Dealing with a Complaint in a Restaurant
James is a waiter in a busy restaurant. A customer has called him over to her table and is making a complaint…
Customer: Excuse me!... we’ve been waiting on our food for almost an hour and a half and we’re starving!
James: I’m so sorry about that. We’re extremely busy here this evening. Your order is being prepared now and it will be with you any minute now… there it is….
Customer: Excuse me! The side orders are missing!
James: I’m terribly sorry about that. I’ll get them for you right away…
Customer: …Excuse me! Where are the side orders? We’ve already eaten our main courses. This is really disappointing! Can I speak to the manager?
James: Unfortunately, he’s not here this evening and I’m filling in for him. I’m so sorry. To make up for the inconvenience we’ve caused you, I can offer you free meals and free drinks. Please be rest assured that this won’t happen again.
Customer: I really hope not. That’s fine…thank you.
James: Can I get you anything for dessert?
Customer: We’ll have four of the ice-cream sundaes… only if it doesn’t take too long!
James: No problem - I’ll prepare them for you myself right now, and I promise that they’ll be on your table in 5 minutes!
PHRASAL VERBS
Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example sentence | Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
To run up against | To experience something difficult and unexpected. | The politicians ran up against strong opposition from the people. | Problem |
To wrestle with | To try very hard to deal with a problem or a difficult situation. | I wrestled with the decision for a few months before deciding to quit. | Problem |
To think through | To carefully consider the possible results of doing something. | I need some time think this through before making a decision. | Problem |
To knuckle down | To start working or studying harder. | He’s going to have to knuckle down if he wants to pass the course. | Problem |
To talk over | To discuss a problem or situation with someone. | We talked over the issues in the meeting before making a decision. | Problem |