Taking Orders: Polite English for Restaurant Staff

⏱ 5 MIN · CEFR A2

Taking Orders: Polite English for Restaurant Staff

🍽️ From my notebook:

My first job in Sydney was taking orders at a small Italian restaurant in Strathfield. I was so nervous. I kept writing the wrong thing. One evening a chef said to me: ‘Repeat the order back to the customer. Always.’ Simple. Life-changing. I still do it in class — I repeat instructions back to learners.

🎯 By the end you will:

• Use polite question forms to take orders
• Confirm an order correctly
• Handle a common change or request

📖 Key phrases (A2):

Greeting: Good evening. Are you ready to order?
Asking: What would you like? / Can I get you anything else?
Confirming: So that’s a [item] for you — is that right?
Handling changes: Of course. I’ll change that for you right away.
Closing: Thank you. I’ll be right back with your order.

✅ Quick check: How do you politely confirm an order?

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✍️ Roleplay (2 min):

Student A: the customer — order two items and ask to change one.
Student B: the server — take the order, confirm it, handle the change.
Swap roles.

💡 Teacher’s tip (TBL):

Give the task first (roleplay), then teach the phrases they struggled with. Learning sticks when it solves a real communication problem.