【轻松英文阅读】服务员手势的秘密

 In a noisy restaurant when you want to get a refill or the check, have you ever used a hand signal to communicate with the waiter? Sometimes, it is just the best way to get what you want.

 

Restaurant staff don’t want you to know this, but they use hand signals to communicate with each other. These signals can vary from restaurant to restaurant, but here are some of the most common ones. When a table needs cleaning a waiter will brush their shoulder with their hand. Pointing to a ring finger means a couple is celebrating an anniversary. When a server is talking too long to a customer, a manger will make small circles with their hand to tell them to wrap it up. A sideways ‘V’ from the maitre d’ signifies the arrival of a VIP. The hand signals are not just for the wait staff either. When a cook slashes¹ a hand across the neck, it means a dish is out.

 

Ultimately, the goal of the signals is to make the restaurant more efficient to make a better dining experience for the customer. Next time you are in a restaurant see if you can catch a glimpse of some of the hand signals around you.

1 slashes   

n.（用刀等）砍( slash的名词复数 )；（长而窄的）伤口；斜杠；撒尿v.挥砍( slash的第三人称单数 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• They report substantial slashes in this year's defense outlays. 他们报道今年度国防经费的大量削减。 来自辞典例句
• Inmates suffered injuries ranging from stab wounds and slashes to head trauma. 囚犯们有的被刺伤，有的被砍伤，而有的头部首创，伤势不一而足。 来自互联网