Conversations / Restaurants
Restaurants Conversation Questions for Adult ESL Classes
Use these 20 discussion questions about Restaurants to run a full speaking lesson with adult learners (A1–A2). Each part opens with a vocabulary warm-up, every question is labelled with the thinking skill it practises, and each part fills roughly thirty minutes of class time on its own.
Reviewed by Brando Oxley · 18 Aug 2026
Part 1
Restaurant Choices and Favorite Meals
Focus: talking about restaurant habits, favorite meals, ordering, prices, service, and simple preferences
In one minute, think of two restaurant foods, two drinks, two people who work in restaurants, and one word to describe good service.
EXPERIENCE
What kind of restaurant do you visit most often? Sentence starter: I usually visit ...
PREFERENCE
What type of food do you most enjoy ordering at restaurants? Sentence starter: I enjoy ordering ...
PEOPLE
Who do you most enjoy going to restaurants with? Sentence starter: I enjoy going with ...
COMPARE
Do you prefer casual restaurants or more formal restaurants? Sentence starter: I prefer ... because ...
COST
What makes a restaurant meal worth the price for you? Sentence starter: It is worth the price when ...
ROUTINE
How do you usually choose what to order from a menu? Sentence starter: I usually choose ...
PROBLEM
What can you do if you cannot understand part of the menu? Sentence starter: I can ...
SERVICE
What does good restaurant service look like to you? Sentence starter: Good service is ...
ADVISE
What restaurant would you recommend to a visitor in your area? Sentence starter: I would recommend ...
PLAN
What kind of restaurant would you like to try soon? Sentence starter: I would like to try ...
Part 2
Ordering, Service, and Restaurant Problems
Focus: talking about ordering food, special requests, service, paying, simple problems, and restaurant plans
Think of one menu item, one action people do at a restaurant, and one feeling connected to a restaurant visit.
Describe each word without saying it directly. Your teacher or partner must guess the word.
ROUTINE
What do you usually say when you are ready to order? Sentence starter: I usually say ...
PREFERENCE
Do you like trying new dishes or ordering food you already know? Sentence starter: I prefer ... because ...
FOOD
What restaurant meal is popular where you live? Sentence starter: ... is popular.
COMPARE
Do you prefer eating at a restaurant or ordering food to your home? Sentence starter: I prefer ... because ...
SERVICE
What small things can restaurant workers do to make customers comfortable? Sentence starter: They can ...
PROBLEM
What would you do if your food arrived cold? Sentence starter: I would ...
PROBLEM
What can you do if a restaurant is too noisy for your group? Sentence starter: We can ...
COST
How do you decide if a restaurant is too expensive? Sentence starter: It is too expensive when ...
ADVISE
What advice would you give someone eating alone at a restaurant for the first time? Sentence starter: I would say ...
PLAN
If you planned a meal with friends, what kind of restaurant would you choose? Sentence starter: I would choose ...