MẪU CÂU TIẾNG ANH VỀ RESTAURENT

We’re going to eat out – that means eating at a restaurant. This will be a two-part lesson. Today you’ll learn how to make reservations, what to say when you arrive at the restaurant, and how to understand the menu. Tomorrow you’ll learn how to make orders, interact with the waiter or waitress, pay for the food, and talk about your experience at the restaurant.

 Conversation #1 – Making a Reservation 
It’s a good idea to call the restaurant and make a reservation in three cases:

•  First, if you are going to a nice/expensive restaurant.
•  Second, if you are going to a restaurant that is very popular.
•  Third, if you are going to the restaurant with a large number of people, and you want to make sure that the restaurant has enough space for everybody.

Conversation Vocabulary & Phrases

•  In general, when making a restaurant reservation, you need to give your name, phone number, and the date and time you plan to go to the restaurant.
•  When the person at the restaurant asks “How many in your party?” she wants to know how many people total will be coming to the restaurant.
•  If you have any special requests, you can make them – for example, in this conversation, Mr. Smith asks for one high chair and one booster seat. A high chair is a chair for a baby, and a booster seat is a chair for a small child.
•  While making the reservation, you can also ask for a table in a specific location, for example:

1.  “Can we have a table near the window?”
2.  “Can we have a table on the balcony?”

 Conversation #2 – Arriving at the Restaurant 
When you enter the restaurant, the person (usually a woman) who greets you is called the hostess. If you made a reservation before arriving, you can say to her:

•  “I have a 7:30 reservation for John Smith.”

If you didn’t make a reservation, you might need to wait for a table if the restaurant is crowded (that is, if there are many people in the restaurant):

Conversation Vocabulary & Phrases
In spoken English, “going to” is often pronounced “gonna,” like when the hostess says “It’s gonna be about a 10-minute wait.”
The expression “mm-hmm” is a way to say “yes.” English has many different ways to say “yes” and “no” (click here and here for some examples).
Also, if the restaurant has a bar, the hostess may ask if you want to sit at the bar and have a drink while you wait.
If there are tables available when you enter the restaurant, then the hostess will ask you how many people:

The menu is the list of foods that the restaurant offers, and how much they cost. We use a specific verb for the action of asking for food in a restaurant: to order.

Vocabulary Builder: Understanding the Menu
The menu will often be divided into different sections:

•  Appetizers or starters are small amounts of food that are eaten before the main dish.
•  Main dishes or entrees are the biggest and most important parts of the meal, eaten after the appetizers and before dessert. This can also be called the main course.
•  Specials are specific dishes that are prepared particularly for today, and are often at a reduced price.
•  Combos is short for combinations - two or more foods that are ordered together as a single item (for example, at McDonald’s you can order a “combo” of a hamburger, French fries, and soda for one price).
•  Side dishes or sides are small portions of food that can be ordered to accompany the main dishes – for example, you can order a steak with a side of mashed potatoes.
•  Desserts are sweet foods eaten after the main dish, like ice cream, cakes, pies, etc.
•  Beverages is another word for drinks. There are also cocktails, which are mixed alcoholic drinks (like margaritas, martinis, and other alcoholic drinks like tequila and rum that are mixed with fruit juices and other ingredients).

For some more advanced restaurant menu vocabulary, click on these two example menus: American Diner Menu and British Restaurant Menu.

Asking questions about the menu
Here are some typical questions you can ask the server in order to find out more information about the dishes on the menu:
 “Is that a big portion?”
(portion = quantity of food)
 “Is it spicy?”
(ask this to find out if the food has “hot” peppers)

 “Does it have any peanuts in it? I’m allergic.”
(allergic = your body has a bad reaction)
 “Do you have any diet / light dishes?”
(some restaurants have a “light” section of the menu, with foods that are
healthy and low-fat, but you can also ask the server which dishes are good for a
person on a diet)
 “Do you have any vegetarian dishes?”
(ask the server this question if you don’t eat meat)

 “Does that come with any sides?”
(sometimes, the entrees come with side dishes like potatoes, vegetables, salads,
or soups, which are included in the price of the main dish)
 “Can I substitute a salad for the soup?”
“Can I have a salad instead of the soup?”
(ask one of these questions to find out if it’s possible to exchange one item for
another)
 “Do you have a kids’ menu?”
(many servers will give you a kids’ menu automatically if they see you have
children, but you can also request it)
 “What are today’s specials?”
(many restaurants have dishes that are prepared especially for that day, and
some have a reduced price)
 “What do you recommend?”
(if you really don’t know what to order, you can ask the server for a suggestion. Often, he or she will recommend a popular dish that the restaurant is especially known for)

You’ve finished Lesson 8 of the Everyday English Speaking Course! Now take the quiz to test your memory of the phrases from this lesson – and come back tomorrow for part II of our restaurant lesson.

Quiz – Lesson 8
1) We'd prefer a table _______ the window.
A. close
B. near
C. next
2) What are today's __________?
A. menus
B. reserves
C. specials
3) Does that ______ with any sides?
A. go
B. come
C. bring
4) What kind of salad _________ do you have?
A. coverings
B. dressings
C. toppings
5) I have an 8:00 __________ for a party of four.
A. appointment
B. order
C. reservation
6) Is that a big ________?

A. plate
B. portion
C. special
7) I can't eat oysters - I'm ________ to shellfish.
A. allergic
B. reactive
C. sick
8) The lamb chops are _________ in red wine; they're really delicious!
A. boiled
B. marinated
C. steamed
9) Can I have vegetables _________ the French fries?
A. instead of
B. because of
C. exchange for
10) The ________ chicken is a low-fat option.
A. baked
B. grated
C. fried
11) Do you have a kids' ________?
A. appetizer
B. menu
C. waiter
12) I'll be back in a few minutes to take your _________.
A. combo B. dish C. order

Lesson 8 Quiz - Answers
1.B 2.C 3.B 4.B 5.C 6.B

7.A 8.B 9.A 10.A 11.B 12.C