Requesting and Settling the Bill

🧠 Practice Exercises

Think of your answer first, then click to reveal!

Asking for the Bill - What do you say?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:
Customer: “Excuse me, could we have the bill, please?”
Server: “Of course. I’ll bring it right away.” “Of course. I’ll bring it right away.”

Asking About Card Payments - What do you say?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:
Customer: “Do you accept credit/debit cards?”
Server: “Yes, we do.”

Paying with Cash - What do you say?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:
Customer: “Can I pay with cash?”
Server: “Yes, that’s fine.”

Splitting the Bill - What do you say?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:
Customer: “Could we split the bill, please?”
Server: “Yes. How would you like to split it?”

Asking if Service Is Included - What do you say?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:
Customer: “Is the service charge included?”
Server: “Yes, it is already included in the total.”

Asking to Pay Separately - What do you say?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:
Customer: “Can we pay separately?”
Server: “Yes, each person can pay for their own meal.”

💳 Key Words

What’s the Difference? 🍽️

Many people are confused about the difference between service included and a tip. They are similar, but not the same.

Service Included

When service is included, the restaurant already adds extra money to the bill. 🧾

This money usually goes to the staff or restaurant service.

You normally do not need to leave extra money.

Example:
"The menu says service is included."

Tip

A tip is extra money you choose to give the server. 💵

People usually give a tip to say thank you for good service.

In many restaurants, people leave 10%–20% of the bill as a tip.

Example:
"We left a tip because the service was excellent."

Word	Meaning	Example
Bill 💵	Paper that shows the total cost of the meal	"Could we have the bill, please?"
Check 🧾	Another word for bill in the US	"Can I get the check?"
Tip 💰	Extra money for good service	"We left a 15% tip."
Service Charge 🧾	Extra fee added to the bill	"The service charge is already included."
Split the Bill ➗	Divide the total cost between people	"Can we split the bill?"
Cash 💵	Physical money like coins and bills	"I’ll pay with cash."
Credit Card 💳	Card used to pay for things	"Do you accept credit cards?"
Debit Card 💳	Card connected to your bank account	"Can I pay with a debit card?"
Server 👨‍🍳	Person who brings food and drinks	"The server brought the bill."
Receipt 🧾	Paper showing proof of payment	"Please keep your receipt."
Subtotal ➕	Price before taxes or extra charges	"Calculate the tip from the subtotal."
Polite 😊	Showing good manners	"It is important to be polite to the staff."

🎧 Listening

Listen to 4 conversations of people ordering drinks in a restaurant. After listening, answer the questions below.

4 Dialogues
▼ Reveal

✅ Script:

1. Asking for the Bill

Customer: Excuse me, could we have the bill, please?
Server: Of course. I’ll bring it in just a moment.

Customer: Thank you. We’re ready to pay.
Server: No problem. Would you like to pay together or separately?

Customer: Together, please.
Server: Alright. Here is your bill.

Customer: Thanks. Can we pay by card?
Server: Yes, absolutely. I’ll bring the card machine.

2. Asking About Payment Methods

Customer: Excuse me, what forms of payment do you accept?
Server: We accept cash, credit cards, debit cards, and mobile payments.

Customer: Great. Do you accept Visa?
Server: Yes, we do.

Customer: Is there a minimum amount for card payments?
Server: No, there isn’t. You can pay any amount by card.

Customer: Perfect. Thank you for the information.
Server: You’re welcome.

3. Talking About Leaving a Tip

Customer 1: The service was really good tonight.
Customer 2: Yes, the server was very friendly.

Customer 1: How much tip should we leave?
Customer 2: Maybe 15 percent?

Customer 1: That sounds good to me.
Customer 2: Okay. The bill is $800, so let’s leave $16.

Customer 1: Perfect. Let’s do that.

4. Asking About a Service Charge

Customer: Excuse me, I have a question about the bill.
Server: Of course. What would you like to know?

Customer: What is this service charge?
Server: It is an extra charge added for the restaurant service.

Customer: Does that mean the tip is already included?
Server: Yes, the service charge is already included in the total.

Customer: Oh, I understand now. Thank you for explaining.
Server: You’re very welcome.

❓ Answer the questions. Think of your answers first, then click to check!

Dialogue 1 – What does the customer ask for?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:
The customer asks for the bill.

Dialogue 1 – How will the customer pay?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:
The customer will pay by card.

Dialogue 2 – What payment methods does the restaurant accept?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:
The restaurant accepts cash, credit cards, debit cards, and mobile payments.

Dialogue 2 – Is there a minimum amount for card payments?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:
No, there is no minimum amount.

Dialogue 3 – Why do the customers want to leave a tip?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:
They want to leave a tip because the service was very good.

Dialogue 3 – How much tip do they decide to leave?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:
They decide to leave $16.

Dialogue 4 – What does the customer ask about?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:
The customer asks about the service charge.

Dialogue 4 – Is the tip already included?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:
Yes, the service charge is already included in the total.

5-Minute English

Requesting and Settling the Bill

Requesting & Settling the Bill

🎯 What you'll learn

🧠 Practice Exercises

💳 Key Words

What’s the Difference? 🍽️

Service Included

Tip

🎧 Listening

📝 Summary

🎓✨ Complete Lesson

📤 Share this Lesson