Restaurant Reservations: Phrases, Etiquette, and Vocabulary
Restaurant Reservation Phrases and Etiquette
Greeting and Assistance
- How can I help you, sir? / May I help you? / Could I possibly help you?
Inquiring About the Date
- For which day? / For what date, please?
Confirming the Time
- What time is the reservation for? / At what time? / For what time?
Asking for the Name
- Could I have your name, please? / Under what name? / May I have your name, please?
Number of Guests
- For how many people?
Checking Availability
- I’ll check if we have a table. / I’ll see if we have a table.
Requesting Contact Information
- Could you give me a contact number, please? / Could I have your number?
Confirming the Reservation
- We look forward to seeing you on the (fourteenth).
Time Expressions
- Quarter past / Twenty-nine past / Half past / Quarter to / Ten to
Vocabulary
- Assist = help
- Reserve = book
- Group = party
- A request = something a person asks for
- Fully booked = no more seats
- Pace = step
- Ahead = in front of
- Satisfied = pleased
- Slowly and carefully = clearly
- A few minutes = shortly
- Looked directly at = make eye-contact
- Who was next = closest
- Greet = receive
- Instead
Actions
- Pulling out # push in
- Prepare # pick up
Restaurant Tools
- Floor chart: a plan showing all the tables and parts of the restaurant
- Reservation record: a book that contains all the details of reservations
Example Scenario
Our maitre greets the people at the reception desk and asks if they had a reservation. He checks the Reservation Record and confirms the details with the guest. He shows Mr. Z and his party to their table. He asks if they are satisfied with the table. He pulled out the chair of the lady guest closest to him and slowly pushed the chair back into position. He picked up the napkin, he folded it into a triangular shape and placed it on the guest’s lap. He checked the floor chart and found a table for them. He offered to keep their coats in the cloakroom. He answered the telephone and identified the restaurant. He offered to assist the caller. A guest wished to make a dinner reservation. He got out the reservation notepad. He asked him for the date of reservation and wrote down the details in his notepad. He found out the time of the reservation. The customer had a special request, a window table. He apologized because the non-smoking section was booked out that night, but he offered him an alternative, and asked for his agreement. He asked him for a contact number and wrote it down on the notepad.
Ordinal Numbers
1st – First. 2nd – Second. 3rd – Third. 4th – Fourth. 5th – Fifth. 6th – Sixth. 7th – Seventh. 8th – Eighth. 9th – Ninth. 10th – Tenth. 11th – Eleventh. 12th – Twelfth. 13th – Thirteenth. 14th – Fourteenth. 15th – Fifteenth. 16th – Sixteenth. 17th – Seventeenth. 18th – Eighteenth. 19th – Nineteenth. 20th – Twentieth. 21st – Twenty-first. 22nd – Twenty-second. 23rd – Twenty-third. 24th – Twenty-fourth. 25th – Twenty-fifth. 26th – Twenty-sixth. 27th – Twenty-seventh. 28th – Twenty-eighth. 29th – Twenty-ninth. 30th – Thirtieth. 31st – Thirty-first
Months of the Year (English-Spanish)
January – Enero. February – Febrero. March – Marzo. April – Abril. May – Mayo. June – Junio. July – Julio. August – Agosto. September – Septiembre. October – Octubre. November – Noviembre. December – Diciembre.
Greeting Guests
- Have you got a reservation, sir? / Do you have a reservation?
Leading to the Table
- Let me show you to your table / I’ll show you…
Guiding the Way
- Could you follow me, please? / This way, please.
Confirming Table Suitability
- Will this be all right?
Assisting Guests
- Let me help you, madam. / Allow me.
Excuse Me
- Excuse me.
Wishing a Pleasant Meal
- Your waiter will be with you shortly. I hope you have a good dinner.
Confirming Availability
- Yes, there is a table available. / Yes, we have a table for you.
Offering Coat Check
- Would you like to leave your coats here? / Can I take your coats?
Managing Wait Times
- I hope you don’t mind waiting a few minutes / Could you please wait a few minutes? / Would you mind waiting a few minutes? We’ll get the table ready for you now.