When dining at a non-fast-food restaurant in the United States, you are usually ushered in by a waiter. If there is a sign at the door that says Please wait to be seated, don't go straight in, but wait at the door first. Even if you have a friend who is already seated at the restaurant, the waiter will usually find your friend's table before bringing you into the dining area. The waiter will always ask the guest "how many" before showing you to your table. Sometimes they will also ask if they would prefer a smoking or non-smoking area. Since more and more public places in the U.S. are now non-smoking, the chances of being asked this question are much lower. If there are any special needs for seating, such as wanting to sit by the window, or wanting a quieter place, you can ask for it to make it easier for the waiter to find the seat you are most comfortable with. In case you are led to a seat you don't want, you can also ask for it and don't change it yourself. American restaurants are organized in this way because each waiter has his own area of responsibility. The waiter who leads the table will also try to balance the guests that each waiter is responsible for when meeting the needs of the guests, so that some areas are too busy and some are too idle.

When guests are seated, the waiter in charge of the table will bring the menu and sometimes free ice water at the same time. Being used to drinking cold white water at home, you may be very uncomfortable with ice water. Americans believe that water or soft drinks are not clean and fresh if they are room temperature, so the water will not only be kept in the refrigerator, but also with ice to keep it fresh.

Eating in a Western restaurant in the U.S. is very quiet, and there is very little loud noise or calling out to friends. Guests will also wait patiently for the waiter to come over if they have any requests. This is a big difference from the hectic scene in domestic restaurants. Most restaurants in the United States is no single room, all the tables are in the lobby, which is related to the function of the single room. Some people say that this is because most of the United States dining is a small group of two or three people, seven or eight people is relatively small, separate single-room inputs and gains disproportionate. Others believe that this is the United States, "equality" concept of a reflection: even if the President came, and everyone is the same in the lobby to eat.

In the domestic dinner, often a large table with only one or two menus, while in the U.S. restaurant, we are pointing their own share, so it is not difficult to understand a manual menu. American menus seldom have pictures, but the ingredients and preparation methods are clearly written on the back of each dish. There are a lot of people with food allergies in the US, so it's easier for guests to choose what they want to eat.

Summary, the U.S. dining life is completely different from the domestic, so, ready to live in the U.S. friends, be prepared to go.

Summary