Arriving at the Restaurant

So let’s say that we’re not going to McDonald’s or a fast food place at a place like that.

You don’t need a waiter let’s say we’re going to a place where there is a waiter and you’re going to sit down sometimes we call this a sit down restaurant.

OK or we sometimes say that we’re dining in but we often say it’s a sit down restaurant which means it’s a little bit more formal when you walk into the restaurant.

The person at the door is actually not the waiter.

Probably that person may be called a host or a hostess hostess a man and a hostess is a woman waiter is a man waitress is a woman host hostess waiter waitress.

OK.

Now this person the host or hostess is the person who greets you at the door takes you to your table or maybe checks your reservation reservation a reservation means that you have called beforehand to to actually get a table.

Right.

And that’s very simple.

You would just say you would call the restaurant and say I’d I’d like to book or reserve a table for six under and then your family name maybe Jones under Jones or I’d like to book a table for six.

Then they’ll say what time.

And you say oh seven thirty.

OK.

And what’s the name Jones if you want to say it altogether you can.

But the person on the phone will probably miss some details if you say I’d like to book or reserve a table for six under Jones at seven thirty.

They’re writing all that down.

So just say a little bit first and you could even start with the very beginning.

Hello.

I’d like to book a table for six.

OK.

Short what time.

Seven thirty.

OK.

A Table For Six at seven thirty.

And what’s the name.

It’s JONES OK.

Great.

So it’s a table for six at seven thirty under Jones.

Yep that’s correct.

OK.

Thank you very much.

That’s very simple.

OK.

When you walk into the restaurant then if you have that reservation one common question that the host or hostess may ask you this person may ask you is do you have a reservation.

Do you have a reservation.

And the answer if it’s yes it’s a yes I have a table for six and you’d say the same information they might say OK what’s the name.

Yes I have a reservation at seven thirty.

What’s the name.

It’s JONES OK.

Great.

Now if they don’t ask this question or if you don’t have a reservation and you go in and they say Do you have a reservation.

You say no.

Or they ask you directly how many how many people or how many how many.

Or how many people then you just say how many people we have six six people or we need or I need.

OK.

We need a table for six A Table For Six.

OK.

We’re at the restaurant.

Maybe you have to wait a few minutes.

They might say Oh well unfortunately we don’t have a table right now.

There is a ten minute wait.

Is that OK.

Yeah that’s all right.

That’s fine.

There’s a ten minute wait.

Well let’s just start the situation fresh and make it simpler by saying we just have two people I want to do it a little bit simpler.

We’ve done the reservation thing so let’s just say we walk into the restaurant there’s a hostess and she just says how many.

And it’s me and another person and I say a table for two please table a table for two please.

And I should actually have a comma there a table for two please.

And she could ask me and brought a reservation but we’ve set a table for two.

We know how to do that.

All right.

Now I want to make a specific request I say.

She says ok and I say do you.

Do you have any seats or tables by the window by the window.

Do you have any seats or tables by the window.

Don’t say seats or tables.

Say do you have any seats by the window.

Do you have any tables by a window or whatever you want to say OK.

Yeah we do.

We do.

Or let me check.

Let me check.

Maybe she doesn’t know.

She might say Let me check.

Let me check.

Let me see.

Yes we do.

Right this way.

Right this way please follow me and then I usually say Oh great great.

Then I follow her or him if it’s a host.

OK.

So that’s the first part we know how to do a reservation when they ask how many we say a table for two.

We could just say two.

And then if we need to make a specific request we say Oh and could we get a table by the window.

Could we get a table next to the bar or far away from the bar or whatever you want to say.