English vocabulary for complaining & problems in a restaurant exercise part 2

I'm afraid there is nothing I can do:
(phrase) This formal and polite phrase is used to answer a request/demand to do something from another person. It's commonly used by waiters/waitresses if they can't do something that a customer has asked them to do (e.g. replace a product, change a meal, give a refund etc...). It's a very polite and effective phrase because it suggests that although they would like to do it for them, there is nothing they can do (although this may not be true) because of policy/rules or the situation. It is used after the waiter/waitress has already told the customer that they can't do it, but the customer doesn't accept their answer. It is normally followed by a reason why they can't do it, e.g. 'could we have a table for 5, please' 'there are no tables available, sorry' 'we only want to eat a main course!' 'I'm afraid there is nothing I can do. We are fully booked tonight'. In Spanish: "lo siento, no hay nada que pueda hacer".

I'm afraid there is nothing I can do:

Send it back:
(phrasal verb) The infinitive is 'to send something back'. In this context it means to return a dish back to the kitchen. Customers 'send a dish back' when they are not happy with it (e.g. when the food is cold, too salty etc...) and they want it replaced with the same dish but better. For example, 'my dish should have a salad with it, but it doesn't' 'I'll send it back'. This is an transitive phrasal verb (it has an object) that is separable, e.g. 'send the food back'. In Spanish: "devolver".

Send it back:

Please accept my apologies:
(phrase) This very formal and polite phrase is used when a restaurant employee has to apologise/say sorry to a customer for something that has been done badly or incorrectly. Although it is used in lots of different business situations, for restaurants, it is normally the manager/person in charge who says it to the customer after they have complained about the food or service. It normally follows 'I am really/very sorry'. For example, 'I am really sorry. Please accept my apologies'. This phrase is only used for politeness. In Spanish: "le ruego me disculpe".

Please accept my apologies:

There seems to be a mistake with:
(phrase) This is a formal and polite way to tell somebody that there is a problem with something that is written down on paper or a computer screen (e.g. a bill, article, plan, invoice etc...). It is polite because it uses the verb 'to seem' instead of only 'to be' and 'mistake' instead of 'problem'. It is followed by what the problem is, e.g. 'there seems to be a mistake with the bill. We didn't order fish'. A more direct and impolite way to say this phrase is 'this is wrong'. In Spanish: "parece que hay un error con".

There seems to be a mistake with:

Overcooked:
(verb) 'overcooked' is normally used as a complaint in a restaurant. It means that vegetables, pasta or rice have been cooked for too long, so that they are too soft and don't have much flavour. Normally, if a customer complains about this, the waiter/waitress will send back/return the food to the kitchen to be replaced, e.g. 'the rice is overcooked' 'I'll send it back to the kitchen for you'. 'overcooked' is not used for meat, where 'overdone' is used instead. The opposite of 'overcooked' is 'undercooked' or 'almost raw' (for vegetables only). In Spanish: "recocida/demasiado hecho".

Overcooked:

We won't charge you:
(phrase) This phrase is said by a restaurant manager to a customer. It basically means that the customer 'doesn't have to pay for something'. Normally, a restaurant manager will say this, after a customer has complained about the food or the service. By giving the customer something they have ordered for free is a common way for the restaurant to apologise. This phrase is followed by 'for' and then the name of the dish(s) that the customer will receive for free, e.g. 'we won't charge you for the starters'. Another phrase that has a similar meaning is 'on the house', but this is also used when the restaurant gives a customer an additional thing (e.g. a bottle of wine, an extra dish etc...) that they haven't ordered for free. 'we won't charge you' is only used for things they have ordered before. In Spanish: "no le cobraremos".

We won't charge you:

Call the waiter over:
(phrasal verb) The infinitive is 'to call somebody over'. This phrasal verb means to ask a waiter/waitress/manager to come to your table so you can ask them something (e.g. 'another bottle of wine please' 'we're ready to order' etc...). Most people call a waiter over by saying 'excuse me' or by putting their hand in the air. This is an transitive phrasal verb (it has an object) that is separable, e.g. 'I'm going to call the waitress over now. Excuse me!' In Spanish: "llamar al camarero".

Call the waiter over:

I'd like to speak to the manager, please:
(phrase) This is a polite phrase that is used when you want to speak to the manager of a restaurant because you have a big problem/complaint (e.g. the food is terrible or you've been waiting for a very long time) that a waiter/waitress can't or won't help you with. It's basically the same as the more direct 'I want to speak to the manager', but by using 'I'd like' and 'please', makes it politer. In Spanish: "quisiera hablar con el gerente/encargado, por favor".

I'd like to speak to the manager, please:

Short changed:
(verb) The infinitive is 'to short change'. This means when you pay with cash (notes and coins) in a restaurant/shop/bar, the money that the waiter/shop assistant/bar person gives you back (which is called the 'change') is less than it should be. Although this is normally because they have made a mistake, in places where there are a lot of tourists, it is often done on purpose (deliberately). If you are a customer, you use this verb in the passive (to be short changed), e.g. 'I have been short changed'. It is rude to say this verb to a waiter/ shop assistant/bar person. So, you should use 'I think you've made a mistake with my change' instead. Then tell them how much change you should have received. In Spanish: "no dar el cambio completo".

Short changed:

Almost raw:
(adjective) 'almost raw' is normally used as a complaint in a restaurant. 'raw' describes vegetables that have not been cooked. 'almost raw' means that the vegetables have been cooked for too little time, so that they are too hard. 'almost raw' has the same meaning as 'undercooked'. But 'undercooked' is not only used for vegetables, but also for rice and pasta. Normally, if a customer complains about this, the waiter/waitress will send back/return the food to the kitchen to be replaced, e.g. 'the potatoes are almost raw' 'I'll send them back to the kitchen for you'. 'almost raw' is not used for meat, where 'underdone' or 'rare' are used instead. The opposite of 'undercooked' or 'almost raw' is 'overcooked'. In Spanish: "casi crudo".

Almost raw:

On the house:
(adjective) This phrase is said by a waiter/manager in a restaurant/bar to a customer. It basically means that the customer 'doesn't have to pay for something'. A restaurant manager will say this in different situations. The most common is after a customer has complained about the food or the service. But, they can also use it when they are celebrating something or want to thank a customer(s). When a customer has complained, giving them something 'on the house' is a common way for the restaurant to apologise. This phrase follows the the name of the thing they will receive for free and the verb 'to be', e.g 'the starters are on the house'. Another phrase that has a similar meaning is 'we won't charge you'. But whereas 'on the house' is used to give the customer either something they have already ordered (e.g. a starter etc...) for free or an additional thing (e.g. a bottle of wine, an extra dish etc...) that they haven't ordered for free, 'we won't charge you' is only used for things they have ordered before. In Spanish: "invita la casa".

On the house:

Rare:
(adjective) 'rare' in this context is a way of cooking a steak (beef which is normally fried). It means that a steak is cooked for very little time, so the meat is still very red on the inside. In restaurants when you order/ask for steak, the waiter/waitress will ask you 'how do you want it done?' This means 'how long do you want the chef to cook the steak for?'. For example, 'I'd like my steak rare please'. If you don't want to have the steak 'rare', there are three other ways of cooking it: 'medium rare' (cooked for a little longer so the meat is less red inside)' 'medium' (cooked for longer so the meat is pink inside) and 'well-done' (cooked for longer so the meat is brown inside). 'rare etc...' are not normally used for other types of beef or meat (e.g. lamb, chicken, pork etc...). For these other types of meat, if you want to complain that meat hasn't been cooked enough, you use 'underdone', e.g. 'the pork is underdone it's very chewy'. In Spanish: "poco hecho".

Rare:

Service:
(noun) The 'service' in a restaurant/bar/hotel means how customers are treated and given/served their food and drinks by the waiters/managers/bar staff. The word 'service' is normally used when people are giving their opinion about a restaurant/bar/hotel, e.g. 'the service in the restaurant is excellent. The waiters were very helpful and the food arrived at our table very quickly'. This noun is normally used with the adjectives 'excellent', 'good' 'average', 'poor' and 'terrible' ( e.g. 'the service was poor'). In addition to the 'service', when people give their opinion about a restaurant, they also use the word 'food' to talk about the quality of the meal/food that they ate, e.g. 'the food there was terrible' In Spanish: "servicio".

Service:

Overcharged:
(verb) The infinitive is 'to overcharge'. This means when in a restaurant/hotel/shop/bar the bill or check you have to pay is higher than it should be. This happens when the bill/check includes extra things on it that you don't have or haven't consumed/used. It can also happens when the cost of the products are more expensive on the bill/check than they should be. If you are a customer, you use this verb in the passive (to be overcharged), e.g. 'I have been overcharged'. This is not a very polite verb to use. So, if this happens to you, you should try to be polite and tell the waiter/shop assistant/bar person 'I think you've made a mistake' and tell them how much something should be or what you haven't had or don't have. This verb is also used with the same meaning for invoices in business. In Spanish: "cobrarle de más".

Overcharged:

Well-done:
(adjective) 'well-done' in this context is a way of cooking a steak (beef which is normally fried). It means that a steak is cooked, so that the meat is brown on the inside. In restaurants when you order/ask for steak, the waiter/waitress will ask you 'how do you want it done?' This means 'how long do you want the chef to cook the steak for?'. For example, 'I'd like my steak well-done please'. If you don't want to have the steak 'well-done', there are three other ways of cooking it: 'medium' (cooked for a little less time, so the meat is pink inside) 'medium rare' (cooked for even less time, so the meat is a little red inside)' and 'rare' (cooked for very little time, so the meat is very red on the inside). 'well done etc...' are not normally used for other types of beef or meat (e.g. lamb, chicken, pork etc...). For these other types of meat, if you want to complain that meat has been cooked too much, you use 'overdone', e.g. 'the pork is overdone, it's very hard/tough’. In Spanish: "bien hecho".

Well-done: