The wrong plate, a cold plate, or no plate at all. Complaining in English is quieter than most people expect — you say what happened, and you let the restaurant put it right.
1. Somebody else's dinner
Mei: I think this is the wrong order.
Staff: Let me see — you had the fish?
Mei: The fish, yes. This is beef.
Staff: That's table nine. I'm sorry.
Mei: No harm done.
Staff: Yours is two minutes away.
2. Pink in the middle
Dan: Sorry, I think this is undercooked.
Staff: May I look? You're right, it is.
Dan: Could it go back for a few more minutes?
Staff: I'll take it back now.
Dan: Thank you. I'll wait.
Staff: I'll bring it myself.
3. Warm, not hot
Priya: The soup came out lukewarm.
Staff: It shouldn't have. I'll change it.
Priya: I'd rather have a hot one than a fast one.
Staff: Understood. Two minutes longer, properly hot.
Priya: That's all I wanted.
4. Forty minutes in
Tom: We're still waiting on two mains.
Staff: How long has it been?
Tom: Forty minutes since the starters.
Staff: That's too long. Let me find out.
Tom: We have a film at nine.
Staff: I'll tell the kitchen that.
5. The dish that never came
Noor: The rice never arrived.
Staff: It was on the order. I'll chase it.
Noor: We've almost finished, to be honest.
Staff: Then I'll take it off the bill.
Noor: That's fair. Thank you.
6. Not what the menu said
Leo: The menu said this came with mushrooms.
Staff: It does. They've been forgotten.
Leo: Could someone bring a small dish of them?
Staff: Of course. No charge, obviously.
Leo: I wasn't going to ask.
Staff: You shouldn't have to.
7. Putting it right
Ivy: It's been a difficult evening for the kitchen.
Staff: It has. I'm sorry.
Ivy: You've put it right each time, though.
Staff: The desserts are on us tonight.
Ivy: That's more than fair.
Staff: Have whatever you like.
8. Taking the rest home
Sam: There's half of this left.
Staff: Would you like me to box it up?
Sam: Please. It's too good to leave.
Staff: I'll put the sauce in a separate pot.
Sam: You've thought of everything.
Words to know
| wrong order | Food that belongs to a different table. Say I think this is the wrong order — I think keeps it friendly. I think this is the wrong order. |
| undercooked | Not cooked long enough. One word, and the one staff use themselves. I think this is undercooked. |
| lukewarm | Only slightly warm, when it should be hot. The exact word for soup and coffee that has stood too long. The soup came out lukewarm. |
| take it back | To carry a plate to the kitchen and fix or replace it. I'll take it back now. |
| still waiting | Used with on: still waiting on two mains. The polite way to say the food is late. We're still waiting on two mains. |
| off the bill | Removed from what you pay. What a restaurant offers when something never arrived. I'll take it off the bill. |
| put it right | To fix a mistake properly. Worth saying out loud when a place has done it well. You've put it right each time |
| box it up | To put the food you haven't eaten into a box to take home. Would you like me to box it up? |
Quick practice
Complete each line with a word or phrase from this lesson.
1. The plate in front of you belongs to another table.
“I think this is the ________.”
2. The meat is still pink and should not be.
“I think this is ________.”
3. The soup is only slightly warm.
“The soup came out ________.”
4. Your main courses have not come and it has been forty minutes.
“We're ________ on two mains.”
5. A dish never arrived, so the restaurant removes it from what you pay.
“Then I'll take it ________.”
6. You cannot finish the food and want to take it with you.
“Would you like me to ________?”
Show the answers
1. wrong order 2. undercooked 3. lukewarm 4. still waiting 5. off the bill 6. box it up
Common mistakes
Not: This is not what I commanded.
Say: I think this is the wrong order.
Command is for armies. Food is ordered — and starting with I think turns a complaint into a question anyone can answer.
Not: My steak is not cooked enough.
Say: Sorry, I think this is undercooked.
Not cooked enough is understood, but English already has one word for it, and staff answer faster when you use theirs.
Not: Can you put it in a box to bring home?
Say: Would you box this up for us?
Bring means towards the person you are speaking to; you are taking it away. And the verb is box it up, in one piece.
Your turn
Say these out loud. Change the dish, the problem and how long you have been waiting, so the lines fit a meal you can picture.
- The plate in front of you is somebody else's. Say so without blaming anyone.
- Your meat is undercooked. Ask for it to go back to the kitchen.
- You have been waiting forty minutes and have somewhere to be at nine. Say both.
- One dish never came and you have nearly finished. Say so and hear the answer.
- You cannot finish your meal. Ask to take the rest home.
Quick review
Three words open every complaint in English: I think. I think this is the wrong order. I think this is undercooked. Add the plain word for what went wrong — lukewarm, still waiting, never arrived — and stop there. The restaurant will offer to take it back, or take it off the bill, and the evening carries on.