English Conversation - Lunching At A Restaurant

Ranjan is meeting prema for lunch at the Nirula’s restaurant both of them have been out meeting clients and have decided to meet for lunch to discuss the prospects of selling the products of their company.

Ranjan (Who has arrived earlier) Hello, Prema. I am glad you were able to come. Did you get my message?
Prema Hello, Ranjan. I’m sorry I’m a bit late. I got your message about meeting you for lunch just as I was leaving for my appointment with the builders of Akash Deep. I could’t get away any earlier.
Ranjan Don’t worry. I haven’t been waiting long. Where would you like to sit? Shall we sit in that corner?
Prema Yes, let’s. It will be quieter over there.
Ranjan How was your day?
Prema Quite successful. But very tiring. People are interested in our products but are hesitant to switch over to something to new. I was wondering whether…… .

Ranjan Before me get involved in a deep discussion lets order something to eat. (Calling to the waiter) waiter.


Waiter (Placing menu cards before both of them). Good afternoon. What would you like to order?
Ranjan Prema, What would you like to eat? A soup to begin with? Prema No, thank you. I don’t think I’ll have soup. I’ve never been here before, so I don’t know what their specialities are.
Ranjan (Reading the menu) would you like some chicken curry with pullao?
Prema Let me see. Waiter, are the prawns fresh?
Waiter Yes, Ma’am Absolutely fresh. Why don’t you try some fried prawns with Chinese fried rice?
Ranjan That is a good suggestion. Let’s have a Chinese meal.
Prema All right, you order, Ranjan.
Ranjan Right Let’s have a plate of chicken fried rice, sweet and sour prawns and an American chopsey. Prema, would you like mushrooms or bamboo shoots?

Prema No, thank you. What you’ve ordered is more than enough.

Ranjan What about something to drink? An orange juice or a leman squash or……..
Prema I’d love to have a Limca.
Ranjan That’s good. Waiter, a Limca for the lady. And a fresh lime juice for me. And please serve us quickly. We haven’t much time.
Waiter Right Sir. It won’t be long.
(Writing down the order).
Ranjan You were about to make a suggestion about our marketing policy.

Prema I was wondering whether we couldn’t recommend a cut in in the price of our product. As it is, the profit margin is very small. And the overhead costs of introducing a new product are already very high.
Prema But we could increase the price once we have established ourselves in the market.

The waiter arrives with the soft drinks.

Waiter Here you are Sir. Limca for the lady and a fresh lime for you sir.
Ranjan Thank you. Please hurry up with the lunch order.
Waiter In a moment sir. What will you have for dessert?
Ranjan (Looking at the menu again). Prema, what would you like? An ice cream, a soufflé or a fruit custard?
Prema Nothing at all. Thanks.
Ranjan (Closing the menu-card and handing it back to the waiter). No dessert, thank you.
Waiter What about coffee?
Ranjan Will you have coffee after lunch, Prema?
Prema Yes, Please. I’ll have coffee.
Waiter with cream or milk?
Prema Black please.
Waiter And for you, sir?
Ranjan Oh! I’ll have coffee with milk but please. Be quick about it.

The waiter hurries away.

Ranjan I’m not sure how well it would go down psychologically if we cut on prices. It might give people the impression that our’s is an inferior product.
Prema Well then. You have to offer other forms of incentives. After all, why should people buy our product and not keep using the brand that they are always used to!
Ranjan You are right. We’ve got to scratch our heads and come up with what is known as a “unique selling preposition”. What is it that our brand has that the others haven’t got?

The waiter comes laden with the lunch dishes.

Ranjan Ah! here comes the lunch. Let’s leave the lighting systems alone for a while and enjoy our lunch.
Prema (Eating the food) Mmm! This is delicious. So many restaurants serve Chinese food. But I haven’t had food which is quite so well prepared as this. How did you discover this place?
Ranjan Just by chance. Actually I was visiting an office in the next block. It was lunch time and I looked around for a place to eat and found. The Nirula’s. It isn’t very grand but the food is wholesome. I’m glad you like it.
Prema Thank you for bringing me here.


(B) VOCABULARY

Mash complain pudding
Toast cheese pie

Phrases

To pass a dish to order
An empty table buttered toast

Meanings

Client the person using the services, a customer.
Switch to change over
Menu-card a list of dishes which can be served
Prawns a kind of very small fish
Mushrooms a kind of edible fungus, (Khumb)
Chopsey a Chinese dish of meat or chicken, onions and noodles.
Slice to cut
Dessert a pudding, a sweet dish
Soufflé a spongy dish made light with the beaten white of eggs.

(C) Study the following responses:

1. Who should do the ordering for the food in a restaurant?
Response: In the case of a lady and a gentleman it is the privilege of the gentle man to order the food. But not before asking the lady about her preferences. In a situation when a person has invited a number of guests to eat at a restaurant, it is good manners to let the host order. The host would undoubtedly consult the wishes of his guests before ordering.

2. Is there no situation where the people forming a party order their own food separately?
Response : Sometimes, when different people opt to eat entirely different sorts of dishes then, as a matter of convenience, the waiter may be asked to take down each one’s order separately.

(D) Make suitable responses:


1 Have you been waiting long?
Response ______________________________________________
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2 What will you have to eat with your tea?
Response _______________________________________________
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3 What did you do this morning?
Response _______________________________________________
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