Most American restaurants don't have single rooms, and all the tables are in the lobby, which is related to the function of single rooms. Some people say that this is because most American dinners are small groups of two or three people, and there are relatively few seven or eight people. The investment and income of setting up a single room alone are out of proportion. Some people think this is America? Equality? An embodiment of the idea: even if the president comes, he will eat in the hall like everyone else.
Please wait to be seated.
Eating in non-fast food restaurants in the United States is usually led by waiters. Such restaurants usually have a service desk at the door, or there is a sign at the door that says please wait for your seat. If there is such a service desk or sign, don't go in directly, just wait at the door first. Even if I came for an appointment, some friends had already sat down in the restaurant. Generally, the waiter should first find a friend's table and then take you into the dining area. Waiters always ask guests before they sit down? How many people? . Sometimes I'm asked whether to choose smoking or non-smoking. Because smoking is banned in more and more public places in the United States, the chances of being asked this question are much less. If you have any special requirements for seats, such as a window seat or a quiet place, you can ask so that the waiter can find your most satisfactory seat. In case you are guided to an unwanted seat, you can also ask for it on your own initiative and don't change it yourself. American restaurants are arranged like this, because each waiter has his own area. When meeting the needs of guests, the responsible waiter will try his best to balance the guests in charge of each waiter, so as to avoid some places being too busy and some places being too idle.
Are you ready to order?
After the guests sit down, the waiter in charge of this table will bring the menu and sometimes free ice water at the same time. I used to drink cold boiled water in China, but when I first came to the United States, I was not used to ice water. I asked my American friend why all American restaurants put ice in the water. The friend's answer is that Americans think that water or soft drinks are not clean and fresh if they are at room temperature, so water will not only be kept in the refrigerator, but also kept fresh with ice cubes.
In China, a large table of people often has only one or two menus, while in American restaurants, everyone orders their own, so it is not difficult to understand that everyone has a menu. Before ordering, the waiter will ask if you want a drink. What can he say if he hasn't decided yet? Me? I'm not sure yet. Give me a few minutes. ? Something like that The free drink in American restaurants is ice water. If you can't decide what to drink, you can say water. After the waiter brings the drink you ordered, he will leave, giving you some time to look at the menu and choose the dish you want. Some restaurants recommend special dishes that day, and the waiter will introduce them to you before ordering.
There are few pictures of American menus, but the back of each dish is clearly written, including ingredients and preparation methods. There are many people with food allergies in the United States, so it is more convenient for guests to choose clearly. If you think of something, close the menu. What does it mean? I'm finished. Can I order now? . The first time I ate in an American restaurant, I saw that the waiter didn't come, so I passed the time while reading the menu, but the waiter never came. I wonder why the service is so poor. Later, after observation, it was discovered that in the United States, you have to close the menu to indicate that you are ready to order. If the waiter hasn't come after you order, don't try to say hello to the waiter. The custom in America is to wait for the waiter to come and ask him if he is ready. Raise your arms and scream? Hey, waiter? Will be considered impolite. Generally speaking, the waiter will soon notice whether the guest's menu has been closed. If the waiting time is really a little long, usually wait for him to meet your eyes and nod or smile slightly to show that you are ready.
Occasionally, the waiter will ask before you close the menu, perhaps because the restaurant is not busy or the waiter is just free. If you're not ready, politely say I need a few more minutes. If you have questions about a dish, you can also ask the waiter at this time.
When ordering, try to be concise. At home, I often order while reading the menu. In the United States, people think that this is a waste of the waiter's time, and it also delays the time for other table guests to take care of the waiter.
Ordering food in American restaurants is a science. When I first came, I was most afraid of ordering food. Ordering food in China means the name of the dish. Unlike ordering food in China and the United States, many choices are not on the menu. First, the side dishes of American western food are different, so you can choose according to your own taste. Secondly, the United States pays attention to personal choice, even in the small matter of ordering food. For example, if you order breakfast in America, if you order eggs and bacon, the waiter will ask, how do you like your eggs? The first time I heard such a question, I didn't know how to answer it at all. Thank you for your help. There are many ways to make eggs. Common ones are: fried on both sides but the yolk is half cooked, fried on both sides but the yolk is half cooked, fried on one side and scrambled eggs; Speaking of eggs and bread, do you want your bread baked or not? What kind of bread do you like? Whole wheat, white flour? If you don't want bread, do you want English muffins? So many choices have long been familiar to waiters, but for foreigners who don't know us, it's like an oral exam.
Salad dressing
You can usually order salad as an appetizer. Generally speaking, garden salad, green salad and dinner salad all have no salad dressing. The waiter will ask you what kind of dressing you like. The most common choices are: Ranch, Caesar, Blue Cheese, Italian, Thousand Islands. Other special salads will put the sauce on the menu.
? Soup? , not? Soup?
The first meal of salad is soup. Unlike China's soup, American soup is very thick. Many soups are made of melted cream and cheese, usually with bread or compressed biscuits. Americans are used to eating bread or biscuits with thick soup. If you are not very hungry, sometimes ordering soup and salad is enough. Not in America? Soup? But drink soup, because soup is the same as other foods.