When you need this
Meals on a work trip are half food, half business. A client dinner is where people relax, tell stories and sometimes make decisions they didn't make in the meeting room. There's also the other kind of meal: a sandwich alone in your hotel room at 10 p.m. Both need a few phrases.
With hosts, let them lead. They know the menu and the local dishes, and asking for a recommendation is a compliment. If you can't eat something, say so early and calmly; nobody minds a dietary need, but people do mind a plate sent back. And the bill has its own small dance: whoever invited usually pays, and you offer anyway.
Phrases
a meal with a customer, often paid by one company
lets your host choose; a small compliment
shows interest in the food and the place
states a food rule plainly
a medical need; say it clearly and early
orders what someone else ordered
suggests shared plates
your company is paying
offers to pay
asks for the bill in American English
you need proof of payment for expenses
food delivered to your hotel room
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Practice · 3 min
Say the line that fits. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.
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Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.