Restaurant reservations Part 2 (Advanced): Inquiring about parking or valet services.

💬 Put a verb before 予定 to say what you plan to do. For example, 行く予定 means "plan to go". Here 伺う is the humble way to say "come" to someone's place.

💬 んですが sets up some background and signals that a question or request is coming. It's a handy lead-in for almost any inquiry.

🇯🇵 On the phone, そちら is the polite way to refer to the other party's place or business. It's much softer than naming them directly.

💬 ありますでしょうか is a softened, extra-polite form of ありますか. Swap in any noun to ask if something is available: 個室はありますでしょうか "Is there a private room?"

🇯🇵 Staff use this formal apology before giving bad news, such as "we don't have parking". It doesn't mean they did anything wrong.

🇯🇵 Restaurant staff use 当店 to mean "our restaurant". It's not just for stores. You'll also see it on signs and menus.

💬 埋まる literally means "to be buried" or "filled in". For seats you'll usually hear it as 埋まっております "are all taken".

🇯🇵 Valet parking is rare in Japan outside upscale hotels. Most restaurants either have a small lot or point you to a nearby paid lot.

🇯🇵 When staff open with this word on the phone, bad news is coming, usually that they're full. It's a polite, formal cushion that you'll hear far more often than you'll say it.

🇯🇵 These are small unattended lots found all over Japanese cities. You pay at a machine when leaving, and restaurants sometimes cover part of the fee.

💬 すぐ before a location word means "right" or "immediately". Another example is 駅のすぐ前 "right in front of the station".

🇯🇵 This is the natural thing to say when someone tells you about a flexible policy. It sounds warmer than a plain "thank you".

💬 かかる means it "takes" money or time, so the same question works for duration too. For example, 時間はどのくらいかかりますか asks "How long does it take?"

💬 の際に means "at the time of" and is a formal way to say "when". Another example is ご来店の際に "when you visit the shop".

🇯🇵 You take this ticket from the machine when you enter a paid lot. Restaurants stamp or validate it so you get free time.

💬 分 (bun) after an amount means "worth of". Another example is 3人分 "enough for three people". Don't confuse it with 分 (fun), which means "minutes".

💬 サービス in Japanese often means "free of charge" or "on the house", not just "service". いたします is the humble form of します, which means "do".

🇯🇵 This is a warm, natural way to say "that really helps" when someone offers a favor, like free parking. It's slightly more heartfelt than a plain thank-you.

💬 Swap the ending of a verb for ずに to mean "without doing". This is 忘れる + ずに. It's used as "be sure to", as in 忘れずに電話する "be sure to call".

💬 持って行く literally means "hold and go", that is, take something with you. Use 持って来る when someone brings something here. The ね at the end adds a friendly "okay?" feel.

🇯🇵 Restaurants almost always close a reservation call with this. It's your cue that everything is settled, and you can reply with よろしくお願いします "thank you, I'm counting on you".

🇯🇵 This is the standard closing from restaurant and hotel staff after a booking. It's a polite "we look forward to seeing you", not a literal statement about waiting.

🇯🇵 Said to someone about to travel or leave, this is an everyday courtesy rather than a real warning.

💬 お越し is a respectful word for someone else's coming. ませ at the end adds extra politeness, typical of shop staff.

💬 Literally it means "I'm being rude", as in excusing yourself for leaving. The same phrase is used when you enter or leave a room.

🇯🇵 This is the standard polite way to end a phone call in Japan, rather than さようなら. Wait for the other person to hang up first if you can.