Food & restaurant phrases in English

In the US, tipping 15-20% is standard and the bill will say 'tip not included' or 'gratuity suggested' — you must calculate and add it. In the UK, a 10-12% service charge is often already included; check the fine print on the bill. In Australia, tipping is not expected and the staff wage is set accordingly. If you have a dietary restriction, say it clearly at the start of the order ('I'm allergic to peanuts' or 'I'm a vegetarian') — servers in English-speaking countries are trained to flag allergies to the kitchen. Avoid saying 'I'm a little allergic' — this is heard as a small allergy, not a real one. The word 'entrée' in the US is the main course; in the UK, Australia, and most Commonwealth countries, it is the appetizer. Order carefully: 'I'll have the fish' gets you the fish main in New York but the fish starter in London — clarify with 'as a main, please' if unsure. In the US, 'check please' is direct but acceptable; in the UK and Australia, 'could we have the bill, please' is more polite. 'Doggy bag' is American; 'leftovers' is the British equivalent; in Australia you can ask to 'take it away'.

Spend 2-3 days on the food deck before any restaurant visit. Drill the dialogue out loud with a partner or a recording; restaurant English is muscle memory, not grammar. On the day, walk in with a clear script: 'Table for [X], please.' → 'Could I see the menu?' → 'I'll have [X], please.' → 'Could I have the check?' → 'Thank you, it was delicious.' The 10-minute daily loop is enough; food English is the most rewarding 10 minutes of any language course. Three concrete drills: (1) Pre-meal — open the deck and listen to the audio twice, then close your eyes and reproduce all 10 sentences in order from memory; (2) Mid-meal — try one phrase you have not yet used in the wild, e.g. 'Is this dish spicy?' even if you are not actually planning to order a curry, just to break the ice with the server; (3) Post-meal — write down the one phrase that surprised you (tipping math? the British 'bill' vs American 'check'?) and add it to your spaced-repetition deck so it sticks for next time. By the end of week one you should be able to order, modify, and pay without translating in your head; by the end of month one you should be able to handle a server who throws a curveball (a question about allergies, a wine pairing suggestion, a recommendation off-menu) without freezing.