ESL Lesson Plan: Ordering At A Restaurant

OBJECTIVE & OVERVIEW

This ESL lesson plan on ordering at a restaurant contains activities, worksheets, and digital materials for beginner A1 students. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify certain foods on a menu and order a meal in a restaurant. They will be able to carry out basic communication with a waiter or waitress, including the following:

• Greetings and initial interaction with the waiter
• Making requests and ordering drinks and food
• Confirming the order and expressing gratitude
• Ending the meal and asking for the check
• Paying the bill and expressing satisfaction with the service

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

The first part of this ESL lesson plan on ordering food at a restaurant has students identify certain foods/meals on a menu. They match the foods to the menu. Students discuss which foods on the menu they like and don’t like. Then, there is an activity with images in which students match some restaurant-related words with the image descriptions. These words include:

• the check
• the bar
• a meal
• a drink
• a menu

VIDEO & LISTENING COMPREHENSION

Students watch a short video of a comedic skit featuring the famous actor, Brad Pitt, and talk-show host, Jimmy Fallon. In the video, Jimmy Fallon receives an unexpected drink at his table, courtesy of Brad Pitt, who is sitting at the bar. This leads to a humorous interaction between them, including a playful exchange in which they continue to order a lot of meals for each other. This includes items like a seafood tower and a pyramid of Ferrero Rocher chocolates. This all culminates in Brad Pitt leaving the check for Jimmy to pay.

In the activity, students must number the order of events in the video from 2 - 5. The first one is done as an example. Then, they mark some of the foods/meals they see in the video. This includes some of the foods on the menu from the Preview activity. In the third activity, students choose the correct word they hear in a short dialogue exchange between the waiter and Brad Pitt.

DISCUSSION & RESTAURANT ORDERING BASICS

This section of the lesson plan on ordering at a restaurant begins with students answering some questions about the video. They focus on how each Jimmy, Brad, and the waiter feel in the situation. Then, students fill in the missing verbs in a dialogue between a customer and a waiter. The customer orders food at the restaurant. The dialogue includes these verbs:bring, drink, eat, pay, and cost.

In the third activity in this section, students answer some questions using these verbs about their favorite restaurant. (E.g., “What do you usually eat at your favorite restaurant?”)

COMMUNICATIVE TASK: ORDERING AT A RESTAURANT

In this communicative task, students engage in a role-play scenario simulating a restaurant dining experience. One student takes on the role of a waiter/waitress (Student A), while the other plays the customer (Student B). In the first step, Student A takes the customer's order using provided words, while Student B selects a drink and meal from a provided menu. Once the meal is finished, in the second step, Student B initiates dialogue regarding the check, and Student A responds with the cost, followed by payment. The interaction concludes with expressions of gratitude and pleasantries. Finally, in the third step, students reverse roles, allowing both students to practice both roles in the scenario. This activity aims to develop language skills related to ordering food and drinks in a restaurant setting, as well as practicing basic conversational exchanges.

BENEFITS OF USING THIS ESL LESSON ON ORDERING AT A RESTAURANT

Functional Language Skills: Practical language skills are developed through this lesson plan, focusing on vocabulary, phrases, and structures that are essential for ordering food at a restaurant and communicating with a waiter or waitress.

Authenticity: This lesson plan provides authentic learning opportunities as students engage in various activities centered around ordering food at a restaurant. Using authentic resources that engage students — such as a menu, a video, a role play, and images are effective in preparing students for real-life situations they are likely to encounter.

Entertaining Video: The engaging video featuring comedic skits with famous personalities like Brad Pitt and Jimmy Fallon provides an entertaining and memorable way for students to learn about ordering food at a restaurant.

Grammar & Vocabulary: Grammatical structures such as “I would like…” and restaurant related vocabulary are reinforced in meaningful contexts, aiding students in developing the ability to order food at a restaurant.