Travel & Tourism: Restaurants

Introduction

Jack: Hello my name’s Jack

Rowan: My name’s Rowan

Rich: and I’m Rich

Rowan: And welcome to this week’s Premier Skills English podcast.

Jack: In the Premier Skills English podcast, we talk about football and help you with your English.

Rowan: Don’t forget you can find the transcript for all our podcasts on the Premier Skills English website.

Rich: This podcast is one in a series of podcasts that focuses on travel and tourism. Last week we spoke about the language we need when hiring a car.

Jack: This week we want to help you with some of the language you may need in a cafe or restaurant.

Rowan: In this podcast, you will learn phrases you can use to book a table and get a seat at a restaurant.

Rich: You’ll learn words and phrases to order food and to ask about ingredients in specific dishes if you have a special diet or request.

Jack: You will learn words and phrases connected to paying for your meal.

Rowan: In the roleplay, as you’ve probably already guessed, we are in a restaurant.

Rich: And your task this week is to visit our Premier Skills restaurant.

Jack: If you are listening to us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or any other podcast platform, you should also check out our website.

Rowan: On the Premier Skills English website, you’ll find the transcript, examples and activities to help you understand the language, and a task for you to complete with other listeners.

Jack: Before we do the roleplays let’s look back at last week’s football phrase.

Last week’s Football Phrase 

Rich: OK, our football phrase. If you’ve not listened to the podcast before, every week we set our listeners a language challenge. We explain a football phrase or word and you have to guess what it is.

Rowan: When you know the answer, go to the Premier   Skills English website and write the word or phrase in the comments section for this podcast. If you’re correct we’ll announce your name on next week’s podcast.

Jack: It was a very difficult phrase last week and not many of you got it right so a big well done to the two of you who did get the right answer: Alex and Luibomyr from Ukraine.

Rich: It was a very difficult one. Maybe we should make this week’s phrase a little easier.

Rowan: This slightly easier football phrase is at the end of this podcast but we’re going to give you one more chance to guess last week’s super difficult football phrase. Are you ready?

Jack: The phrase was a *********'* ****. The phrase generally describes an object that is very rare or unusual and is very valuable to some people. In football, the phrase is usually used to describe a goal scored by a player who hardly ever scores.

Rowan: We’ll give you the answer and our new football phrase at the end of this podcast.

Rich: If you remember, our last podcast was all about hiring a car. Rowan and I were hiring a car from Jack’s Rentals and it was quite expensive.

Jack: We asked you to talk about rip-offs. Things that you think cost too much money.

Rowan: Wilson2103 from Colombia thinks that food at airports is a rip-off.

Rich: Vic from Mexico had to eat in McDonald’s because he said the restaurant where he was staying in Germany was a rip-off.

Jack: And MoBeckham from Turkey said he was ripped off when he bought a MacBook Air. He said he could have bought it at half the price if he had looked elsewhere.

Rowan: Thanks for all your comments and for completing the tasks. It was good to see you using the words and phrases we used in last week’s roleplay.

Rich: If you haven’t heard this podcast it’s called Travel and Tourism: Hiring a car and you can find it on the Premier Skills English website or on Apple Podcasts.

Introduction to roleplay: 

Jack: We have one roleplay for you this week which you will hear in four parts. Rowan and I are at a restaurant.

Rowan: In the first part we’ll focus on phrases we need to use and understand when we arrive at a restaurant.

Rich: In the second part, Rowan and Jack will be ordering food.

Jack: In the third part we are talking about what we eat and don’t eat.

Rich: And in the fourth part of the roleplay they’ll be paying for their meal.

Rowan: Before each part of the roleplay we want you to answer two questions. Here are your questions for the first part:

Rich: Question one: Have Jack and Rowan booked a table?

Jack: Question two: How long will we have to wait?

Roleplay 1: Getting a table

Jack: This looks like the place. It’s got great reviews. The food is supposed to be fantastic.

Rowan: The Lake?

Jack: That’s the place. Let’s go in ...

Rowan: Should we just grab a table?

Jack: No, look. It says please wait to be seated.

Rowan: Ah, yes, You’re right.

Rich: Good evening. Welcome to the Lake.

Jack: Ah, yes! We’d like a table for two, please. Next to the window if possible.

Rich: A table for two. In what name?

Jack: Sorry? Name?

Rich: Do you have a reservation? Have you booked a table?

Rowan: No, I don’t think we have. Do you think you might be able to squeeze us in?

Rich: I’m sure we can. I’ll put you on the list. We should have a table for you in about twenty minutes.

Jack: That’s fine. No, problem. Could we grab a drink at the bar?

Rich: Of course, please, follow me.

Language focus 1: Getting a table

Rowan: Before the roleplay, we asked you two questions. The first question was: Had we booked a table? The answer was no. We hadn’t booked a table.

Jack: And the second question was: How long will we have to wait? The answer is about twenty minutes.

Rich: Let’s talk about getting a table at a restaurant. In some restaurants, you can arrive at the restaurant and just sit down at a table. You don’t have to book a table or reserve a table in advance.

Rowan: But at others, usually more expensive or popular restaurants, it’s a good idea to book or reserve a table in advance either online or on the phone.

Jack: But, we often don’t do this and arrive at a restaurant without a booking or reservation.

Rich: Whether you book in advance or just arrive at a restaurant there is one essential phrase you need to get a table.

Rowan: Listen to this part of the roleplay again. What is the phrase that you need to know when you arrive at a restaurant?

Rich: Good evening. Welcome to the Lake.

Jack: Ah, yes! We’d like a table for two, please. Next to the window if possible.

Rich: A table for two. In what name?

Rowan: The phrase that you really, really need to know is ‘a table for’. I’d like a table for two, please. Have you got a table for four for this evening? I’d like a table for eight for Saturday night if that’s possible.

Jack: Yes, ‘a table for’ plus the number of people is often the first thing you will say if you’re booking on the phone or when you see the waiter in the restaurant. It’s very important.

Rich: In busy restaurants, you may be asked to wait for a little while if you haven’t booked but they can normally squeeze you in.

Rowan: To squeeze you in. If you listened to last week’s podcast you might remember this phrase ‘it’s a bit of a squeeze’. It means to fit lots of things into a little space.

Jack: To squeeze you in is similar in meaning. If someone squeezes you in they can make space or time for you even if it’s a bit difficult or they are really busy.

Rowan: In the roleplay, I asked the waiter if he could squeeze us in even though we hadn’t booked a table in advance.

...

Jack: Let’s move on to the second part of our roleplay. The waiter has managed to squeeze us in and we are looking at the menu and getting ready to order our food.

Rich:  Here are two questions we want you to answer as you listen.

Rowan: Question one: What do I not want to eat?

Rich: Question two: What does Jack decide to eat?

Part two: Special Requirements

Jack: The menu looks great. I have no idea what I’m going to order. Have you seen this: rib-eye steak with sauteed potatoes and a pepper sauce or what about leg of duck confit with crushed potatoes and french mustard sauce?

Rowan: It’s all a bit meat-heavy, isn’t it?

Jack: Oh, yes. I’d totally forgotten. You’re veggie, aren’t you? Let’s have a look. You could go with the vegetarian tart with …

Rowan: Yes, yes. I’ve got the menu as well, thanks. I’ve gone vegan recently, actually so need to avoid dairy, too.

Jack: Oh, vegan, really. How’s that going?

Rowan: It’s OK at home but eating out is sometimes a bit tricky. Let me ask the waiter about this vegetarian tagliatelle. Sorry, excuse me. Waiter.

Rich: Yes, how can I help?

Rowan: I was wondering about the vegetarian tagliatelle. Is it vegan? Does it have any dairy products in it? There’s no cheese on top is there?

Rich: No, none at all. The pasta is 100% vegan and there is no cheese or dairy in the sauce. Just fresh tomatoes, courgettes and garlic.

Rowan: Oh, thank you. Garlic. I’m not sure now.

Jack Are you allergic to garlic?

Rowan: No, I love garlic but I can’t have stinky breath for the meeting later.

Jack: I’ve been thinking about cutting down on red meat. I might go with the mussels. Better for my health and the environment.

Rich: Are you ready to order?

Rowan: Ohh! I’m not sure. Could you give us two more minutes?

Language focus 2: Special Requirements

Rowan: Before the roleplay, we asked you two questions. The first question was: What do I not want to eat?

Rich: There were a few possible answers here. Rowan doesn’t want to eat animal products because she’s a vegan. A vegan doesn’t eat meat or any animal products like milk, cheese or eggs or wear animal products made from leather.

Jack: She also doesn’t really want to eat anything with garlic in it. This is because she thinks her breath will smell and she has a meeting later.

Rowan: Our second question was: What does Jack decide to eat? The answer is mussels. Mussels are shellfish that have a black shell in two parts.

Jack: I think mussels are a good choice for meat-eaters because they are quite healthy and not as bad as some other meats for our planet.

Rich: In the roleplay, Rowan and Jack spoke about the food they eat or don’t eat. Let’s look at some of the words and phrases you might need in a restaurant to explain this to a waiter.

Rowan: We’ve already mentioned that I’m a a vegan. Listen to this part of the roleplay again. Do you think you know the difference between vegan and vegetarian?

Jack: Oh, yes. I’d totally forgotten. You’re veggie, aren’t you? Let’s have a look. You could go with the vegetarian tart with …

Rowan: Yes, yes. I’ve got the menu as well, thanks. I’ve gone vegan recently, actually so need to avoid dairy, too.

Rich: We’ve already said that a vegan is someone who doesn’t eat or use animal products.

Jack: A vegetarian is someone who doesn’t eat meat or fish but may still eat dairy products.

Rowan: In the roleplay, I said that I need to avoid dairy because I’m vegan. Dairy or dairy products are things like cheese, milk and eggs.

Rich: So a person can be vegan or vegetarian. This is how we also describe the food - it is used as an adjective. Jack tried to recommend the vegetarian tart to Rowan.

Rowan: We might ask a waiter about something on the menu and say ‘Is it vegetarian?’ or ‘Is it vegan’?

Jack: We might want to ask about our food in a similar way for religious reasons to check that the food has been prepared according to religious laws.

Rich: In the UK, and in many other countries, people are thinking more and more about where our food comes from and the environment.

Rowan: That’s very true and many people are choosing to eat less meat or maybe become vegetarian or vegan.

Jack: In the roleplay, Rowan said that she had gone vegan. To go vegan or to go vegetarian means to become a vegan or become a vegetarian.

Rich: In the roleplay, we used a more informal word for vegetarian - veggie. Jack said you’re veggie, aren’t you? You could say things like ‘I’ve been a veggie for years’ in more informal conversations.

Rowan: When we are in a restaurant it might not always be enough to say you’re a vegetarian or a vegan.

Jack: That’s true. I remember one time I was with a vegetarian friend in a restaurant and there was a big bone at the bottom of his salad. The waiter said it was there for flavour and he wasn’t supposed to eat it.

Rich: Another reason to ask about what’s in a dish at a restaurant is if you have an allergy.

Rowan: An allergy is a medical condition that causes you to become sick when you eat or touch something. Allergies to nuts are quite common in the UK.

Jack: We say that we are allergic to something. I’m allergic to nuts for example.

Rich: Listen to this part of the roleplay again. What phrase does Rowan use to ask for more details about the pasta?

Rich: Yes, how can I help?

Rowan: I was wondering about the vegetarian tagliatelle. Is it vegan? Does it have any dairy products in it? There’s no cheese on top is there?

Jack: The key phrase is does it have dairy products in it. Rowan asks this to make sure the pasta is vegan. She could also have said does it have milk or cheese in it or something similar.

Rich: You might want to use this phrase for religious reasons: ‘Does this have pork in it?’ or maybe if you have an allergy: ‘Has this got nuts in it?’.

Jack: In many menus, you may find stars or letters written next to different dishes. If you look at the bottom of the menu it will tell you what they mean.

Rowan: Some example explanations you might see are: ‘suitable for vegetarians’,  ‘suitable for vegans’ or ‘may contain nuts’ or ‘may contain egg’.

Rich: And finally a useful phrasal verb from this roleplay. Jack said he wants to cut down on the amount of red meat he eats.

Jack: To cut down on something means to reduce the amount of something you do or use.

Rich: Remember you can check your understanding of all this vocabulary on the Premier Skills English website.

...

Jack: Let’s move on to the third part of our roleplay. We’re ready to order.

Rich:  Here are two questions we want you to answer as you listen.

Rowan: Question one: What do I order?

Rich: Question two: What does Jack order?

Part three: Ordering

Rich: Are you ready to order?

Rowan: Yes, I think so. Jack?

Jack: Yes, I’m ready.

Rich: Would you like any starters?

Rowan: Not for me, thanks.

Jack: Oh, I hadn’t thought about starters. Maybe I’ll have some of those nachos topped with guacamole and sour cream.

Rich: No, problem at all.

Rowan: They sound yummy.

Jack: I don’t mind sharing. Actually, could you bring them at the same time as the main courses.

Rich: No problem at all. And what would you like for your main courses?

Rowan: I’m going to go for the vegan tagliatelle.

Jack: And I’m going to have the moules frites.

Rich: Excellent choice.

Jack: Do chips come with that?

Rich: Err … of course.

Rowan: Forgotten your French, Jack?

Jack: I mean are they served with those chunky twice-fried Belgian Frites just like what you get in Brussels.

Rich: Indeed they are, sir.

Jack: Great. I’ll definitely have some of them.

Language focus 3: Ordering

Rich: Before the roleplay, we asked you two questions. The first question was: What does Rowan order?

Rowan: I ordered the vegan tagliatelle but I’ll probably eat some of Jack’s chips and some of his nachos - without the sour cream of course.

Rich: And the second question was: What does Jack order?

Jack: I ordered nachos with guacamole and sour cream followed by moules frites which is mussels and chips.

Rowan: When we order we usually say certain phrases. I’d like or could I have’ are the most common and simplest to remember.

Rich: I’d like the tagliatelle, please. Could I have the nachos, please?

Jack: We usually use the definite article ‘the’ because we are talking about a specific dish on the menu.

Rowan: In the roleplay, we didn’t use ‘I’d like’ or ‘Could I have’ we used some different phrases which mean the same thing.

Rich: Have a listen to this part of the roleplay again. What phrases do Jack and Rowan use when ordering?

Rich: No, problem at all. And what would you like for your main courses?

Rowan: I’m going to go for the vegan tagliatelle.

Jack: And I’m going to have the moules frites.

Rich: Excellent choice.

Rowan: OK, so when Jack ordered he used the phrase I’m going to have’. He said ‘I’m going to have the moules frites’.

Jack: And Rowan used a more informal phrase ‘go for’ which is similar in meaning to choose or select. She said ‘I’m going to go for the vegan tagliatelle.’

Rich: Meals in restaurants often have three parts. These parts are called courses.

Rowan: The first course is often called starters. Jack went for nachos for starters in the roleplay.

Jack: After our starters, we had our second course. This is usually called the main course. Rowan had pasta for her main course.

Rowan: After the main course we usually have dessert.

Rich: I usually skip dessert.

Jack: That’s such a lie. I can’t remember the last time you didn’t have dessert. Chocolate pudding, apple crumble, profiteroles. There’s always room for dessert you say.

Rich: Moving away from dessert … there were a couple of other useful phrases in the roleplay. I think the phrases come with or served with are very useful.

Rowan: Jack asked ‘do chips come with that’ and asked if the mussels ‘were served’ with Belgian fries.

Jack: You might want to use ‘served with’ or ‘comes with’ when talking about main courses. You might ask if the dish comes with or is served with vegetables or fries or salad for example.

Rich: Remember you can check your understanding of all this vocabulary on the Premier Skills English website.

...

Jack: Let’s move on to the final part of our roleplay. We’re paying the bill.

Rich:  Here are two questions we want you to answer as you listen.

Rowan: Question one: Who pays the bill?

Rich: Question two: Who leaves a tip?

Part four: Paying the bill

Rich: How was your meal?

Rowan: It was really nice thank you.

Rich: Can I get you anything else? Coffee?

Rowan: No, thanks - just the bill, please.

Rich: Right away.

Jack: Shall we split the bill?

Rowan: No, don’t worry. I’ll get this. My treat. You paid last time, remember.

Jack: Well, thanks very much. I wish I’d ordered the caviar now. I’ll leave the tip.

Rich: Cash or card?

Rowan: I’ve got my card here. Hold on.

Rich: Just put in your pin … Would you like a copy of the receipt?

Rowan: No, that’s fine.

Rich: Enjoy the rest of your day.

Language focus 4: Getting the bill

Rich: Before the roleplay, we asked you two questions. The first question was: Who pays the bill?

Rowan: I paid the bill because Jack paid the last time we went to a restaurant.

Rich: And the second question was: Who left a tip?

Jack: I left the tip. It’s quite common in the UK when one person pays the bill another person will leave the tip.

Rowan: A tip is the extra money that you give to somebody for good service. You may leave a tip for the waiter at the end of a meal.

Jack: Who do we usually tip in the UK?

Rich: Waiters, hairdressers, taxi drivers …

Jack: And how much do we usually tip?

Rowan: I think about 10% is normal maybe a bit more if the service was excellent.

Jack: What about service charges?

Rich: You often see a service charge when you pay for your meal. This should go to the waiters and the kitchen staff so you don’t need to tip if there is a service charge.

Rowan: I like to pay for the bill and then leave a tip in cash on the table to make sure it goes directly to the waiter.

Jack: Let’s look at some more language. When you are ready to pay for your meal you need to ask for the bill.

Rich: The bill is the bit of paper that tells you how much to pay.

Rowan: The most common phrase to use is: Could I have the bill, please?

Jack: Or in American English: Could I have the check, please?

Rowan: When you go for a meal with friends it can be difficult when it’s time to pay. Listen to this part of the roleplay again:

Jack: Shall we split the bill?

Rowan: No, don’t worry. I’ll get this. My treat. You paid last time, remember.

Jack: Well, thanks very much. I wish I’d ordered the caviar now. I’ll leave the tip.

Rich: Jack asked if they wanted to split the bill, to pay half each. To split means to separate or divide something into parts.

Jack: When we split the bill we mean that we divide the bill into equal parts.

Rowan: I paid for the bill. I said ‘I’ll get this’ which is an informal way of offering to pay for the bill. You might also say ‘I’ll get this one’.

Rich: Rowan also used the phrase ‘my treat’ which is another way of offering to pay.

Jack: A treat is a nice thing that you often do for someone else. Having a meal paid for is definitely a treat.

Rowan: Other phrases you can use to offer to pay include: ‘it’s on me’, ‘I’m buying’ and ‘Please, I insist’.

Rich: Remember that we’ve got vocabulary activities for you to check your understanding of everything we’ve looked at today on the Premier Skills English website.

TASK

Rich: In this week’s task, we want you to order some food from the Premier Skills restaurant.

Rowan: We’ve got a restaurant?

Rich: Yes, we’ve got a restaurant and a waiter. Take a look at the comments section on the website for this podcast and you will see there is a waiter ready to take your order.

Jack: That’s right. We want you to book a table, order some food or ask for the bill. The waiter will respond and you can continue the conversation.

Rowan: We also want you to tell the waiter about any special requirements in your order. Maybe you have an allergy and want to check what is in the dish you’ve ordered for example.

Rich: Try to use some of the language we have introduced in this week’s podcast when placing your order with our Premier Skills waiter.

Football Phrase

Rich: It’s time for this week’s football phrase. Have you got one Rowan?

Rowan: I have. This week’s football phrase is * ********** ****. With VAR these seem to happen more and more. * ********** **** is when a player scores but then the referee or VAR doesn’t permit it because of a foul, offside or another infringement.

Jack: Hopefully, this phrase is a little easier than last week’s.

Rich: Let’s see if anyone gets it right and who is first this week. If you are still wondering what the answer was to last week’s really difficult football phrase it was a collector’s item.

Rowan: Right, that’s all we have time for this week! Don’t forget to write your answers to our questions and make a guess at our football phrase in the comments below. If you get it right, we’ll announce your name on next week’s podcast.

Rich: If you have a question for us about football or English you can email us at premierskills@britishcouncil.org

Jack: or you can leave your questions and comments on the website in the comments section or on our Facebook page.

Rowan: or you could give us a rating and a fantastic review on Apple Podcasts.

Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football!