Restaurant Economy (5)
SUMMARY
Alvarez describes working at her uncle's restaurant, and how he told her to always ask what was wrong with the food if the customer didn't eat it. She describes unpleasant customers including those with bad table manners. She urges people to use their napkin often, sit up straight and not to put their elbows on the table.
VIGNETTE
Bill Nissen: Are you thinking of opening a restaurant someday?
Nancy Alvarez:
That's not a bad idea. I might think about it if I lose my job here. But seriously, I learned some valuable lessons when I worked as a waitress at my uncle's place during my summer breaks when I was a student. He ran a pretty tight ship.
Ueda Shota: Can you give some examples of things you learned from your uncle?
Nancy Alvarez:
Sure. One time, I brought a plate of uneaten food back to the kitchen. My uncle scolded me for not asking the customer what was wrong. Obviously, something wasn't up to par. He said unhappy customers are your greatest sauce of learning. My uncle also told me to never say, "Good choice". That implies that other choices are bad.
Pat McMillan: Did you ever have to deal with any disagreeable customers?
Nancy Alvarez:
Oh, yes. Customers who put their cell phones, keys or purse on the table also show disrespect to the staff and other diners. And now that you've got me going, I found people who neglected basic table manners to be a real pain. I was tempted to tell them to wipe their fingers and mouth often with their napkin, butter bread on your plate, never in midair. Sit up straight, and keep your arms and elbows off the table!
Pat McMillan: Yes, ma'am!
now that you've got me going せっかくなので言いますが /pain 不快な人[こと・もの］
WORDS AND PHRASES
someday そのうち/いつか /someday: 将来のいつか/ある日 /one day: 過去のある日
That's not a bad idea. それは悪くない考えだ
seriously 真面目な話だが/冗談抜きに
Joking aside; speaking in seriousness. You might say something like, "Thanks to me, sales are up 5%... No, no, seriously, good work, everybody".
learn a valuable lesson 貴重な教訓を得る
summer break 夏休み
run a tight ship 船員をきちんと管理する/組織を厳格に管理する
He operated in an efficient, well-managed organization. The image here is a well-maintained ship with tightly pulled ropes, you know, back in the days of old sailing ships. We also use this about homes and other kinds of operations. You could say, "My mother ran a very tight ship: no dirty socks on the floor ever, and everyone in bed on time.
shipと言っても船だけでなく、会社などについても言う。
tight ship 秩序/統制が取れた会社
uneaten food 食べられていない料理/食べ残し
Alvarez says, "One time I brought a plate of uneaten food back to the kitchen".
scold 叱る/小言を言う
Admonish, reprove for some bad action. It's especially common to use this about people who are lower ranked, or toward children. Like, "She scolded her son for not saying thank you". Or "My boss scolded me for wearing scuffed shoes to work".
admonish 〔悪いことをした人を〕叱る - /reprove 優しくたしなめる(scoldより優しい感じ)
scuffed shoes すり減った靴
disagreeable 嫌な/不愉快な
This term refers to a range of unpleasant things. And we could use it about unfriendly people; people who are not polite. "I've certainly met disagreeable sales people in my time". It can also just mean unpleasant, not enjoyable. I had a very disagreeable conversation with her.
show disrespect 失礼な態度をとる/敬意を表さない
Alvarez says putting your cell phone, keys or purse on the table, shows disrespect to the staff and other diners. She could also just say "disrespect". "Leaving your cell phone on the table disrespects the staff" ― or "shows a lack of respect".
neglect basic table manners 基本的なテーブルマナーを無視する/守らない
Not follow fundamental etiquette at the table. We also say, "Mind your manners" meaning be polite especially when scolding children: "Mind your manners. Say thank you".
日本語では「テーブルマナー」 /英語ではmannersと複数になる
be tempted to ～したくなる
Be strongly inclined to do something; feel the desire. Like "I'm tempted to get a new refrigerator". Or "I'm really tempted to tell him how I feel". You also hear the expression "tempt fate", and this means take a dangerous risk, court danger. Like as if we were saying to fate, "I dare you! Do something bad to me". Imagine I bring a bottle of orange juice to my desk. I put it far away from my computer thinking "Let's not tempt fate. It would be very easy to spill this on my laptop". /court danger 自ら危険を招く - I dare you! 私はあなたに立ち向かいます！
tempt (悪いこと/快楽に)誘いこむ/誘惑する
tempt fate 運命に逆らう/命知らずの冒険をおかす
Don't tempt fate. むちゃはやめなさい
butter bread パンにバターを塗る
in midair 空中で/空中に
Alvarez is talking about holding a piece of bread up off the plate and buttering it, you know, as you hold it. We also say "in midair “about things that are moving through the air. “The book fell off the shelf and she caught it in midair". Or "These planes can refuel in midair".
sit up straight 背筋を伸ばして座る
Sit with a straight back; don't slouch. We also say "stand up straight". I heard that a lot from my mother as a kid: "Stand up straight!" There's also "sit up and take notice", and that refers to paying attention to something; something catching our attention. "His eloquent speech made everyone sit up and take notice".
slouch 前かがみになる[歩く］、猫背になる、だらけた姿勢をする
sit up and take notice 強い興味を示す - 英辞郎 on the WEB
WORD WATCH /up to par /基準に達して/標準に達して
「par はラテン語で equal 、ゴルフ用語「基準打数」。above par, at par [on a par], below [under] par /par for the course は「当たり前のこと」「普通のこと」「よくあること」の意。」
SAY WHAT YOU MEAN
break
Summer vacation is also called summer break. For example, "Summer break in the United States is about three-month long".
summer break 夏季休暇
imply ほのめかす
If we suggest some meaning without saying it outright, we imply that meaning. Such as "Last week she implied that I was lying".
neglect
Failing to do something that should be done is to neglect that thing. As in "Don't neglect to froth your teeth".
しなければならないことをしないのは、そのことをneglectすることである、という。
Q・Bravery never goes out of fashion. - William Thackeray (British novelist)
Restaurant Economy (4) SUMMARY
Alvarez says online sales are growing faster in the restaurant industry. Nissen attributes this to changing demographics and lifestyle, and says busy people don't have time to cook. Alvarez says the future looks rosy for the restaurant industry, but success is not guaranteed in that competitive business.
VIGNETTE
Pat McMillan: We're seeing so many businesses shifting their activities online, but restaurants seem to be firmly stuck in the bricks-and-mortar world.
Nancy Alvarez: Not really. My uncle's place offers deliveries to customers who place their orders online. Online sales account only two percent of the restaurant market today. But they're projected to grow 15 times as fast as the rest of the restaurant business through the end of the decade.
Bill Nissen: That's due to changes in demographics and life styles. Busy people don't have the time or energy to cook. An increasing number of singles, working parents and seniors are opting for convenience when it comes to buying their meals. They want good-tasting and nutritious dishes without having to spend time shopping and preparing food, not to mention washing the dishes afterward.
Nancy Alvarez: Though the future looks bright for the food-service industry overall, there are no guarantees in what is a very tough and competitive business. Many new restaurants fail in the first year. The restaurant business is really all about working hard and making a living.
Bill Nissen: Gosh. Nancy, I have to say I'm impressed with your knowledge of the restaurant business.
spend time ～ing ～するのに時間を費やす
prepare food 食べ物を用意する
food-service industry 《the ～》外食産業、フードサービス業
WORDS AND PHRASES
shift the activities online 業務をオンラインに移行させる
be stuck in ～にはまりこんでいる/～から抜け出せないでいる
Be mired in; be unable to get out of. "Mired" is a good word to know as well. "She is stuck in her old-fashioned ideas about marketing", for example. Or "He is mired in a boring job".
mire 泥沼 /be mired in (泥沼に落ち込んで動けなくなっているところから）(人が)苦境に陥っている
bricks-and-mortar world 従来型の世界/実店舗の世界
The world of actual physical stores and restaurants as opposed to online and mail order. "Mortar" is a binding material that holds bricks and other construction materials together. And sometime we use it metaphorically. Like "Kelly is the mortar that holds our office together".
bricks レンガ mortar モルタル /bricks-and-mortar store インターネットビジネス、電子商取引eコマースをしない従来型の商売をしている店
Not really そうでもない
McMillan says, "Restaurants seem to be firmly stuck in the bricks-and-mortar world", and Alvarez replies, "Not really". This is a soft way to say "No" or "that is not the case". Imagine someone asks you, "Did you like the presentation?" You might say, "No, not really. It was too long and complicated".
place one's order online オンラインで注文する
Submit an order for something online via the Internet. And you can place an order for lots of things. I placed an order for the new smartphone last week. Or "The airline placed an order for 10 new jets".
be projected to grow 成長すると見込まれる/拡張すると見込まれる
demographics 性別・年齢・収入・職業などの実態的人口統計/年齢・職業などがほぼ等しい人の層
The make-up of a group of people: the ratio of men to women; what jobs they have; ages. You also hear about "the demographic trends" like "more people living alone" or "people moving to urban areas or away from urban areas".
opt for convenience 便利さを選ぶ/利便性を選ぶ
nutritious dish 栄養豊富な料理
A dish that provides nutrition; that's beneficial to the body. Nori, sea weed is very nutritious obviously. So are natto, fermented soy beans.
not to mention ～は言うまでもなく
overall 全般的に
Down at the bottom, Alvarez says, "the future looks bright for the food service industry overall".
no guarantee 保証がないこと
Nothing is soured; the outcome is not assured. "There is no guarantee we'll profit from the stock investments", for example. Or "Past performance doesn't guarantee future returns".
tough and competitive 厳しくて競争の激しい
Hard and full of competition. We also say people are competitive, meaning they actively compete with others. You know, they want to do better. My daughter is very competitive. She gets really upset if she loses a race, for example.
be all about ～に尽きる/～が全てである
This is the dominant factor in some situation. It's the most important influence on the outcome, or the strongest influence on people's actions. Like "Learning a foreign language is all about practice". Or "She is all about getting ahead. Her career is the most important thing in her life".
make a living 生計を立てる
gosh すごい/おやまあ This is a very mild expletive. It will not offend anyone. There's also "shoot". But I've found I have to be careful with that one because sometimes people think I use the stronger version when I didn't.
a very mild expletive
expletive しばしば「無意味な/卑俗な間投詞/表現」/(「間投詞」は普通interjection)
expletive deleted 文言削除
transcriptなどで使われる表現。印刷物で、卑俗あるいは卑猥な語句が削除されたことを示すもの
(goshは)mild expletiveなので、それほど卑俗な言葉ではなく使ってもそれほど可笑しくない文脈というのもある。
WORD WATCH
delivery 出前/配達/納品/「手紙や品物などの「配達」「送付」のことだが、スピーチやプレゼンテーションの「話しぶり」「言葉の使い方」(the manner or style of giving a speech or presentation）という意味もある。動詞は deliver で、Tom has excellent ideas about boosting productivity but his presentation was badly delivered. といえば、「トムは生産性を高めるためのいいアイディアを持っているが、彼のプレゼンテーションのやりかたはへただった」のように使う。」
SAY WHAT YOU MEAN
projected 見込まれる
Another way to predicted or expected to do something is projected to do it. Such as "Our sales are projected to rise five percent this year".
opt
The expression opt for means choose. Such as "I eventually opted for the smaller, more affordable car". opt forという表現は、「選択する」という意味
living
Earning an income to live on is making a living. For example, "He makes a living as a freelance journalist".
Q /If I had 8 hours to chop down a tree, I would spend 6 of those hours sharpening my axe. - Abraham Lincoln (Sixteenth U.S. President)木を一本切るのに8時間もらえるのなら、私はそのうちの6時間は、斧の刃を研ぐのに費やす
Restaurant Economy (3) SUMMARY
Nissen says longer working hours and more dining options have led Americans to spend more money in restaurants. Alvarez says the country is experiencing a golden age of restaurants, but that money is being spread more thinly among more establishments. Ueda quotes a friend as saying that many restaurateurs are raising prices to pay the rent.
VIGNETTE
Nancy Alvarez: Many of them are seniors on fixed incomes. Older folks may not be able to afford to dine at upscale restaurants very often. So they tend to go to family-style restaurants that have good service, decent food and reasonable prices.
Bill Nissen: Americans are now working longer hours and have an ever-widening choice of dining options. As a result, they're spending more of their food budget in restaurants. And it's becoming more common to have dinner parties in restaurants. So do you think we're seeing the beginning of a golden age of restaurants, Nancy?
Nancy Alvarez: It sure looks like it. The number of restaurants in the U.S. is growing at about twice the rate of the population. The country now has more than 620 thousand eating and drinking establishments. The glut of eateries has put a lot of pressure on restaurant owners. While people are spending a large share of their food budget in restaurants, they're spreading the money across a larger number of establishments. That means profits aren't necessarily that big.
Ueda Shota: A friend of mine who owns a restaurant here in New York tells me that the fall-off in dining traffic, together with rising labor costs, has forced many restaurateurs to raise prices to pay the rent. That means dining out is becoming more expensive.
Restaurant Economy (2)
SUMMARY
Alvarez describes the kind of foods served at her aunt and uncle's new restaurant and says Puerto Rican cuisine emphasizes local ingredients and seasonings. She goes on to say that her aunt and uncle found a good location in downtown Orlando and that their customers include Latinos and people from the wider community.
VIGNETTE
Pat McMillan: I'm happy to hear that they've landed on their feet after leaving Puerto Rico. What kind of restaurant did they open in Orlando?
Nancy Alvarez: No big surprise. It's a Puerto Rican family-style restaurant that features Latin fusion cooling.
Ueda Shota: I've heard the term. But what exactly is fusion cooking?
Nancy Alvarez: It combines different types of ethnic cuisine. Puerto Rican cooking itself has a lot of fusion elements. It's kind of similar to Spanish and other Latin American cuisine, but it incorporates influences from beyond the island. At the same time, Puerto Rican cuisine places a premium on local seasonings and ingredients. My aunt says vegetarian dishes, tortillas, locally grown produce and organic items are very popular with customers.
Bill Nissen: Yes, I bet that kind of food is a hit with the local Latino community.
Nancy Alvarez: Yes. And they also want comfort food ― dishes that take them back to their childhood.
Pat McMillan: Where in Orlando is their restaurant located? Location plays such an important role in whether a restaurant succeeds.
Nancy Alvarez: It sure does. They found a nice spot right downtown. Their clientele are not only Latinos but also people from the broader community.
Restaurant Economy (1)
SUMMARY
Ueda describes the taste element of umami which has now become a part of the English vocabulary. Alvarez says her aunt and uncle who are in the restaurant business have probably heard of it. She talks about how they've opened up a new eatery in Orland, Florida, which is doing very well.
VIGNETTE
Nancy Alvarez: Say, Shota. I've been hearing a lot lately about umami. I believe it's a Japanese word. What is it exactly?
Ueda Shota: It's the fifth primary taste element after sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Umami is hard to translate, but roughly it means "delicious flavor". It's described as broth-like or savory in Western culinary terms. In fact, umami has become part of the English vocabulary.
Pat McMillan: I understand soy sauce, for example, is rich in umami components. Is that right?
Ueda Shota: Yes, indeed. It may seem new to the American palate, but a Japanese chemist discovered it more than 100 years ago. Many western chefs go to Japan to learn about the essence of umami.
Nancy Alvarez: I'll have to ask my aunt and uncle if they've heard of umami. Odds are they have.
Bill Nissen: They moved to Orlando after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. Are they still in the restaurant business?
Nancy Alvarez: I'm happy to say that they are. As you may recall, they ran a small restaurant in San Juan before the hurricane destroyed it. They teamed up with partners in Orland who has solid financial backing and good knowledge of the local culinary scene. Their new restaurant is now up and running, and business is booming.