Elementary English for Tourism and Hospitality
LESSON 7 – In the Restaurant
STUDY NOTES
Characters
Mona:
Guest
Jack:
Guest
Jean:
Waitress
The story
Mona and Jack are dining at the Golden Lotus restaurant. Jean brings them their meals, but there is a problem with
Mona’s chicken dish.
Language Practice - Asking a guest if there’s a problem
Below are some model dialogues to practise asking if there’s a problem. They also use now, straight away and
right away to say that you will do something immediately. Read them out loud with a friend.
A: Are you OK?
B: Would you be able to fix the phone in my room? It’s not working.
A: I’m sorry. I’ll go and fix it now.
A: Is everything alright?
B: There’s no tea and coffee in my room.
A: I apologise. I’ll get you some right away.
A: Is there a problem?
B: Yes. My room is too cold.
A: I’m sorry. I’ll see to it straight away.
A: Is everything OK?
B: I’ve been waiting for 25 minutes and my meal hasn’t arrived yet.
A: I’m sorry. I’ll see to it right away.
Grammar - ‘mix up’
Mix up is a phrasal verb. That is, a verb followed by a preposition. It is possible to separate the verb ‘mix’ from the
preposition ‘up’. A mix up can mean a mistake or confusion.
Here are some other examples of this phrasal verb:
There was a slight mix up at the airport. (mistake)
There seems to have been a mix up with the delivery. ( mistake)
I sometimes mix their phone numbers up. (confusion)
The guest always mixes the dishes up because they are similar. (confusion)
EXERCISES
1. Key vocabulary
Look up the meaning and pronunciation of these words in your dictionary.
alright
another
apologise
everything
inconvenience
mistake
mix up
no worries
problem
slight
sorry
busy
2. Vocabulary
Complete the following sentences using the words from the box above. After you have checked your answers,
read each sentence out loud.
1. Is _________________ alright?
2. I apologise