Unit 24 :
Restaurant’s Ambiance

 Intermediate

Summary

 To learn different words related to ambiance.

  • Brain Storm : Share your ideas with your teacher. Try to make sentences.

What qualities make a restaurant good? Other than serving good food, how important are service and atmosphere?

Vocabulary

Read the following words or phrases with your tutor and use it in a sentence.

  • snooty (aj)
  • ahead of time (phr.v)
  • vegetarian (n)
  • ambiance (n)
  • off (one’s) rocker ( phr.v)
  • matter (n)
  • jukebox (n)

Dialogue 1

Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.

Rishi

Saanvi

I think it’s a good restaurant, have you been here before?

Yeah, I have been here twice, I like its food especially the appetizers.

Let’s sit over there.

OK

Let’s order food.

Sure, what would you like to have the appetizers?

What is the best in Non-vegetarian here?

I like Chicken Malai Tikka and Kebabs.

So let’s order Chicken Tikka and Mutton Kebabs.

Would you like to have wine or any other drink?

I will have Breezer, the Cranberry flavor.

OK

Do you wish to order something else in the starters?

 Let’s order something in vegetarian also, they serve good tandoori chaap here. Would you like it?

If you wanna have it then let’s get it.

OK, what would you have in the main course?

Are you off your rocker? I don’t think we would be able to finish off the appetizers, let alone the main course.

Yeah, Let’s see. By the way, do you like the ambiance of this place?

Oh, Yes! It looks good and especially the lighting. Let’s see how the food come out to be.

I am sure, you will like that too.

Let’s Practice

Choose the correct meaning of the underlined word.

1.) The ambiance there is great. I always feel really comfortable and at ease.

A. a really good emotion; happiness

B. a feeling or mood; atmosphere

C. the way a place is decorated

2)  I like that room because of the sky lights. They let in a lot of sunlight in the late afternoon.

A. a “window” in the roof or ceiling

B. a very large window

C.a big lamp in the center of a room

Dialogue 2

Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.

Russel

Nadia

Why aren’t you eating? Is there something the matter with your food?

No, the food is fine.

 What’s wrong?

I’m not sure how to put this. I really like going to diners and hole in the walls with you, and I love mom and pop restaurants as much as you do. 

 For me, it’s the food that counts, not the ambiance, but…

I thought you’d love this place. It’s my favorite greasy spoon.

I do like it. It’s just that when you invited me out for my birthday and said that it would be something really special, I thought you might take me somewhere else.

Is that why you wore that nice new dress? You thought I was taking you to a fancy restaurant, with tablecloths, mood lighting, and snooty waiters.

Well…

This is much better, don’t you think? We get to sit in this comfortable booth, listen to the jukebox, and watch our food being cooked behind the counter. 

 I can’t think of a better dining experience. Don’t you agree?

Uh, sure.

And don’t think you’re not getting something special for your birthday. I planned it all ahead of time.

 You did? Really? What is it?

 I ordered you a whole pie!

Let’s Practice

Match the words in column A to the its word meaning in column B.

Column A

1. ahead of time

2. snooty

3. counts

4.greasy spoon

5. diners

Column B

A. a cheap, informal restaurant that traditionally is long and narrow and looks like part of a train, in which people sit at a counter 

B. behaving in an unfriendly  way because you believe you are better than other people

C. a small, cheap restaurant, especially one that sells a lot of fried food

D. in advance

E. to have value or importance

Discussion：

Share your ideas with your teacher.

  1. Do you think the ambiance is important in restaurants?
  2. What kind of restaurant would you like to open?
  3. Have you ever complained about the food or service in a restaurant?