2. Menu
The menu is the list of food that a restaurant
offers. This word may refer to the actual paper
menu, or the food itself.
Some restaurants offer a single fixed, multi-
course meal with only a few choices. Such a
menu may be called prix fixe ( /priːfɪks/;
French: "fixed price").
Restaurant tasting menus offer small portions
of several dishes as a single meal. Some
restaurants and chefs specialize in tasting
menus, while in other cases, it is a special or a
menu option.
3. Waiter
The waiting staff or wait staff are
those who work at a restaurant or
a bar attending customers —
supplying them with food and drink
as requested. Traditionally, a male
waiting tables is called a "waiter"
and a female a "waitress" with
the gender-neutral version being a
"server".
The duties of waiting staff include
preparing tables for a meal, taking
customers' orders, serving drinks and
food, and cleaning up before, after
and during servings in a restaurant.
4. Tipping
In the United States, United
Kingdom, Canada, many other Western
countries and parts of the Middle East,
it is customary for customers to pay a
tip to a server after a meal, with a
possible range from 10% to 25%
depending on the level and quality of
service. In some situations, a tip or
"service charge" will be included on the
restaurant bill in the U.S. Also called
a gratuity, a "service charge" will be
automatically applied for situations
where the restaurant management
imposes this to ensure that the servers
earn their usual tip income.
5. Busboy
Busser and busboy are terms used in
the United States for someone who
works in the restaurant and catering
industry clearing tables, taking dirty
dishes to the dishwasher, setting
tables and otherwise assisting the
waiting staff.
A busser's duties generally depend
on the size of the restaurant. In
upscale or larger restaurants, they
may bring water and introductory
foods, like tortilla chips and salsa in
Mexican restaurants or bread in an
Italian restaurant.
6. Sommelier
A sommelier (English pronunciation:
/sʌməli:jeɪ/), or wine steward, is a trained and
knowledgeable wine professional, commonly
working in fine restaurants, who specializes in
all aspects of wine service as well as wine and
food matching. The role is more specialized
and informed than that of a wine waiter.
7. Maître d'hôtel
ʁ
The maître d’hôtel (pronounced: [mɛːt dotɛl];
often shortened to maître d’) in the original
French language is literally the "master of the
hotel". In a suitably staffed restaurant or hotel, it
is the person in charge of assigning customers to
tables and dividing the dining area into areas of
responsibility for the various servers on duty. The
plural form is 'maîtres d'hôtel' or 'maîtres d' if
shortened. The maître d'hôtel may also be the
person who receives and records reservations for
dining, as well as dealing with any customer
complaints.
8. Chef
A chef is a person who cooks
professionally for other people.
Although over time the term has come
to describe any person who cooks for a
living, traditionally it refers to a highly
skilled professional who is proficient in
all aspects of food preparation.
While many people may work as
professional cooks, chefs at high-end
restaurants are often highly trained
experts. Culinary education is available
from a wide number of schools offering
diploma and degree programs in
culinary arts. Depending on the level of
education, this can take one to four
years.
9. What do you think?
• Have you ever worked in a restaurant? What
did you do? Was it interesting?
• If you worked at a restaurant, what position
would you like to have?
• Have you ever been to a restaurant that had a
sommelier?
• Do you think that tipping is a good idea or a
bad idea?
10. Steakhouse
A steakhouse is a restaurant that
specializes in beef steaks. The same
type of restaurant is also known as a
chophouse. The steakhouse started
in the USA in the late 19th century as
a development of traditional inns
and bars.
The Big Texan steakhouse in
Amarillo, TX, is well known for its
72 ounce (4.5 pounds or
2.041 kg) steak, nicknamed "The
Texas King." The steak is free to
anyone who, in less than one hour,
can eat the entire meal, consisting of
the steak itself, plus a bread roll with
butter, baked potato, ranch beans,
shrimp cocktail, and salad;
otherwise, the meal costs $72.00.
11. Bistro
A bistro, sometimes
spelled bistrot, is, a
small restaurant serving
moderately priced simple meals
in a modest setting. Bistros are
defined mostly by the foods they
serve. Home cooking with robust
earthy dishes, and slow-cooked
foods are typical. In America,
many Italian restaurants are often
called bistros as well.
12. Café
Cafés are informal restaurants
offering a range of hot meals and
made-to-order sandwiches.
Coffee shops, such as Starbucks,
while similar to cafés, are not
restaurants due to the fact that
they primarily serve and derive
the majority of their revenue
from hot drinks. Many cafés are
open for breakfast and serve full
hot breakfasts. In some areas
cafés offer outdoor seating.
13. Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books
to restaurants and hotels, published by Michelin for
over a dozen countries. The guide awards one to
three stars to a small number of restaurants of
outstanding quality. One star indicates a "very good
cuisine in its category", a two-star ranking represents
"excellent cuisine, worth a detour," and three stars
are awarded to restaurants offering "exceptional
cuisine, worth a special journey". A three-star
Michelin ranking is rare. As of late 2009, there were
26 three-star restaurants in France, and only 81 in the
world. The city with the most Michelin-starred
restaurants is Tokyo, having 127.
14. Noma
Copenhagen, Denmark
Noma is a two Michelin star restaurant run by chef René
Redzepi in Copenhagen, Denmark. The name is an acronym of the two Danish
words "nordisk" (Nordic) and "mad" (food), and the restaurant is known for its
reinvention and interpretation of the Nordic Cuisine. In both 2010 and 2011, it
was ranked as the Best Restaurant in the World by Restaurant magazine.
15. El Bulli
Roses, Catalonia, Spain
elBulli was a Michelin 3-star restaurant near the
town of Roses, Catalonia, Spain, run by chef Ferran
Adrià. The small restaurant has been described as
"the most imaginative generator of haute cuisine on
the planet" and does a great deal of work on
molecular gastronomy. The restaurant is closed as of
July 30 2011, to reopen as a creativity center in
2014.
Apple Caviar
Liquid Olive
16. The French Laundry
Yountville, California
The French Laundry is a French restaurant
located in Yountville, California, in the Napa
Valley. The chef and owner of the French
Laundry is Thomas Keller.
The French Laundry is a perennial awardee
in the annual Restaurant Magazine list of the
Top 50 Restaurants of the World (having
been named "Best Restaurant in the World"
in 2003 and 2004), and since 2006, it has
been awarded three stars in the Michelin
Guide to San Francisco. It has also been
favorably reviewed by The New York Times
and called "the best restaurant in the world,
period" by Anthony Bourdain.
17. The Fat Duck
Bray, Berkshire, England
The Fat Duck is a restaurant run by chef Heston
Blumenthal in Bray, Berkshire, England. The restaurant
is known for its menu of unusual dishes, created
following the principles of molecular gastronomy:
examples include "snail porridge", "sardine on toast
sorbet", "bacon and egg ice cream", and "salmon
poached with liquorice".
Salmon poached w/ liquorice Truffle Toast Snail Porridge
18. What do you think?
• What do you think is the greatest restaurant in
the world?
• Where is your favorite place to eat?
• What do you think of people who spend over
$200 on a single meal?
• Have you ever been to a steakhouse?
• Do you think you could eat a 2kg steak in less
than an hour?
