Resources: Notes on Life and Language in the United States

4 Ways to Complain in a Restaurant in English

Posted by Lindsay McMahon on Mon, Feb 10, 2014 @ 07:46 AM

how to complain in a restaurant in EnglishDo you know how to complain in a restaurant if something goes wrong?

What if your food is cold?

What if it's taking a long time for your food to come out of the kitchen?

What if the waitress brings you a dish that you did not order?

You have to complain!

But in order to do that, you need the right words and phrases.

In today's article, I will give you four scenarios and a few ways to complain in each situation.

 

 

 

 

 

Scenario #1: Your food is cold


  • plate of food"I'm sorry to bother you, but the food is quite cold."
  • "Excuse me, but my food is cold. Could you warm it up for me?"
  • "Sorry, is this generally served cold?"
  • "Sorry, I am not sure why, but my food is cold. Could you take care of it for me please?"

 

 

 

Scenario #2: You got the wrong order

 

  • "I'm sorry, but this isn't what I ordered"
  • "Hi, is this the ____ that I ordered?"
  • "Sorry, but I think I got the wrong order."

 

 

 

Scenario #3: The food is taking too long


time

  • "I am so sorry to bother you, but we have somewhere to be. Could you check on our order?"
  • "Any idea how much longer it will be?"
  • "We're running late. Do you know how soon we'll be able to get our food?"
  • "Is there any way that the chef could speed up our orders?"

 

 

 

 

Scenario #4: You don't like or can't eat your meal

 

  • "Sorry, but I ordered a mild version of this dish and this is quite spicy."
  • "Excuse me, this isn't what I was expecting at all. Could I try something else?"
  •  "I apologize, but I thought this dish was something different. Could I try something else instead?"

 

Do you want to learn more about this topic and practice using these phrases with a native speaker? If so, try our conversation program by clicking the button below. See you soon!

 

 

Schedule your free trial session now!

 

 

 Photo credit: Rob Boudon, http://www.flickr.com/photos/aidanmorgan/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ejchang

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