10 Ways British & American Restaurants Are VERY Different 🍔 

I don't think the writer of that BBC article has ever actually eaten out in the UK. Pretty much everything they say is wrong.

Eric, a British child would never be allowed to drink 4 glasses of coke during a meal out - they have one and they have to make it last for the entire meal.

Substitutions, I always sub my eggs for more toast on an English breakfast. Steaks here are cooked to order (usually badly) as for a burger as it is ground any bacteria on the meat is ground into the middle so a burger must be cooked to 65 degrees centigrade to kill all bacteria. You can't get it cooked any other way by law.

UK: "Can I get you a drink?" "Just a jug of water please" No problem

In New York, the first thing a waitress said to us was "this is our policy on tipping......" we replied " our policy is if the food and service are good we tip and if its not we dont" She seemed taken aback

Eating out in the UK feels like a lovely lunch out or evening out. Normally, for my birthday, I go out for an evening meal at a pub. But unfortunately, lockdown started the day before my birthday

Prices quoted are not true. You can eat quite easily for less than £10 in a Restaurant in UK.

Personally I've found 9 times out of 10 they'll let you change something, especially if you state you have an allergy or intolerance. Better for the company to change something than end up with a lawsuit!

abotu taking food to go, I've heard that the portion sizes in the US are enormous... maybe that might also affect the number of people that take food home with them. Portion sizes for restaurants here generally tend to be 'just enough'

I don’t know who wrote that article for the BBC but from their remarks I imagine they haven’t been to a restaurant, or a gastro pub, in the UK for at least 20 years. By the way, I love Seattle. My favourite US city.

Some of that made me laugh, just a handful of points 1. You can easily get a decent meal for less than £10 in the UK, it's when you start adding booze on to the bill it starts getting expensive 2. Most restaurants / pubs I've been to in the UK ask how I want a burger cooked 3. Only once have a sent food back in the UK - when i was given a mouldy sausage roll, I draw the line at out of date food! - In the US i sent a steak back as it was over-cooked, but only because my colleagues pushed me to do it - i would of suffered in silence otherwise. 4. The volume of food on a plate in the US is disturbing, I guess that harks back to the comment about "doggy bags" - if you don't finish it, you take the rest home ….. but when you're on a business trip the last thing you want is old food stinking out your hotel room! . 5. One of the most annoying things i have experienced in the US is the server giving you the bill before you've finished, then having to get another bill because you have ordered more - it feels like they are trying to rush you out of the place, can't they just wait until the table has finished. 6. Eating out in US cities is astronomically expensive compared to the UK, especially when you are expected to pay an extra 15-20% on top as a tip 7. Following on from 5, tipping in general I find a hard pill to swallow, I've been out for meals where the tip has run in to hundreds of dollars and all the server has done is take an order, serve the order and serve drinks - good for him but it feels like you're being mugged off! In the UK I probably wouldn't leave more than £20.

UK waiters bringing bottled water? That has never ever happened to me. They always bring a jug of tap water.

Yes, you can make substitution requests. My sister does it all the time. The best one was my niece's daughter who asked for a chip butty without the bread.

You can make substitutions- you just need to ask while placing the order. I am lactose intolerant and regularly need to ask for them to exclude any items that include any dairy.

My pet peeve. American waiters taking a person's empty plate before everyone else has finished. It rushes everyone else. Just wait until we've all finished before you clear the table

Casual dining is the thing that is missing in the UK: we have a lot of fast food and we have a lot of nicer restaurants but only nandos, pubs, and old school diners offer the true casual dining experience that seems so common in the USA

In the UK it is perfectly okay to request minor alterations to a dish (mostly for allergies) and the waiter will let you know if this would be fine to do or not (some things cannot be taken out, for example). If it alters the dish too much then they may end up charging you for alterations. High-class restaurants (Michelin stars or ones trying for one) may accommodate to your preferences but it would most likely be up to the head chef (or sous chef on duty) to give the final yes or no as it might muck up their pace and/or cause them to fall behind faffing with your new-fangled dish, causing other dishes to fall behind (big no-no in any kitchen of worth).

Wandering Ravens I love your video and the concept. And amazing hair style you both got there.

The BBC being inaccurate? that's unusual. 😏

The “to go” thing is more to do with portion size than availability. Having 3 courses in the UK is manageable and leaves you full without much left. In America ordering 3 courses is basically saying I want to eat dessert at home because one course could probably feed a small family for a week...

A lot of the practices when eating out in the UK stem from the traditional French model of restaurant culture, going back a couple of hundred years. I think the American way is somewhat more democratised, in line with American ideas, whereas the French way is about proper etiquette, where one might want to show how cultured one is by doing things the "correct" way. As far as deciding how you want meat cooked, only steak should really be served rare and you'll always be asked how you would like your steak done when ordering in a British restaurant. Minced meats such as burgers present a food hygiene issue if served anything less than thoroughly cooked because of the risk that such processed meats may contain harmful bacteria and cause food poisoning. I'd also add that there is a difference as to what constitutes a restaurant between Europe and the US. Establishments such as Olive Garden, Pizza Hut and similar chains in the US wouldn't really qualify as a restaurant proper in most European countries, and be considered barely one step above a McDonalds.

Tell the chef to fix me a Waldorf Salad or your gonna bust his ass!

I’m always changing my food order when I go for a meal in UK. I even do it to when I do Takeaway orders. I’ve never had a problem when I do this.

Honestly, with sending food back, I once ate a dish (steak, chips and salad) that had a small caterpillar in the salad rather then send it back, even when the server pointed it out and offered to take it back and offered complimentary drinks, I still refused, calling it extra protein; I think it was an extreme sort of "I don't want to be that difficult guest making the server take my food back" type of thinking - on the other hand, we did get a nice wine out of it, so I still think of it as a win

I worked in one place where someone asked for lemon sole with out the lemon!

The burger thing isn’t true in my experience, I order burgers loads when out and 90% of the time I’m asked about preference. Maybe it’s regional

I have heard people from the USA say that our restaurant staff, shop assistants etc are surly and unhelpful. I have heard people who have been to the USA say that yours are clingy and over attentive. I think the biggest cultural reason is that, in the UK, we do not readily accept others as our superiors. If I get in a taxi, I will tend to get in the front passenger seat (London black cabs excepted) unless I am with someone. You have a phrase "the customer is always right". We 'know' that they aren't. Money doesn't make someone better than me. It just means they have more comfortable underwear...

Thanks for the new video guys.You asked a lot of questions!Hope they get answered...

Wow! Where did the BBC get all these ideas, they bear little relation to any experience I've had. Limitless soft drinks is a bad idea.

I disagree, I reckon a tenner at a chippy would buy you too much food for one. Maybe that's changed I haven't been to one for a while...

Great video, I was a waiter for 4 years, and customers had no issue sending food if there was an issue. I also have no issue sending food back if hair, wrong dish etc.

This is bizarre. I don’t recognise any of this, and I’ve lived in several different parts of the UK, so it’s not a regional thing either. It would appear that the BBC got both countries wrong. Obviously it depends on your disposable income, but most people I know eat out quite regularly, not just for special occasions. If you order a burger at a restaurant (as opposed to a cafe or fast food place) then they’ll usually ask how you want it, if they don’t ask just tell them. Asking for tap water is perfectly acceptable, but you do need to specify that over bottled water. We don’t do free drinks refills, but who wants more than one coke or coffee with a meal? Yes, if you have food allergies you can make changes, but within reason, don’t try to rewrite the whole recipe. Doggie bags are less common because we tend to have smaller portions and so don’t have leftover food, but if you have a lot of uneaten food most restaurants will be happy to wrap it up for you. Please tip in the UK unless you’ve had bad service! It’s a myth that Brits don’t tip.

I was a waitress for a couple of years while still at secondary school. It was at a budget pub.. the substitutions thing is mostly because a lot of the chefs are arseholes, or at least the ones I worked with were. Other people who have worked in restaurants have said the same thing to me. If I went into the kitchen and asked for a meal to deviate, I got a whole lot of abuse from the chef. So that’s probably why you might get some hesitation or annoyance from a waitress/waiter if you ask for a substitute. Same with sending meals back. I would dread having to take a place back into the kitchen. Makes me sweat thinking about it even now 😂 I probably eat out maybe 3/4 times a year, and it’s always for an occasion. We would eat out more often if we could, but it’s too expensive as a family of 5. The thought of sending a plate of food back is horrifying to me. I’d suffer in silence without doubt 🤣 We never got tips really. We had a pot on the bar, which we put all of the tips in. It was kept by the manager 😐

My experience with sending food back in the UK... It's either thrown into a microwave. Or spat on 😂 😂 😉

As a waitress in a tea room, I can confirm that people make substitutions all the time and they not always polite about it. Also, I recently sent food back because when it arrived it wasn’t what I through I had ordered, the waitress happily took it back and brought out what I meant to order. On this occasion I left her a tip, because I was very grateful. I only ever get good tips from Americans, which always makes me feel awkward and I want to tell them that it’s not the done thing here, but I think the ones I have served always seem very happy and proud of their generosity.

Love it that you owned the beeb on their water question on entry to a restaurant 🤣 I so believe you because you’ve worked there 👍🏼 in the UK we try and ask for a jug (or carafe if posh) of iced water for the table, and that’s your free water. Higher class restaurants will bring a carafe without asking 👍🏼

I worked as a waiter in the UK for a while and my friend had a massive argument with a table of Americans who took ages to order in a packed restaurant. After the third time of asking he said "when you're ready I'll be sitting over there on the edge of my seat". They eventually left him a handful of coppers as a tip which is far worse than leaving no tip at all. He literally ran out the door and lobbed the coins at them and we could here them jangling down the street. They came back in hysteria and complained to our manager. We were expecting him to be fired but the boss agreed that they were a bunch of precious cunts and deserved it. But he was later fired for telling a customer the carbonara was gross.

I remember when I was in Florida for the 1st time and the waitress asked me how I wanted my burger done, after looking at her strangely I said confusingly . . . 'errr . . . . on a griddle?' had no idea you can ask for it the same way you do steaks, having said that, you can still get some amazing burgers in the UK

A few points, all my friends go out for meals, well pre lockdown we did, without any special reason. It's more enjoyable than going to a pub all the time. When the server asks if you want any drinks I always add, and a jug of tap water please to my wine / beer order. Asking for substitutions is OK within limits, but we don't push it too far. Steak is either rare, medium or well done. In France I went to a restaurant with 7 different levels of cooking steak, I also went to one where the cook refused point blank to cook steak anything other than blu. Some pub chains do free top ups for drinks. As for returning a dish, be careful, you don't know what extra "ingredient" an irritated chef might have added to the replacement, some of them are very touchy.

I've never heard of anyone having a problem with taking your food home with you. It's perfectly normal in England and is actually to be expected. You've paid for your meal and it's perfectly natural that you want to finish it even if you can't there and then. No one would ever feel awkward about that.

In the UK, were not good at choice. I have asked for "a straight black coffee with no supplementary questions, please"

I wouldn’t send anything back😬I’d be scared someone would spit in it🤢

As a physician, I regularly request rare steak, but the danger inherent in undercooked ground meat is massively greater. In addition, often in the US I have been refused runny eggs because local ordinances ban them. In Europe as a whole, eating out at pubs or fast food establishments (or beer gardens) is an everyday thing, whilst formal dining is reserved for special occasions - and one is never under pressure to leave promptly after eating.

What you guys said about tipping in the UK is quite correct. I used to work in a restaurant as a chef, however there were places that I worked where the bill that the customer was getting was a bit more expensive. The reason being is that an item called service charge was added to the bill in place of tipping (also don't forget, VAT (Value Added Tax) is also added to food in the UK). If a customer wanted to tip the server afterwards, it was their decision at the end of the day. I'd also point out, that most people's eating habits have changed in the UK, they actually prefer take away or delivery than dine in. This was something i did notice when I worked at Pizza Hut, although Pizza Hut UK was a lot slower on the uptake when it came to realizing that.

ive asked for subsitutions in resturants...if you're polite, you'll generally get

It’s quite common to go out for food after or before going to a theatre or cinema. I night out so to speak.

I have sent back food in Wetherspoons (UK pub chain) without a problem. It was mainly curry which was served dried up. Also in Wetherspoons any meal with rice you can ask for chips instead for no extra charge.

I've found in general if you just ask for water in the UK you get bottled but often the waiter/waitress/person at the bar you're ordering at will ask if you want tap or bottled. It's not uncommon in some restaurants for them come over with a jig of water when you arrive. Certainly, a few local to me. I've never had problems doing substitutes with orders either. I don't do it often but if I'm with friends and what not someone inevitably would like a different type of pasta or swapping out a pizza topping/calzone filling for something else (no olives but extra mushrooms or whatever). I think I've only sent food back a handful of times (I used to be embarrassed so I'd get my Dad to do it for me when I was a bit younger). One I recall well was a burger which I'm surprised wasn't actually walking off the plate. It was pretty much raw inside. Other times are if food has arrived cold or instances of steak being undercooked for my liking. I'll pretty much only send it back if it's inedible (or if I've found something in it). The only things I've ever asked if I can take home are desserts which are way too big like a massive slab of chocolate cake I could only eat half of. I've never tried it with a main meal as I usually finish them.

Okay so basically, I disagree with most things said in this article...

In my experience, most European restaurants have already included at least a 15% gratuity in the bill! They hope uninformed Yanks don’t notice, and tip as well!!

You can make substitutions in restaurants for meals however we aren’t fussy and if something is done wrong we don’t really send it back unless it’s a major flaw such as completely burnt. We do not mind if it is slightly overcooked unless it’s a very expensive place then it would be substitution.

Love these guys!

crying with laughter because you showed a pic of Tim, Nice but Dim

Tipping; again, not my job to pick up the slack because cheapskate employers don't pay their staff a decent wage.

In my experience over the years here in the UK, freehold restaurants are usually quite happy to change one or two things in your meal (though the price may change) if you have dietary requirements as the meals are prepared fresh. Whereas with chain places, which seem to be far more common in England, they are stuck to serving what it says on the menu. Also, you can get full on less than £10 from a chippy, my local chippy does a superb fish supper for £4.80, and it's more than plenty enough to eat.

I can only remember sending food back twice in my life. First time was because it wasn't what I had ordered (wrong veggie burger), second time was also a veggie burger (maybe the BBC were onto something) and the chips were stone cold while the burger was burnt (not sure how) so that got sent back too. That second time, the whole meal was a nightmare and we got the mains for free so only had to pay drinks. The first time was central London so we still had to fight to get the automatic service charge taken off when they gave me literally the wrong meal.

2:02 seriously WHAT did you order at the chippy that went over a tenner? My mum could get chip shop chips (with sausages, fish, etc) for my entire family of 4 for under a tenner

"Confrontation is an un-gentleman act that we all need to do when talking to those yanks" - Duke Wellington Famous quote!

4:22 most restaurants will try to help with allergies as best as they can but in uk it is actually against health and safety to say to a customer "oh you should be ok with this" as that then makes you responsible for any allergic reaction the customer has. You must provide allergin records then it is up to the customer to decide based on the record provided.

Hi ravens yes you can make substitutions in British eateries. From my experience I've asked for no onions but extra peas or no salt. You can request to how you want your steak, nothing major but you can also ask for gluten free, best to ask before you order so the staff can find what you need

Tip a good job - end of conversation

now in UK restaurants now must say this contain Nuts Gluten Wheat Dairy so Grace be ok

I think a lot of it depends on where you eat. My Mom & Dad used to go to a local restaurant/pub quite often and they lived in a village. The restaurant had set meals, like sunday dinner, set lunches and a la carte etc. Because they were regulars and tipped well, the staff were happy with any requests and helpful with substitutions or sending the food back , if not up to standard. EG; I hate carrots and they always bought other extra veggies for me. We never had a problem there and quite often went home with 'doggie bags', which were wrapped up in beautiful foil swans! We also, quite often, had dessert 'to go'. I haven't been there for years, but if anyone wants to check it out it's 'The Rag' in Cannock Wood, Staffordshire. There with other places they went to in villages in the local area and the service was just as good.

I can speak for the differences between north & south in the UK having lived and worked both in the south east of England and the Highlands of Scotland (where I grew up & have returned to). Here in the Highlands, if it is a hot day it is not uncommon to be offered a jug of cold water when you are seated at your table. If you have children in your group, some places will ask if you want a basket of bread until your meal arrives. As everyone knows each other up here there does tend to be quite a bit of general catching up or chit chat. I tend to find that if one of my children has not eaten much of their meal the person serving us will ask if we want to take it away with us. I have never had bad service since returning to the Highlands, and I have never had to complain about a meal. In contrast, when we lived in Hertfordshire there were a few occasions when service left a lot to be desired (but I stress the word few). As for burgers, the ones up here are normally amazing (even the schools have venison burgers available)

I’ve never had reason to send food back in the uk, and I’m damn sure that I wouldn’t just because I didn’t like it. What kind of capricious child would do that? I’ve worked in hospitality for years on and off and there’d have to be turds in my soup before I’d be bothered to make a waiter’s life difficult about it.

Queens Ice cREAM , Eton Mess?

Substitutions - a small gastropub where they individually cook every meal will usually be happy to substitute. Larger chains will not substitute at all, because often the meals are pre-prepared, and if not, they're too busy.

In the UK any premises that serves alcohol has to make water freely available. If you order water, you'll get tap water. Additionally, trading standards will probably weigh in if a restaurant was trying to sell bottled water without making any attempt to confirm they wanted bottled water. We usually specify bottled or spring water if we want to pay for it. Otherwise the restaurant might seek clarification if the order is ambiguous.

Grace copying Eric's shirt fashion there 👀

Ohhhh yess veryyyy different

In the uk you can substitute but not the main ingredients. So if you ordered steak for instance and it said it comes with potatoes, you can change it to fries. Change salad to vegetables etc. So just your sides or ingredients that easily be taken off something, like taking something off a burger

No restaurant I would ever venture into would sell burgers. McDonalds et al are not restaurants.

Anyone else find it halarious to watch the person that isn't talking make a bunch of faces

I visit California & Denver quite often & it’s customary there for waiters to bring out water when you sit down which I love as I’m always dehydrated.The custom isn’t the same in the UK but recently there was a new law that restaurants should always provide tap water for free.If you specifically ask they will buy a lot of “ nice” places expect you to buy water.In London where I live it’s becoming common to ask for take out box’s but not everywhere does it.As for sending food back it’s not as common here as it is in the states but if something’s wrong with it it’s ok to request a change & talking about change or substitutions in a “ nice” place they would try to accommodate you especially if it was due to health reasons...

In the UK you get asked how you want your burger cooked at a burger restaurant. If you're not at a dedicated burger restaurant it will usually just be served medium well

It's not really a restaurant but, when I worked at Dominos as a driver in my student days, sometimes people would order a Pizza with zero toppings besides the tomato sauce, so a disc of doughy tomato sauce lol. You get some strange requests. Im the "i dont wanna cause a fuss" + "i cant see what theyr doing to my food if i do" guy so i never complain if i asked for steak medium rare and i get it well done i wont say anything, I'll just eat it, its not the end of the world to me.

On substitutions. No chef who plans a meal will ever accept that you change the ingredients. Meals are designed to have a particular taste and the individual components blend to create a harmony (in theory). Swapping ingredients just shows you have a cook who doesn't care what he prepares or what tastes like. It also implies that you don't care either. In the UK burgers generally come cooked/well done. It's pretty unheard of to have a pink burger.

My mum has quite a few allergies and it really depends on what type of restaurant you're going to, decently sized chains (international, national and regional) are usually pretty good about substitution although coffee shops have only within say the last 5 years or so start offer a dairy alternative (unfortunately the most common is soya, sorry Grace). However the same can't be said of independent cafes etc. (except for takeaways, particularly after some big national cases recently) due to the fact that the owners tend to of a generation where allergies were less common. Also about the whole burger cooking thing, most restaurants have to cook their burgers well done due to the way the meat that constitutes like 80-90% of it is processed before it touches a cooking surface. There are a couple of places around the UK that are allowed by government consent to serve burgers under well done but you have to find them yourself or rely on local knowledge

In the Uk if there is hair in it, then you can expect it to be replaced! If there is anything in it it that shouldn’t be there it can be sent back! AS someone who worked In the food industry, all servers/chefs/manager have to undergo a food safety accreditation course. The basics of food hygiene is taught and examined. Environmental health is taken serious, if someone is ill then EH have the power to enter any food premise to take samples! If they enter a premise and it’s below standard they have the power to shut done a kitchen temporarily or permanently! Burgers being a processed meat ie chopped has to be cooked to 65oC, as there is increased surface area for bacteria to grow (many cut marks that can be put into the centre), however steaks can be cooked to taste as there is only 2 cut surfaces that are in contact with the hot plate. Also where I live all food premises have been inspected by the local council and given a food hygiene rating from 1-5 where 5 is best! Doggie bags has fallen out of favour, I remember my parents coming home with a doggie bag in the 80s! But in my experience going for afternoon tea in some posh hotels they will offer to package up what you didn’t eat! Tap water is freely available, often they put it in sealable bottles to chill! In the UK, there is a sugar tax on sugary drinks so refills are discouraged. For food allergies, at least in NI, we have to list all the food allergens in the food. While there is no substitutions as such to a dish, you may be able to substitute 1 or 2 things, you can ask a server what allergens are present in each dish and see what you can order to reduce the risk! All restaurants display signage to tell you to ask about allergens! Often they are noted on the menu, like gluten free, diary free, veggie, etc!

Being a Brit, my experience of US restaurants are a complete pleasure. Nothing is a problem. However, my experience in the UK has got better over the years (I'm getting on, I'm 48 now :) ). In the 90s it was hard work in the UK, to get a pleasant dining experience. While in the states at that time it was so friendly and helpful, it was amazing. In recent years in the UK, the waiting staff have got a lot more friendlier, they balance things right, there are not over the top, but helpful and polite. They seem to have got the good things from the US and applied it the UK culture.

I'm scottish and my family often tend to eat out if we are fed up cooking.

In America, there is the culture of eating breakfast in a cafe/restaurant. In the UK there are plenty of cafes that you could have a breakfast, but I’ve noticed cafes are not so available in tourist areas, so an American tourist in the UK would probably have problems finding a place for breakfast, that is why UK hotels usually offer bed and breakfast compared to USA hotels who rarely offer bed and breakfast.

In the UK tap water is free and bottled water is paid for and a lot of places default a water order to bottled for the up-sell and only bring tap water if you specifically ask for it. Substitutions for allergy reasons should never be a problem, swapping out ingredients to suit your taste is a problem (other than no onions or no mayo or some other simple reduction or addition).

For the most part I wouldn't agree with that BBC article, but I suppose it really goes on where you choose to eat out. If we go out for a meal there is one place in particular I love to go, it's called The Stamford Bridge Inn (just outside Chester). The food is always excellent and nothing is too much trouble for them, the first time I took my wife there the waitress asked if we would like any sauces, she asked if they had anything with garlic, the waitress got the chef to make up a garlic mayo with chives for her to dip her steak cut chips in. They also ask you how you want your burger cooked and even offer you a choice of cheeses to put on the burger. It's an old pub, full of character with amazing food and service and I travel 20 miles from my home to eat there its just that good. Thanks for the video.

Things are changing, you can ask for substitutions now and they will ask everyone if they have any allergies. I don't know if it's true in general but I think it's bad form to ask for information that is on the menu. I've also noted that waiters will ask me directly what I want to eat rather than let one person order for the whole group.

A short anecdote With regards to tipping, A couple of years ago we went out to eat in London for a very close mate's birthday before a night in the city. The place we ate at (which will remain nameless for obvious reasons) made a load of little mistakes with our orders, including almost not letting 3 of our group back into the place after they'd gone outside for a smoke. When the bill came, there was a 'gratuity' added to the bill. My friend whose birthday we were celebrating called the manager over and demanded it removed from the bill explaining how bad the service was!

Your comments about restaurants in the US depending mostly on stuff like drinks for their profits and therefore not willingly offering free water reminded me of how very different that is in Greece. (Yes I know this is supposed to be US vs UK...) In Greece, whether you go out for an elaborate meal or just a coffee, you will get freebies, and they will just bring them to you without asking. Water is likely. Olives, crisps, nuts etc. with a light lunch or coffee. Cake (seriously, I was once brought free cake after only ordering a juice!). Nearly always bread with an evening meal. And after the meal, liquor, generally raki. It's amazing.

My experience with American Restaurants, and granted this was over 30 years ago, was that we would sit down and a carafe of iced water was put on the table without even a word...This was in Virginia so maybe things vary from state to state? Also the Burger and Eggs thing in the UK is actually because they have to cook them like that by Law since the 1990's with Mad Cow Disease and Salmonella making the food standards agency impose these rules (most people have forgotten this) The only time I have ever sent food back was when a Lamb Shank arrived on my plate still deep frozen, they had literally forgotten to cook it.( got a free meal out of that)

I always specifically say tap water if I don't want to pay for water. Most restaurants I have been in you can substitute especially if it's for an allergy there are things that cant be substituted because its bulk made. I eat out a lot just because I fancy it, our local chippy you can get a large fish and chip for under £7 and it will feed 3 people easily as long as you dont go on a friday which is take away day in the village.

That bit about water was interesting- I usually find Canada closer to the US in these lifestyle matters than to the UK, but here almost anywhere water is provided gratis, on offer, if not indeed just plunked in front of you whether you want it or not. It's tap, but even so. I guess long practice has suggested that most customers will order wine, beer, or soft drinks. The water is just part of the welcome package.

My sister got married in Vegas a few years back at the Bellagio. We all went to this fancy steak house for food. My brother in law ordered a tomahawk steak rare, it came out medium rare so he sent it back. All of us around the table were slightly embarrassed about it being sent back tbh. It's not something we would ever really do. I guess it just depends on where you are, how much you're paying and what kind of service your expecting. I'm sure the kitchen staff had a fantastic meal anyway haha

A few things! 1) You'll get asked how you want your burger cooked, but only at fancy specialist burger and grill places. In pubs and cafes, it's served well done. No question. This is because the UK Food Standard Agency says that when meat is minced, any bacteria on the surface can travel through to the middle of the burger, whereas you wouldn't get that happening with a steak as the meat is whole. Fun fact! 2) Asking to take your food home is pretty standard, I'd say. It's not considered to be frowned upon, but it doesn't happen as regularly as it does in the US. Normally you'd ask 'can I take this home please?' Or 'Can I have a doggy bag?' As many years ago, people would take the leftovers home for their dogs to eat. 3) I'd never really send food back unless there was something REALLY wrong with it. I've eaten food that had a piece of plastic in before, and just put it to the side and told them afterwards, but I kept apologising! Brits. Haha. A classic coversation... Customer to friend: 'Ooh, the chips are quite cold and the steak is a bit tough. It's not worth the £15 really.' Waiter: 'Is everything OK for you guys?' Customer: 'It's great, thank you!' We get too embarrassed to say anything, so we'll politely eat and leave and never go back. 😂

In New York, we found a restaurant that advertised all the beer you can drink with your meal. With 3 other Brits, we went in and they served us beer in a big Jug with 4 empty glasses. We stayed for a good few hours and must have drunk at least 10 jugs between us, the beer was a bit weak but tasted fine. We went back the next day and they refused to serve us again, asking us to leave straight away! :)

I'm a non confrontational English person and in the past I've eaten many meals in restaurants that were not quite what I ordered, but I didn't want to complain. I do occasionally order a take away meal now (usually a curry), but I find the prices in most restaurants are too expensive for me.

Years ago, and I mean 1970's and earlier, water was always provided at restaurants I worked as a busboy during my college years and I brought water as soon as people sat down. This was in NJ. Today that is different but water is provided almost as soon as you sit down. I live in rural MN, and I would suggest that the restaurant must make money on the basics, because many people don't order appetizers or even dessert.

We have always found making substitutions very easy in the UK. My wife is a very fussy eater so it happens a lot. You do need to know which type of 'restaurant' you are eating at. There are those at the cheaper end that serve what I would call industrial ready meals - ie they are bought in preprepared and just heated up. The clue is a long menu and relatively cheap prices. At these places you will not get substitutions as there isn't a real chef to do them. We always avoid these. At the other end of the spectrum we were at what we would call a gastro pub. The menu was quite short (good sign) and there was nothing on it that my wife wanted. When the waiter came to ask for the order we commented to this effect. The waiter then brought the chef to our table and asked what my wife would like. He agreed to cook a simple chicken breast with some vegetables - not just a substitution but a whole different meal. To be clear, this was what I would call a mid-range establishment where you pay ~£20 for a main course, I would not expect this kind of service everywhere.

I'm British and work in a Pizza restaurant. We always get customers who ask to get their leftovers boxed up to take home. Sometimes it's their kid's leftovers or sometimes they simply couldn't eat it all, not everyone wants to take it home though. People will send it back if there's ever something wrong or a hair in it. That's our fault sometimes if we've missed to add a topping they've wanted as extra or if there's a hair found we will remake them another. Sometimes if we've missed a topping we will just get it put onto the pizza and send it back to them so they can eat that pizza as they think that's fine. In our restaurant we will sometimes make them a fresh pizza if something goes wrong and it's our fault, even if they don't want to eat it in the restaurant we can box it up for them to take home for free. It's sometimes our choice to do that and not the customer that asks us but it's just a nice gesture that isn't expected.

I was lactose intolerant when I was a child but grew out of it and substitutions in the UK have improved drastically over the years. A lot of what is available for substitution depends firstly on whether the food is home cooked or pre-packaged. Cheap restaurant chains are more likely to be pre-packaged and therefore pretty rigid. And if it is home cooked, whether or not it is made in batches or made to order plays a role too. Obviously if it's made to order, more variations can be made. Furthermore resteraunts are now being put under greater pressure and have a higher demand from consumers to provide allergy-friendly as well as vegetarian and vegan alternatives. I've found that country pubs stilll tend to have the most options for customisation though. One thing that I would advise in the UK is that when you're seated or if someone comes to take your order, mention your allergies to them and they should be able to point out any options that meet your dietary needs as well as anything that can be changed or customised to meet those needs on the menu and/or specials board.

I'd say you can do substitutions in the UK but it's a lot less common. Because people don't like to make a fuss and don't really think about asking it's not something that people do a lot, which means waiters (in my experience at least) either get weirded out by it and a little arsey about it or (far more often) really don't mind because it's not a big thing. I've only been out a handful of times in the UK where I or someone has asked for a customised order and I think maybe once the waiter was a little arsey but fairly accomodating, the rest of the time they were grand about it. I think part of the difference may be that it was only ever one person tweaking one thing, compared to a couple of times eating out in the US where I've definitely heard tables where basically everyone wants to make several changes to their dish.