Chinese restaurant interactions are ritualized - the same phrases in the same order every meal. Learn the script once and every restaurant is the same conversation.
Sitting down
服务员！(fúwùyuán - call the server; in the north 师傅 works too, and waving is normal, not rude). 两位 / 三位 - "two of us / three of us". Menu: 菜单. If no English menu exists, pointing + 这个 is fully accepted.
Ordering
| 我要一个… / 一份… | I want a… |
| 再来一碗米饭 | another bowl of rice |
| 不要辣 / 微辣 / 特辣 | no spice / mild / extra spicy |
| 有素食吗？ | do you have vegetarian? |
| 我不吃猪肉 | I don't eat pork |
| 招牌菜是什么？ | what's the specialty? |
During and after
Water requests: 水 (bottled), 温水 (warm - the default temperature), 冰水 (iced). Bill: 买单 / 结账. Splitting: AA制 (literally "AA system" - yes, it is loanworded from "go Dutch"). Tipping is not expected anywhere in mainland China.
The etiquette that matters
Tea first, dishes shared in the middle, the lazy susan turns counterclockwise to elders. Rice bowls lift to the mouth; chopsticks never stand upright in rice (funeral image) and never point at people. The toast: 干杯 (gānbēi - "dry cup"), glasses clinked lower than elders'.
Paying and ordering by phone
Most urban restaurants now run on scan-to-order QR menus: 扫码点餐. Payment phrases are becoming vestigial - the bill closes through WeChat/ Alipay at the table, and 买单 increasingly just means "bring the QR". When paying for others the ritual protest matters more than the words: grab the phone or the check first, argue 我来 ("mine - I'll get it"), and let the struggle be visible.
Common questions
How do you call a waiter in Chinese?
服务员！(fúwùyuán) - said loudly, it is normal service-summoning, not rude. 师傅 or 老板/老板娘 work at small shops.
How do I say "not spicy" in Chinese?
不要辣 for none, 微辣 for mild - Sichuan restaurants assume spice; say it before ordering, not after.
How do you ask for the bill in Chinese?
买单 or 结账, often with a writing-out-a-receipt hand gesture. Tipping is not done.