Restaurant Vocab + Speaking Practice

Have you ever felt blocked when it comes to ordering food at a restaurant? You're

at the restaurant and the waitress asks you what would you like and you're like uh...

and then you just randomly point to an item in order because you don't know what else to say?

I've done that, I've been there. In France at a Chinese restaurant, I ended up ordering

something just terrible, I couldn't even eat it. So let me spare you the misery, and teach you

some of the most common phrases used when ordering food, and some of the most common questions asked.

First of all it might be helpful to reserve a table. It's quite simple,

you can call the restaurant and they will most likely answer by the restaurant's name,

and then you can say, I would like to make a reservation for this evening, or whenever it is,

so it could be tomorrow, it could be next week. They will usually ask you for how many people,

and you would respond two people, four people, however many people. It's common to hear how many

people are in your party, or if you're at a restaurant, and say your name was on the waiting

list so you're just sitting there waiting for your table, the hostess will say your last name, plus

party of, and how many people. So for me, my last name is Hanson, I would hear Hanson party of five,

and that just means my group, so then you stand up and go to the table. Okay back to that phone call,

after you say how many people are in your party, they will ask you what time that you would like

your reservation for. Remember in the U.S. we don't use military time, so if you say

18 o'clock, they won't know what you're talking about, trust me. So 6 p.m. 7 p.m. 8 p.m. whatever

time. They may also ask you, do you prefer indoor or outdoor seating, because some restaurants have

a nice terrace outside, but some people don't like to sit outside. They may also ask you,

do you prefer a booth or a table? So a booth, it's a table, but it usually has benches on two

or even three of the sides that you can't move. So you could say, I would like indoor seating,

or I would like outdoor seating, I would like a booth, or I would like a table. Okay so then you

show up to the restaurant, maybe you're right on time, maybe you're a minute early, and the

hostess may ask you, do you have a reservation? And you can respond, yes under the name Brown,

obviously whatever your name is, yes under the name... she will most likely confirm,

Brown, party of four? And you can say yes, that's correct or you can just say yes ma'am. They use

ma'am a lot here in the south, it's a way to be extra polite, and to also show respect.

She will then say, right this way, or follow me, and she will proceed to seat you

at your table, usually with the menus. Then she will say your server or your waitress,

means the same thing, will be right with you. So she may say, can I start you off with any drinks?

She means like any drinks, so you can say water if she hasn't brought it,

soda, she'll ask you what kind, alcoholic drink, whatever you prefer to drink. She usually won't

take your order right away. So I just recommend to memorize the drinks that you prefer.

The other day our Brazilian friend ordered lemon soda, and our server was like,

we don't have lemon soda, and then me and my husband were like, he wants sprite which

is lemon soda. So she's like oh sprite, yes okay. So she also may ask you in this moment

after drinks if you want any appetizers. Can I start you off with an appetizer? So that's

just a small portion of something that you share before your meal. Many restaurants serve things

like bread if you're in an Italian restaurant, or chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant,

and you don't have to pay for those. Those are complimentary, the restaurant gives them, but an

appetizer that's listed on the menu, yes you have to pay for that. So you can say yes, we will have,

or no thanks. Yes we will have, then whatever you want, or no thanks. So typically in an American

restaurant there are appetizers and drinks, a main course, and dessert. That's most restaurants,

but you don't have to get an appetizer, desserts, it's up to you. Here's where it can get tricky,

food vocabulary. So I would recommend at least memorizing the foods you really like,

foods that you're allergic to, and foods that you just hate, that you don't want to eat, just so

then you can be sure that you're at least ordering something that you like that you're not allergic

to, and that you don't hate, because you want to enjoy your meal. Restaurants are expensive. So

you don't have to memorize every single vocabulary word for food, but if you can memorize those few

it will help you out. You can also ask your waiter or waitress, server, are there any specials today?

Because often restaurants offer specials that are not on the menu. Okay or if you

don't know what to order, you can say, what is your best seller? What is your best seller?

That means that they sell that dish all the time, so it's probably good. If you're a vegetarian,

that means you don't eat meat, so you can ask your server, do you have any vegetarian options

that you can recommend? Do you have any vegetarian options you can recommend? If you're a vegan,

this could be a little trickier, meaning harder, because that's no animal products, including eggs

or cheese. So you could ask your server, do you have a vegan option? Do you have a vegan option?

If you order a salad your server will ask you what kind of dressing do you want with that? So I know

most restaurants in the rest of the world serve olive oil and vinegar ,and then maybe you have

salt and pepper you can add on. Here in the U.S. we have so many dressing options. So you can say

I will have french, I will have ranch, I will have a thousand island. I know there's a lot,

don't be overwhelmed. You can also order the house dressing, which is usually typically a special

dressing made in that restaurant. So you can say I'll have the house dressing. I'll have the house

dressing. If you order a steak, they will ask you, how would you like that cooked? Okay so

there's a lot of options for this one. Let's go over this briefly. This is getting away from me.

You can say rare, you want your your steak cooked rare, which means pretty bloody,

very red on the inside, medium rare means a warm red center, it's the most standard option.

Medium: no red, but pink; medium well: just has a tiny bit of pink, and well done means you

won't see any pink at all. Okay so now you know how you can order your steak depending on how

red or not red you want it. So very common to hear, what side dish would you like with that,

or what sides would you like with that? So that just means what do you want with your steak,

or with your chicken? So some common sides are french fries, or broccoli, or a potato.

So there's usually a list of what you can order, but that's what sides mean. Typically you don't

order your dessert at the beginning of the meal, so it'll be after you've finished your meal your

server may come up to you and say, did you save room for dessert? And you can say, no I'm so full,

or yes what do you have? And you'll typically find chocolate options like a brownie,

or chocolate cake fruity options like an apple pie, or sometimes ice cream, creme brulee even.

There's a lot of good options. So after your dessert, it's time for the bill. Typically your

server doesn't come up to you and bring you your bill. Usually you have to ask. So you could say,

the bill please, or can we get the check? Can we get the check? Maybe you see your waiter across

the restaurant, and you just capture her eye, you can go like this, like pretend you're signing,

and she'll know, ah they're ready for their bill. So she'll come over to you with the bill, and

maybe she sees a lot of food because American portions are huge, and so she might ask you,

do you want it to-go box? Or if she doesn't, you can say, can I get this to-go? Or can I get a

to-go box? And then she'll bring you something to package up your food. Some restaurants

take your plate and package it up for you in the back, but more common than not you are the one

to package up your food. So then she'll bring you the bill, and you can pay by cash or with a card,

but remember to tip. In the U.S. we leave anywhere from 15 to 25%. So if your meal was $50,

you should leave at least $7.50 up to $12.50 for the tip. I know it seems like a lot, but servers

are only paid a couple dollars an hour, they live off of their tips. So it's super important to tip.

Waiters actually make a really good salary on tips here in the states. So I think that brings us to

the end of our video. I hope that you feel more confident now, just understanding the experience,

what could happen at a restaurant and that you feel like okay, I'm prepared for this. So have you

ever eaten out before and had to use your English? I would love to hear about your experience.

As always, thank you so much for your support and for watching my video. If you haven't,

be sure to subscribe to my channel, and I will see you next week. Thank you guys. Tchau, ciao.