ordering food

[aggiesteph]

My nine-year-old god daughter's English book teaches them the following dialogue in a restaurant:

Waiter Hello.
Tom Hi! Can I have a pasta, salad and cheese, please?
Waiter Certainly. And to drink?
Tom Can I have water, please?
Waiter Pasta, salad, cheese and water. That's fine.

There are a couple more similar dialogues but each one is ened with a "That's fine." said by the waiter.

Is that a natural thing to say in this context? Maybe I haven't been to a restaurant in an English-speaking country that many times but I don't remember ever hearing that in such context. I would rather imagine the customer saying it to confirm if the waiter got the order right.

Could anyone please tell me if it's really how it is said?

 

[MikeNewYork]

There are many possibilities.

Very good.
You got it.
No problem.

 

[Mrfatso]

It is said by a waiter for several reasons, to make sure that they have your order correct and confirm that all the items you have ordered are available.

 

[konungursvia]

I also find the textbook dialogue slightly artificial. Most are, however. I would not use "that's fine" in that situation, but I suppose it's not impossible.

 

[aggiesteph]

There are many possibilities.

Very good.
You got it.
No problem.

Had they put any of these in the book I wouldn't have started this thread, but that "That's fine" just sounded really artificial to me, especially in the declarative. But then as a non-native I couldn't really know what's natural and what isn't, hence my question.

It is said by a waiter for several reasons, to make sure that they have your order correct and confirm that all the items you have ordered are available.

Whouln't the waiter use the interrogative rather than the declarative to make sure or to confirm? My whole confusion came from the lack of a question mark in that context.

 

[emsr2d2]

They don't literally ask you if they have the details of your order correct so the interrogative isn't necessary. They simply repeat the order back and expect you to say something if they've got it wrong.

 

[aggiesteph]

They don't literally ask you if they have the details of your order correct so the interrogative isn't necessary. They simply repeat the order back and expect you to say something if they've got it wrong.

Well, repeat the order back part makes sense, only the "That's fine" got me confused.

 

[ronalddanyd]

I think that using "that's fine" is a little strange. The customer didn't ask if it was ok to order any one of those things. But what's also stange is how the customer orders "a pasta" when it would sound better to just say "pasta".

 

[Raymott]

But what's also stange is how the customer orders "a pasta" when it would sound better to just say "pasta".

Normally you'd say which pasta you wanted - lasagne, tortellini, spaghetti, etc. But if there was only one pasta on the menu, I'd say "I'll have the pasta", not "I'll have pasta."

 

[Barb_D]

And the part about the cheese is also odd.
The cheese plate? Okay
A hamburger with cheese? Okay.
But the way it's presented here? Odd.

 

[riquecohen]

There are many possibilities.

Very good.
You got it.
No problem.

I may be old fashioned, but I find this relatively new expression, "no problem," rather unrefined. It's also frequently used instead of "you're welcome" and sounds to my ears as though the speaker is doing you a favor.

 

[MikeNewYork]

It may be unrefined, but it is very common and understood by most.

 

[Barb_D]

It's one of my pet peeves, too. If it's a problem to do it, then maybe you need another job.

 

[MikeNewYork]

So, I assume if it is no problem, the job is fine. Yes?

 

[Barb_D]

I just don't like it.

 

[MikeNewYork]

No problem.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I agree that "That's fine" is an odd answer, but it's not really incorrect. They used to say "Coming right up!" I guess they realized that it was a lie.

The one I hate that they all say now: "Perfect!"

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I may be old fashioned, but I find this relatively new expression, "no problem," rather unrefined. It's also frequently used instead of "you're welcome" and sounds to my ears as though the speaker is doing you a favor.

Then it morphed into "Not a problem." That's even more perplexing. But it doesn't make me nearly as crazy at the aforementioned "Perfect!" - always delivered in a cheery chirp, as though I'd passed a spot quiz with flying colors. What if I'd ordered something else? Would I have gotten a Tsk-tsk? How do I manage to make a perfect order every time? Maybe I should hire myself out to do the ordering for all those poor restaurant-goers who keep getting tsk-tsked all the time.

=O.

 

[Bloomsbury]

"That's fine" is a fairly usual thing for a waiter to say in my experience.

The odd thing about that dialogue, as a previous poster has mentioned, is "a pasta". You'd say "a pasta dish", "some pasta" or "the pasta".

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

"That's fine" is a fairly usual thing for a waiter to say in my experience.

If I'm ever in England. I'll have to remember that. And "Mind the queue!"