Most meals abroad start the same way: you walk in without having booked anything and somebody asks how many of you there are. Eight sentences get you from the door to a seat.
1. Walking in at seven
Mei: Have you got a table for two?
Staff: Have you booked?
Mei: No, we've just walked in.
Staff: Give me a moment. I think I can fit you in.
Mei: We're not in a hurry.
Staff: Follow me, then.
2. How long the wait is
Dan: How long's the wait?
Staff: Forty minutes for a table.
Dan: Is there anywhere to wait inside?
Staff: The bar, if you don't mind eating there.
Dan: We'd eat at the bar, actually.
Staff: Then you can sit down now.
3. Going on the list
Priya: Could you put us down for two?
Staff: A name and a phone number?
Priya: Priya, and the number ends in four four one.
Staff: We'll text you when it's ready.
Priya: We'll be in the shop across the road.
4. A full Friday
Tom: Anything at all tonight?
Staff: We're booked up until half nine.
Tom: Is half nine too late to eat?
Staff: The kitchen runs to eleven.
Tom: Half nine it is. We'll be back at nine.
5. Choosing where to sit
Noor: Could we get a table by the window?
Staff: The ones by the window are all full.
Noor: What about when one comes free?
Staff: I'll move you if that happens.
Noor: That's kind, thank you.
6. Outside if it stays dry
Leo: Is the terrace open?
Staff: It is, but there's rain coming in an hour.
Leo: We'll risk it.
Staff: There are heaters over every table.
Leo: Then we'll definitely sit outside.
7. Eating with a small child
Ivy: Have you got a high chair?
Staff: Two of them. I'll bring one over.
Ivy: Could we sit somewhere out of the way?
Staff: The corner table is quieter.
Ivy: That's exactly what we need.
Staff: It's yours.
8. One more joining later
Sam: There are three of us, and a fourth coming at eight.
Staff: I'll lay the table for four.
Sam: Should we order now or wait?
Staff: Order drinks now, food when she's here.
Sam: That suits us.
Words to know
| walk in | To arrive without having booked. A restaurant that takes walk-ins keeps some tables free for them. we've just walked in |
| booked up | Full, with every table already reserved. Said about the restaurant, not the table. We're booked up until half nine. |
| the wait | How long you will stand there before a table is free. Ask How long's the wait? How long's the wait? |
| put us down | To write your name on the waiting list. Nothing is promised yet — you are only on the list. Could you put us down for two? |
| by the window | Next to the window. The fixed phrase for choosing a table: by the window, in the corner, at the back. Could we get a table by the window? |
| terrace | The outdoor part of a restaurant. Smaller places say outside; hotels say terrace. Is the terrace open? |
| high chair | The tall chair a small child sits in at the table. Ask for it by this name. Have you got a high chair? |
| bar | The counter you can drink at, and in many places eat at without booking. We'd eat at the bar |
Quick practice
Complete each line with a word or phrase from this lesson.
1. You have arrived with no booking at all.
“No, we've just ________.”
2. Every table is already reserved for the next two hours.
“We're ________ until half nine.”
3. You want to know how long you will be standing there.
“How long's ________?”
4. You would like your name written on the waiting list.
“Could you ________ for two?”
5. You would rather sit next to the glass than in the middle.
“Could we get a table ________?”
6. Your child is too small for a normal chair.
“Have you got a ________?”
Show the answers
1. walked in 2. booked up 3. the wait 4. put us down 5. by the window 6. high chair
Common mistakes
Not: Can you write our name on the list?
Say: Could you put us down for two?
Write our name is what you do on a form. For a waiting list the phrase is put someone down, and the number goes straight on the end.
Not: We want to sit near the window.
Say: Could we get a table by the window?
Near the window could mean two tables away. By the window is the fixed phrase, and it is the one on every floor plan.
Not: Do you have a chair for baby?
Say: Have you got a high chair?
The thing has its own name. Describing it instead makes staff guess, and a chair for baby also needs an article: a baby.
Your turn
Say these out loud. Change the number of people, the time and where you want to sit, so the lines fit an evening of your own.
- Walk in with no booking and ask for a table for two.
- Ask how long the wait is and whether there is anywhere to sit meanwhile.
- Ask to be put down on the list and give a name and a number.
- Ask for a table by the window, and accept politely when there isn't one.
- You are three, with a fourth arriving later, and one of you is a small child. Say all of it in two sentences.
Quick review
Walking in has one opening line — Have you got a table for two? — and three follow-ups depending on the answer. Full: How long's the wait? Long wait: Could you put us down? Choosing: Could we get a table by the window? Add high chair and terrace and you can handle any door in the country.