cashier: Of course. Here you are.

John: Thank you. I am ready to pay the bill.

Cashier: Of course, Sir. How would you like to pay, cash or card?

John: By cash, please.

Cashier: That will be $80, please.

John: Here you are.

Cashier: Thank you. Here’s your change and your receipt.

John: Thank you.

Restaurant English Video

Last Updated on April 29, 2023