Restaurant reservations Part 3 (Advanced): Asking about any ongoing promotions or special menus.

💬 割引 is read (waribiki). The り of 割り is dropped in writing, but you still say it.

💬 あったりします softens a plain あります "there is" into something like "might there happen to be". It makes the question sound less pushy.

🇯🇵 Asking straight out for a discount can feel blunt in Japan. Wrapping it in みたいなもの "something like" and あったりします is a polite way to bring it up.

💬 Put 用 after a noun to mean "for that purpose": 子供用 "for children", 贈り物用 "for gifts".

💬 一杯 is read (ippai), with a held beat before the (p). Watch out: いっぱい written the same way also means "full" or "a lot".

🇯🇵 In Japan, nobody drinks until the group has done 乾杯 "cheers" together. That's why restaurants often throw in a toast drink with a course.

💬 伺おうと思っていた means "was planning to visit". Swap in other verbs too: 行こうと思っていた "was planning to go".

🇯🇵 Leaving the sentence hanging on んですが signals there's a catch. The staff will usually pick up on it and explain the situation without you asking directly.

💬 だと after a noun sets up a condition, "if it's ~": 二人だと "if it's two people".

💬 ですかね adds a musing "I suppose?" tone to a question. It sounds softer than a plain ですか.

💬 This is read (do-nichi-shukujitsu): 土 Saturday, 日 Sunday, and 祝日 public holidays, run together into one word.

🇯🇵 となっております is a stiff, formal way of saying "it is" that you'll hear from staff explaining rules. It presents the rule as fixed policy, not a personal choice.

💬 自体 after a noun means "itself". It separates that thing from the extras attached to it: 料金自体 "the price itself".

💬 でも after a time or place means "even on/at": 日曜日でも "even on Sunday".

🇯🇵 ご注文いただけます is the very polite way staff say "you can order". You'll hear it from them, but you wouldn't use it about yourself.

💬 Japanese goes from big to small: week, then day, then time. For example, 来週の金曜日の夜七時.

💬 七時 is read (shichi-ji), not (nana-ji). 夜 in front makes it clear you mean 7 pm.

💬 空いてます is a casual shortening of 空いています (aite imasu). In everyday speech, the い often drops out.

💬 って here is a casual stand-in for は. It marks what you're asking about, "two people, is there room?"

🇯🇵 Staff say お席 with an honorific お because it's your seat. This is how they confirm a booking is possible.

💬 承る (uketamawaru) is a humble verb meaning "to receive" or "to accept". You'll only hear it from staff.

💬 ました attaches to verb stems to make the polite past: 予約しました "I made a reservation", わかりました "understood".

🇯🇵 This is staff confirming your request is noted, so you don't need to repeat yourself. A simple よろしくお願いします "Thank you" is the natural reply.

🇯🇵 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".

🇯🇵 お待ちしております "we look forward to your visit" is the standard closing line when a reservation is confirmed. It's a polite goodbye more than a literal statement.