ready to order

Meaning

This phrase is used in restaurants to indicate that customers have decided what they want to eat and are prepared to tell the server. It can be asked by the waiter as a question, or stated by the customer. The tone is polite and standard.

Examples

• Are you ready to order, or do you need a few more minutes?

  Are you ready to order, or do you need a few more minutes?

• We are ready to order now, thank you.

  We are ready to order now, thank you.

• Give us just a second, we aren't quite ready to order yet.

  Give us just a second, we aren't quite ready to order yet.

• When the waiter came back, we were finally ready to order.

  When the waiter came back, we were finally ready to order.

• Excuse me, we're ready to order our drinks.

  Excuse me, we're ready to order our drinks.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We are ready to command.

  ✓ We are ready to order.

  Learners from Romance language backgrounds often translate 'command' literally. In English, you 'order' food at a restaurant.

• ✗ Are you ready for order?

  ✓ Are you ready to order?

  Use the infinitive 'to order' after 'ready' when describing the action of choosing food.

Related Expressions

Practice

• The waiter asked us, 'Are you ___?'

  💡 Prepared to say what food you want.

  Show answer

  ready to order

• We need more time to look at the menu; we are not ___ yet.

  💡 Haven't decided what to eat.

  Show answer

  ready to order