実践ビジネス英語 ディクテーション (9/28,29)
こんにちは。NHKラジオ「実践ビジネス英語」”Talk the Talk”のディクテーションです。
Lesson 12のテーマは、‘Restaurant Economy’（レストラン経済）でした。Vignetteでは、アメリカ人がレストランに費やす出費が増える傾向で、レストランの数が増えていること、競争の激しい外食産業で生き残る取り組みなどが話題になりました。最後にはテーブルマナーの話も。
“Talk the Talk”では、レストランで出されたお料理が口に合わなかった時の対処法や、Heatherさんのアルバイトでの体験などについて話されています。
Restaurant Economy
（S: 杉田敏先生 H: Heather Howardさん）
S: Now, our current vignette talks about on-going trends in the restaurant industry and Alvarez’s family history in the business.
H: I like the description of her uncle; how he said to always ask the customer what was wrong if they didn’t eat the food.
I was in a similar situation just the other day, actually.
I went to a restaurant that claimed to serve tacos.
But what I got was not a taco by any definition that I’ve ever known.
The so-called tuna tacos consisted of the thickest, driest tortillas I’ve ever encountered―a small scoop of tasteless tuna on top and a couple of spoonfuls of chopped-up tomatoes.
I took a bite and I must confess I did what I almost never do; I spit it out into a napkin.
Yet, despite the fact that neither my lunch companion nor I ate more than one bite, literary, the servers didn’t ask what was wrong with the food.
I was shocked.
Have you ever been in that kind of situation, Mr. Sugita?
S: I’ve been to a restaurant or two where I didn’t like the food for one reason or another.
Instead of sending it back to the kitchen, I just left it uneaten.
If my server didn’t ask what went wrong, I’d never go back there again.
H: Yes. That shows a fundamental lack of concern for the customer and a lack of pride in their own work.
I usually don’t send things back, either.
I think I did just once, because my then-boyfriend, now\husband and I were in a bit of physical danger.
S: From the food?
H: Yes. We were served a hot plate of something in oil.
The problem was there was too much oil, and it was flying up and spattering us in the face.
So I called the waiter over and asked her to take it away and fix it.
But usually I share your approach and I just don’t eat bad tasting things.
S: I also don’t like to have salad served on a freezing cold plate.
It advertises the fact that it wasn’t freshly prepared.
And I think it’s important to let guests know that the restaurant is out of something before they read the menu and order the missing dish.
H: Oh, yes! That’s one of my pet peeves.
It makes the customer feel cheated, like something attractive has been dangled in front of them and then snatched away.
Obviously that’s not the restaurant’s intention, but it feels that way.
Alvarez’s uncle reminded me of the owner of the ice cream parlor where I worked part-time in high school.
We usually couldn’t ask if people didn’t like something, because they’d either take their food away, or we’d clean up their tables after they were gone.
But he likewise encouraged us to be very engaged with the customer.
Offer them a cup of water if they come in looking hot, ask if they’d like a sample of this or that ice cream―his philosophy was that we should always be thinking about their comfort and enjoyment.
That was about 30 years ago now.
As I recall, we didn’t have any allergy notifications posted about the ice cream or other foods, quite unlike today.
S: Yes, these days many restaurants in Japan and around the world will ask if you or anyone in your party may have allergies.
It’s a good idea to ask that―allergies are a serious matter, especially with little children.
Peanut oil, eggs or milk can be quite dangerous for some people.
H: Very true. It seems like everywhere I go these days I get asked if my daughter has any allergies.
She doesn’t, but it’s good to know that eateries are taking those precautions.
お疲れさまでした。お読みくださり、ありがとうございます♪
