At the Restaurant Lesson 1

Before you read

1. Work in pairs. Decide which qualities you need for each of these jobs in a restaurant. Some qualities may match more than one job.

waiter ■ manager ■ chef

polite ■ be a good cook ■ creative ■ energetic friendly ■ be a leader

Reading

2. Two customers, Paul and Ilona Martin, arrive at a restaurant. It's 8.30 p.m. Read the four dialogues (waiter=A, Paul=B, Ilona=C). Fill in the gaps with the phrases in the box.

we'd like a ■ your table is ready ■ can I have ■ what name is it ■ Do you have ■ Would you like ■ Here's the menu ■ can I help you ■ so that's ■I'm sorry, we're fully booked

1 A Hello, ¹___________?

С Hi, yes,² ____________ table for two.

А ³_____________ a reservation?

С No, we don't.

2 A ⁴ _______________ at the moment. But we

have a cancellation at 9.00.

В At 9.00. Yes, that's fine.

A OK, ⁵ , please?

В Martin.

A ⁶ _____________smoking or non-

smoking?

С Non-smoking, please.

3 A Would you like a drink while you're

waiting?

В Yes, er...⁷_____________a beer, please?

A And for you?

С I'll have a sparkling mineral water.

A OK,⁸______________a beer and a water.

4 A Excuse me,⁹_______________. This way,

please ... Is this table all right for you? С This is fine. A ¹⁰____________, the specials are on the

board.

В Thank you.

Vocabulary

3 Read the dialogues again. Underline the phrases that mean:

2. ... until your table is ready

3. have you booked?

4. come with me

5. someone has said they are not coming

6. dishes which are only available today.

4 Who usually says these things? Write W (waiter) or С (customer).

5. Can I have your name? 

6. We have a reservation for 9.00. 

7. I have a cancellation for 8.30. 

8. Would you like a drink? 

9. Do you have a table for four? 

6 Do you have a reservation? 

Speaking

5. Work in pairs. Read the dialogues from Exercise 2 aloud.

6. Work in pairs. Make up a dialogue using the information below. Try to use phrases from Exercise 2. When you finish, change roles.

Waiter It is 9.00 on Friday evening and your restaurant is fully booked. You have one table free at 9.30 due to a cancellation. Four customers arrive. One of them speaks first.

3. Greet them and check if they have a reservation.

4. Offer them a table at 9.30.

5. Ask for a name.

6. Offer them drinks.

7. Tell them when the table is ready.

8. Give them the menu and specials.

Customer You are with three friends. It is 9.00 on Friday evening and you want to eat at this restaurant. You don't have a reservation. Most restaurants in town are fully booked. Speak first.

• Greet the waiter and ask for a table for four.

• Say you don't have a reservation.

• Accept the offer of a table at 9.30.

• Give your name to reserve the table.

• Order drinks.

►Get real

Work in groups. Use magazines or the Internet to find adverts for restaurants in your town. Create a ‘restaurant guide’.