The Art of Ordering in an Italian Restaurant
Americans (especially) who visit Italy are often thrown off by eating in restaurants. It's not the food that throws one off because it's all so good (even if you happen to order something unknown to you). It's the process of ordering food, getting service during the meal, and paying the check that's the proverbial curve ball.
When Italians go out to eat, they mean business. There is no "casual" eating done in Italy. Italians are serious about their food ... all the time. Accordingly, restaurant owners are serious about running their restaurants. Keeping this in mind sets the stage for how to get the best service and not be disappointed.
First off, when you get seated at the table you'll get menus and likely a wine list ... no surprise there. However, you CANNOT dilly dally with looking at the menu, selecting what you want to eat, and being prepared when the waitperson comes back for your order. Unlike in the US, the waitperson is likely to return for your order relatively quickly. So, get down to business and select your meal and your beverages as quickly as possible.
If you are not prepared to order when the waitperson comes back, he or she will assume you want to take your time and socialize ... that you want a very slow meal ... which many Italians do. Because of this, the waitperson may not return for 10, 15, 20 minutes. To return sooner would be viewed as rude ... that they were trying to rush you.
For Americans, this is a concept as hard to understand as no fast food. We rush everything. Speed is coveted. Rewarded. Worshipped.
In Italy, this is taken so far to the other extreme that a restaurant owner rarely expects to turn a table twice in an evening or for lunch. In the US, how many times have you been almost carted from your table to the door so the restaurant can turn your table, serve another party, and collect another check? We've been asked to leave our table when sitting with coffee and after dinner drinks in the US at "fine dining" restaurants. When we push back, we've basically been told that they've done their bit, and we need to do ours (like leave).
This would NEVER happen in Italy. If it did, the restaurant would soon be out of business.
So, be prepared with your order ... the entire order. This means order your water, wine, antipasti, primi, secondi, and side dishes ("contorni") all at once. The only thing you won't order is desserts, after dinner drinks, or coffee.
When finished, you'll almost always need to ask for the check ("il conto"). You can also just get up and go to the cash register to pay. It will often be hard to find the waitperson to get your check. This is not because they're rude or incapable, but because they would never want to appear as if they were trying to rush you out the door. For a waitperson to ask you, unsolicited, if you wanted the check would be a cardinal sin in Italy. So, it won't happen. If they’re a restaurant that leaves a list of what you’ve ordered on the table, take it with you to the cashier (“la cassa”).
One thing you'll never have a problem with is the pace of the meal once you've ordered. Italians have mastered the art of pacing a meal. There will never be plates stacked up like jets into LaGuardia after a summer thunderstorm as can happen in many American restaurants. You set the pace by how fast or slowly you eat … not the kitchen.
I hear many Americans complain about slow service in Italian restaurants. This complaint is almost always about the beginning and/or end of a meal ... ordering or getting the check. Follow my instructions and you won't have this complaint, even if you are a demanding sort. Assume you don't need to follow them because you know better and I'll not want to hear you complain, which you will. I guarantee.
Buon appetito!
When Italians go out to eat, they mean business. There is no "casual" eating done in Italy. Italians are serious about their food ... all the time. Accordingly, restaurant owners are serious about running their restaurants. Keeping this in mind sets the stage for how to get the best service and not be disappointed.
First off, when you get seated at the table you'll get menus and likely a wine list ... no surprise there. However, you CANNOT dilly dally with looking at the menu, selecting what you want to eat, and being prepared when the waitperson comes back for your order. Unlike in the US, the waitperson is likely to return for your order relatively quickly. So, get down to business and select your meal and your beverages as quickly as possible.
If you are not prepared to order when the waitperson comes back, he or she will assume you want to take your time and socialize ... that you want a very slow meal ... which many Italians do. Because of this, the waitperson may not return for 10, 15, 20 minutes. To return sooner would be viewed as rude ... that they were trying to rush you.
For Americans, this is a concept as hard to understand as no fast food. We rush everything. Speed is coveted. Rewarded. Worshipped.
In Italy, this is taken so far to the other extreme that a restaurant owner rarely expects to turn a table twice in an evening or for lunch. In the US, how many times have you been almost carted from your table to the door so the restaurant can turn your table, serve another party, and collect another check? We've been asked to leave our table when sitting with coffee and after dinner drinks in the US at "fine dining" restaurants. When we push back, we've basically been told that they've done their bit, and we need to do ours (like leave).
This would NEVER happen in Italy. If it did, the restaurant would soon be out of business.
So, be prepared with your order ... the entire order. This means order your water, wine, antipasti, primi, secondi, and side dishes ("contorni") all at once. The only thing you won't order is desserts, after dinner drinks, or coffee.
When finished, you'll almost always need to ask for the check ("il conto"). You can also just get up and go to the cash register to pay. It will often be hard to find the waitperson to get your check. This is not because they're rude or incapable, but because they would never want to appear as if they were trying to rush you out the door. For a waitperson to ask you, unsolicited, if you wanted the check would be a cardinal sin in Italy. So, it won't happen. If they’re a restaurant that leaves a list of what you’ve ordered on the table, take it with you to the cashier (“la cassa”).
One thing you'll never have a problem with is the pace of the meal once you've ordered. Italians have mastered the art of pacing a meal. There will never be plates stacked up like jets into LaGuardia after a summer thunderstorm as can happen in many American restaurants. You set the pace by how fast or slowly you eat … not the kitchen.
I hear many Americans complain about slow service in Italian restaurants. This complaint is almost always about the beginning and/or end of a meal ... ordering or getting the check. Follow my instructions and you won't have this complaint, even if you are a demanding sort. Assume you don't need to follow them because you know better and I'll not want to hear you complain, which you will. I guarantee.
Buon appetito!
posted by Mark Pukita | 10:50 AM
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