In most German restaurants, the customers will seat themselves. Only in the finest and most elegant restaurants will a host or hostess seat you. If there are no empty tables, you can join a large table if there are empty chairs at it. You simply ask, Ist hier noch frei? to inquire if you can use the unoccupied seats. The people already at the table might answer with Ja, bitte or Bitte sehr if you can use those chairs.
Usually, a waiter or waitress - der Kellner or die Kellnerin - will bring you a menu. If they don’t, you can ask by saying die Speisekarte, bitte! But don’t ask for das Menü, because that doesn’t mean ‘menu’ - it means ‘a full meal’ and is the way to order the restaurant’s special of the day: an entree, probably with soup and salad.
If you order das Gedeck, it’s like ordering das Menü - the restaurant has selected a full meal for you as a package deal. It’s probably die Suppe at the beginning and der Nachtisch at the end.
If you’re speaking to a waiter, address him as Herr Ober; to the waitress, as Fräulein. Another option is to address either of them as Bedienung. As with all cultural vocabulary, there are variations from town to town and from time to time. In a small restaurant in a small town, where the owners are the managers and wait personally on customers themselves, you’d address them as Herr Wirt and Frau Wirtin. Such family-owned and -operated establishments tend to be the most traditional and are of the oldest type.
Typically, restaurants do not automatically serve a glass of water with the meal. If you order water, you’ll get a bottle of Mineralwasser and it will be added to your bill. Mineralwasser comes in a number of varieties: Stilles Wasser, or ohne Kohlensäure, has no carbonation. If it’s mit Kohlensäure, or Sprudel, then it does have carbonation.
If you simply want a glass of tap water from the faucet, you may ask for Leitungswasser. Such a request is usually made by foreign tourists from America.
The prices on the Speisekarte both include any applicable taxes, like a ‘value-added tax’ or Mehrwertssteuer, similar to a sales tax, and include an already calculated tip or Bedienungsgeld. These will vary, but are around 16% for the Mehrwertssteuer and 10% to 15% for the Bedienungsgeld. Because these are already included in the prices listed on the Speisekarte, you don’t tip the waitress or waiter in the same way you do in an American restaurant.
When you are finished with your meal, you might ask to pay by saying Bedienung, ich möchte zahlen! or Die Rechnung, bitte! or Zahlen, bitte!
The Kellner or Kellnerin will tell you how much you owe, or hand you a Zettel - a small slip of paper with the amount written one it. Because the Bedienungsgeld is already included in the amount, a large tip is not necessary. Most customers will, however, round the amount up to the nearest Euro. If the bill amounts to, for example, einundzwanzig Euro dreißig, a customer will hand the Bedienung some money and say zweiundzwanzig, bitte, indicating that the bill is to be “rounded up” to the next whole number. This little gift to the Kellner or Kellnerin is called the Trinkgeld.
The use of Kreditkarten is becoming more widespread in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, but many restaurants and other establishments accept payment only in Bargeld - cash.
Often, the pace of such things is a bit more deliberative than in the United States, so allow more time for the dining experience. If you’ve got to get to an appointment, catch a train, or be at the airport at a certain time, allow a couple of hours for a restaurant meal. If you need to eat in a hurry, avoid the restaurant and go instead to a Schnellimbiss, also called a Schnellgaststätte, or a Imbissstube, or simply an Imbiss. Whichever name you call it, it’s quick, and less expensive than a restaurant. It’s the traditional central European version of fast food. Usually, its main offerings are several different types of Wurst. You can get Bratwurst, Currywurst, Bockwurst, Frankfurter, Thüringer, and other types of sausage. The Frankfurter and Bockwurst are mild in flavor and most like an American hotdog. The other sausage types have richer and more pronounced flavor.
In addition to Wurst, regional variations of the word include Würstel, Würstchen, Würstl, Würstli, and Würstle. A mild Wurst like the Frankfurter or Bockwurst is also sometimes called a Wiener Wurst, a Wiener, or similar variations.
When you get a Wurst at an Imbiss, it will not be served in a bun like an American hotdog. Instead, it will come with a slice of bread - eine Scheibe Brot - or a roll - a Brötchen. A Brötchen may also be called a Semmel. The Wurst will usually also be served with Senf (mustard).
In addition to Wurst, an Imbiss often offers Pommes frites and Getränke (french fries and beverages). Some offer Brathähnchen: grilled chicken. Türkische Imbisse will offer Döner, short for Döner Kebab, a Mediterranean speciality.
Whether you go for a nice restaurant or fast food, eating in Germany is tasty!
