Formal or informal? I’ve looked at this question from the Swiss side a couple of times. It’s pretty clear-cut; formal uses Mr. and Ms, informal is first name. After our last trip to the States I realized the American first name basis can be confusing to a Swiss. It can also seem strange to an American who has been in Switzerland a while.
Cracker Barrel – the Waiting List
The good thing about chain restaurants is you know what to expect, no matter where you are. Same service, same food, same setup. There is a chain called “Cracker Barrel” that can be found all over the States. The place is always jam-packed full, especially on Sunday mornings, lots of people doing that brunch-thing. Of course it was a Sunday morning when we went with my aunts and sister. It’s a “country store” and a “country restaurant” all in one. To get to the restaurant part you have to go through the store-part. Lucrative, to be sure and worth it.
My sister zipped in and got us on the waiting list while we looked at the neat things they sold. After about 15 minutes or so we heard “Kelley, party of 5”. First name? Did she know my sister? Of course not, we were in a completely different state. Who cares, it was our turn to eat!
Other Restaurant Reservations
On another occasion my sister and her husband wanted to take us to a newly opened restaurant nearby. So, along with their daughter who was home at the time, we got into the car and off we went. After a relatively short ride (about an hour) we pulled into the restaurant parking lot. This was a regular Thursday evening but there were no available parking spaces and large groups of people waiting outside. Obviously we weren’t going to be served there any time soon. So, without stopping we went to another place that was only about another half an hour away. When we were on the highway my sister asked her daughter to make reservations. That way we would be sure to get a table at the next restaurant. Elizabeth whipped out her phone and within a minute she said reservations were made.
When we got there the place was only minimally less full than the first place. Ah, but we had reservations this time. We walked in and my sister said “Reservations for Elizabeth”. It shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. First names again. At any rate, we were shown to our table in a completely filled restaurant. Pete, our waiter or server as they are called, was very attentive and we had a lovely meal.
When we make reservations in Switzerland, which is rare, we always use our last name. We probably would call and not do that online thing either.
Your Order is Ready
Before coming back to Switzerland Ben and I decided to stop by our favorite fast food place. We ordered and paid the cashier. To avoid too many people standing around the counter they prefer you wait for your food at your table. Then they call you when your meal has been put together. Great if the place is chock-full.
We were the only customers there so we waited by the counter. But their procedure is to call the customer to pick up their food. So we were asked our name, without thinking we said our last name. The girl behind the counter said “Wow, how do you spell that?”. We spelled it out for her and she typed it into the receipt. She wanted to be sure she got it right when she called us over the loud speakers. “How do you pronounce that again?”
After they put our food on the tray, the cashier called us. It didn’t matter that we were standing right in front of her. We took our tray, found a table and started to eat. Somewhere near the end of our meal another customer came in and ordered. Then we heard “Bob, your order is ready.” Ben and I looked at each other and began to laugh. The poor girl thought our last name was Ben’s first name! No wonder she specifically asked him to pronounce it twice. Who knows, maybe she liked the name so well that she will give it to her first born.
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