Meals and Eating Out

Question 1

Breakfast

• It’s not a good idea to skip breakfast.
  …
• an enormous breakfast
• a hearty breakfast
• a good/proper breakfast (= good and healthy)
• a small/light breakfast
• (grab) a quick/hasty/hurried breakfast
• a long/leisurely breakfast
• an early/late breakfast
• a working breakfast
  …
• a cooked/fried breakfast (= bacon, egg, toast etc)
• a buffet breakfast (= one in a hotel, where you serve yourself)
• a continental breakfast (= coffee and bread with butter and jam)
  …
• have (cereal) for breakfast
• discuss (work) over breakfast
• go (to work) without breakfast
• Could you wash up the breakfast things (= plates, cups etc)?

Question 2

Lunch

• take somebody (out) to/for lunch (= pay for someone else’s lunch when you go to a restaurant)
• I don’t often go out to/for lunch, as it’s expensive.
• Can you come to/for lunch tomorrow? (= come to someone‘s house for lunch
• why don’t we break for lunch (= stop doing something in order to eat lunch) about 1 o’clock
  …
• a (three)-course lunch
• a light/small lunch
• a packed/bag/sack lunch (= food such as sandwiches that you take to school etc)
• a working/business lunch
• Sunday lunch (= a large traditional meal that is typically eaten at about one o’clock on a Sunday afternoon, with the whole family sitting together)
• Free school lunches are provided for the poorest children.
  …
• We took a half hour lunch break (= a time when you stop working to eat lunch)
• (during) the lunch hour (= the time when people stop working to eat lunch)
• I’ve got a lunch date (= when you meet someone for lunch)
  …
• Are you free for lunch today?
• meet someone for lunch
• The post office is closed for lunch between 12.30 and 1.30.

Question 3

Dinner

• invite/ask somebody to dinner
• We’re having a few friends round for/to dinner.
• come for/to dinner
• go out for/to dinner (= go and eat in a restaurant)
• Dinner is served between 7 and 11 pm in the hotel restaurant.
• dress for dinner
• pay for dinner
• take somebody out for/to dinner
• save me some dinner, and I’ll have it when I get in.
• eat up all your dinner
  …
• a romantic dinner
• a candle-lit dinner
• a leisurely dinner
• a black-tie dinner (=where people wear special formal clothes)
• (throw) a dinner party (= when someone’s friends are invited for a special evening meal)
• The dinner guests began arriving at about seven o’clock.
• a after dinner speech

Question 4

Bill

• pay a bill
• settle a bill (= pay it)
• foot/ pick up the bill (= pay for something, especially when you do not want to)
• He ran up a big/huge phone bill (= use a lot of something so that you have a big bill to pay) when he is on holiday.
• They were facing a mounting legal bill. (=have a lot to pay on a bill)
• We need to find a way to cut out/reduce gas bill.
• The bill comes to ($60).
• split/divide the bill
• put (the beer) on the bill
  …
• an outstanding bill (= still unpaid)
• She had unpaid bills amounting to ($3000).
• reduce your tax bill.

Question 5

Bar

• There’s no _table service, sir, you can order at the bar.
• work behind a bar
• stand at the bar
  …
• I hate trying to get served in a crowded bar.
• a smoky bar makes my eyes water
• a snack bar
  …
• There is live entertainment in the bar at weekends.
• We went off in search of a bar.

Question 6

Waiter/ Waitress

• work (part-time) as a waiter
• call the waiter (over)
• call the waiter for (the bill)
• the waiter takes your order
• the waiter serves you
  …
• a friendly waiter
• a rude waiter

Question 7

Table

• Can we just turn up or do we need to book a table?
• wait for a table
  …
• a free table for four
• a non-smoking table
• a table by the window
• Would you like to come through now? Your table’s ready.

Question 8

Menu

• read/study the menu
• look at/see the menu
• the menu includes meals and snacks
• Another customer asked me if I was finished with the menu.
• choose/order sth from/on the menu
  …
• He begins planning a menu for the dinner party.
• The restaurant is offering a three-course menu for New Year’s Eve.
  …
• The menu is extensive (= with many different dishes on it) and adventurous.
• a set/fixed menu (= when the cook decides which dishes will be served to you, rather than you choosing for yourself)
• The new restaurant on Fifth Street has an excellent/unusual/long menu**.
  …
• Are there any vegetarian dishes from the menu?
• We choose different courses from the menu.

Question 9

Restaurant

• try out a (new) restaurant
• go to a restaurant
• eat at/in a restaurant
• restaurant serves (lunch)
• Restaurants near the waterfront tend to specialize in seafood. (seafood)
• fast-food restaurant are spring up/shooting everywhere
• set up a vegetarian restaurant
• open a new restaurant
• the restaurant is fully booked
  …
• an expensive/ a cheap restaurant
• a fast-food restaurant (= serve food to take away)
• a trendy/fashionable restaurant
• part of a large restaurant chain (=one that is owned or managed by the same company or person)
• a licensed restaurant (= serves alcohol)
• an upscale restaurant (=where richer people go)
  …
• She owns a successful chain of restaurants in England.
• the non-smoking section of the restaurant
• in a quiet corner of the restaurant
  …
  The restaurant is under new management.