14 Phrases for Eating Out — Easy English Podcast | B1 Listening Practice

Transcript

Introduction

A: Today we’re eating out — from the phone call that books the table to the awkward thirty seconds at the end when nobody knows who’s paying.

B: You’ll learn what the server says to you, what you say back, and how to handle several moments where learners often freeze.

A: Listen for six of them: to make a reservation, Are you ready to order?, What do you recommend?, I’ll have the chicken, to be allergic to something, and Could I get the check?

B: After that, six short situations as a quick review, so you can practice out loud.

A: You can practice today’s phrases in Recursio — link in the description.

Booking and arriving

B: Let’s start before the restaurant, on the phone or on the website.

A: The part I always translate word for word from my own language.

B: Then here’s the safe one. To make a reservation means to arrange for a table before you arrive.

A: “I’d like to make a reservation for Friday evening.”

B: “Make a reservation” is very common in American English and widely understood.

A: I’ve also heard “book a table”.

B: “Book a table” is also correct. It’s especially common in British English, and it’s also used and understood in the US.

A: Good. And how do I say how many people?

B: A table for two. Or for three, for four, for six.

A: “Do you have a table for two at seven?”

B: And notice that’s the whole question. You don’t need “I want” in front of it.

A: What if I haven’t called ahead?

B: Then you walk in and say “Table for two, please.” Same phrase, no reservation.

A: And they might say?

B: “Do you have a reservation?” If no table is free, they may say, “It’ll be about twenty minutes.”

A: Is there a polite way to ask where I sit?

B: “Could we sit outside?” or “Could we sit by the window?” Both are normal, and both may get a “let me see what we have.”

A: So the pattern is “Could we…” rather than “I want”.

B: “Could we…” is a useful polite pattern. It makes the sentence a request instead of an instruction.

A: What else might they ask on the phone?

B: “What name is it under?” — meaning, whose name should the reservation be in. Answer with just your name.

A: And they might spell it back to me.

B: They often will, and that’s a good moment to practice your own name letter by letter. It comes up more than you’d think.

A: What if I need to cancel?

B: “I need to cancel a reservation for tonight, under Petrov.” Name the day and the name, and that’s the whole call.

A: Do restaurants mind?

B: If you need to cancel, contact the restaurant as soon as you can. Some places charge a late-cancellation or no-show fee, especially if they required a card.

Ordering

A: We’re at the table. What comes at us first?

B: A menu, sometimes some water, and then this question from the server: Are you ready to order? “Server” is common and gender-neutral; “waiter” and “waitress” are also still used.

A: And if I’m not?

B: “Could we have a few more minutes?” That’s a natural answer, and it’s completely expected.

A: That’s a relief. It’s the sentence I’ve been missing for years.

B: Many learners are missing that one — textbooks teach you how to order, not how to ask for more time.

A: Now the menu itself. How is it laid out?

B: American menus often list appetizers first, then entrées, then desserts.

A: “We’ll start with an appetizer and share an entrée.”

B: And here’s a word worth stopping on. In American English, the entrée is the main course.

A: That’s the opposite of what I expected.

B: In French, “entrée” traditionally refers to an opening course. In American restaurant English, it usually means the main course.

A: So if I order two entrées, I get two main courses.

B: And a large check. Worth knowing before you find out.

A: What’s the British version?

B: Starter and main course. Understand both. Use the American pair.

A: Are there other menu words I should know?

B: A few. “Sides” are the small dishes you add — fries, salad, rice. “Specials” may not be printed on the menu, so the server may read them out loud.

A: That’s the part I never catch.

B: They can be hard to catch the first time. “Sorry, could you say the specials again?” is a completely normal sentence, and “Could you say that a bit more slowly?” is fine too.

A: Now, I never know what to choose.

B: Then use one of the most useful questions in a restaurant: What do you recommend?

A: “It all looks good. What do you recommend?”

B: The server can often suggest something, and the answer may turn into a short conversation — useful listening practice.

A: Can I be more specific?

B: You can, and it works better. “What’s good if I don’t eat meat?” or “What’s the most popular thing here?”

A: And then I have to actually order.

B: One phrase covers it. I’ll have the chicken, I’ll have the soup — whatever comes next.

A: “I’ll have the chicken, please.”

B: Simple, natural, and it doesn’t sound demanding. “I’d like the salmon” is equally good and slightly more formal.

A: What about “I want the salmon”?

B: Correct grammar, but it can land flat — it reads as an instruction rather than a request. “I’ll have” and “I’d like” are what you’ll hear around you.

A: Do I need “please” every time?

B: Not after every item, but adding “please” once to the order sounds natural and polite.

A: What if two of us want the same thing?

B: The second person says “Same for me, please” or “I’ll have the same.” Short, and it’s what people actually say.

A: And if I change my mind halfway through ordering?

B: “Actually, could I have the chicken instead?” The word “actually” is doing the work there — it signals a change without an apology.

A: I like that one.

B: It’s useful far outside restaurants — any time you change what you just said. One warning, though: aimed at someone else’s sentence, “Actually, no…” sounds like you’re correcting them. Use it on yourself.

Drinks and special requests

A: Somebody always asks me about water and I panic.

B: Still or sparkling? Still means no bubbles, sparkling means bubbles.

A: And I have to pick one?

B: You don’t. There’s a third answer, and it’s the one to learn: “Just tap water, please.”

A: Does that work everywhere?

B: At most sit-down restaurants in the US, tap water is free, and they may bring it without being asked. In other countries, the policy varies: you may be offered bottled water and charged for it.

A: Now the important one. I need to tell them about food I can’t eat.

B: To be allergic to something means that a food can cause a physical reaction, not simply that you dislike it.

A: “I’m allergic to peanuts.”

B: Note the preposition — allergic to, not allergic of. Name the exact allergen clearly when you order, and ask whether the restaurant can prepare the dish safely.

A: What if it’s not an allergy, just something I avoid?

B: Then “I don’t eat…” is the honest sentence. “I don’t eat pork.” “I’m vegetarian.” Kitchens treat allergies differently from preferences, so it helps them to know which one it is.

A: And if I want to change something on the plate?

B: “Could I get that without the onions?” That’s the pattern: could I get that without, plus the thing.

A: Does it always work?

B: Not always — some kitchens can’t change a dish. But asking is completely normal, and “I’m afraid we can’t do that” is a normal answer too.

While you’re eating

A: The food arrives. Is there anything I need to say?

B: One line you’ll often hear in the middle of the meal, and it isn’t just small talk.

A: Something like “How is everything?”

B: Or the fuller version: Is everything okay here?

A: I always just say “yes, thanks.”

B: Which is fine when it’s true. But that question is your opening if something’s wrong, and it’s the easiest moment to say so.

A: What do I say if the food is cold?

B: Straight and calm: “I’m sorry, this is cold. Could you heat this up?” Or if it’s the wrong dish, you send it back.

A: Send it back — meaning, ask them to take it away?

B: Exactly. To send something back.

A: “I had to send it back — it wasn’t cooked through.”

B: And watch the word order, because it splits. “Send it back”, never “send back it”. With a full noun you can do either: “send the soup back” or “send back the soup”.

A: Is sending food back rude?

B: It’s a normal request when a dish is wrong, cold, or not cooked properly. The tone does the work — the same sentence can land as a complaint or as a request.

A: We did a whole episode on that.

B: We did — the polite complaining one, with “Excuse me, there’s a problem” and “I’m afraid”. Everything there works here too, so I won’t repeat it.

A: If you want these to stay with you, save them in Recursio — it brings them back on a schedule.

Paying

B: And now the part nobody teaches: the end.

A: The thirty seconds where everyone reaches for their wallet and nobody says anything.

B: It starts with one question. Could I get the check?

A: “Could I get the check, please?”

B: In American restaurants, “check” is very common. “Bill” is also understood; we’ll compare those two words in the next episode.

A: Can I ask without speaking?

B: Some people catch the server’s eye and make a small writing motion in the air. It may be understood, but it can feel abrupt. Saying “Check, please” is clearer.

A: Now, the money part. This is where I never know the rules.

B: Use “Is service included?” to ask whether a service charge or gratuity — another word for a tip — has already been added.

A: “Sorry, is service included?”

B: The wording and rules vary by country and restaurant. Check the total, and ask if any charge is unclear.

A: And if it is?

B: A service charge and a tip are not always the same thing. If the check says “gratuity included,” an additional tip is usually optional. If it only says “service charge,” ask what it covers.

A: And if it isn’t?

B: In places where tipping is customary, you may leave a tip. To leave a tip means to pay extra money for the service.

A: “We left a tip on the table.”

B: How much depends enormously on the country, and I’d rather say that than give you a number that’s wrong half the time.

A: Give me the honest version anyway.

B: There is no worldwide percentage. In the United States, around eighteen to twenty percent is common at full-service restaurants when gratuity is not included. In France, service is included and an extra tip is optional. In Germany or the Netherlands, people may add around five to ten percent for good service. In Japan, tipping at restaurants is not customary.

A: So the phrase matters more than the number.

B: Much more. Check the total, ask if it isn’t clear, and look up the local custom instead of memorizing one number for every country.

A: Last piece. We’re four people and one check.

B: Then you split the check — you divide the amount between the people at the table.

A: “Shall we split the check?”

B: You’ll also hear “split the bill”, and in the US “let’s split it” on its own. All three are ordinary.

A: What if I only want to pay for mine?

B: In the US: “Can we get separate checks?” Elsewhere, “Could we pay separately?” does the same job. Some places will, some won’t — it’s worth asking when you sit down rather than at the end.

A: And paying by card?

B: “Can I pay by card?” — we did that one in the banking episode, and it’s useful anywhere. In many US restaurants, you leave the card with the check and the server processes it; other places use a card reader at the table. The system varies. You can always ask, “Could you bring the card reader, please?”

A: What about cash?

B: “Do you take cash?” is worth having, because some places are cashless. And “Keep the change” is one way to leave a cash tip without counting coins at the table.

A: And if somebody wants to pay for everyone?

B: They’ll say “It’s on me” or “This one’s on me.” A short “Are you sure? Thank you — next one’s on me” is a natural answer.

A: Let’s run all of it out loud.

Practice and quick review

B: Six short situations. I’ll give you the situation, and you say the sentence out loud in the gap.

A: Ready.

B: You’re calling a restaurant for two people on Friday at seven. What do you say?

A: I’d like to make a reservation for two on Friday at seven.

B: Everything they need in one sentence. And “for two” saves them asking.

A: Next.

B: The server is waiting, but you haven’t opened the menu. What do you say?

A: Could we have a few more minutes?

B: Simple and completely normal. You don’t have to order before you’re ready.

A: One more.

B: You have a peanut allergy, and you’re about to order. What do you say?

A: I’m allergic to peanuts. Could you tell me whether this dish can be prepared safely?

B: You named the exact allergen and asked about safe preparation.

A: Next.

B: The menu is long and you have no idea what to choose. What do you ask?

A: It all looks good. What do you recommend?

B: Good. The server may now suggest one or two dishes.

A: Next.

B: You returned the cold soup. Do you say “send back it” or “send it back”?

A: I had to send it back.

B: Right. With a pronoun, it is always “send it back.”

A: Last one.

B: The meal is over, four people are paying, and the service charge is unclear. What three things do you say?

A: Could we get the check, please? Is service included? And shall we split the check?

B: Three short questions, and the whole ending is under control.

Outro

A: Today’s phrases: to make a reservation, a table for two, Are you ready to order?, an appetizer and an entrée, What do you recommend?, I’ll have the chicken, Just tap water, please, to be allergic to something, Is everything okay here?, to send something back, Could I get the check?, Is service included?, to leave a tip, and to split the check.

B: Fourteen phrases, and four of them handle the whole ending — the part that often feels hardest.

A: Open the link below and practice them in Recursio.

B: See you in the next one.