At / in the restaurant

P

piotr1980

Senior Member
Polish
Hello,

What is the correct forme :

She was waiting for me at the restaurant.
She was waiting for me in the restaurant.

Mnay thanks
Piotr
 
    • Both are fine, but with slightly different meanings. "At the restaurant" means she could be either outside or inside the restaurant, while "in the restaurant" means she's definitely inside.
     
    Hello, good evening.
    what's the correct preposition in this sentence: They have lunch at the restaurant. Or They have lunch in the restaurant?
    You have breakfast in/at the kitchen. what's the correct preposition.
    TY

    << This thread has been merged with a previous thread on the same topic. >>
     
    Last edited by a moderator:
    At is more likely in the first example because you are not stressing the inside of the restaurant. In the second example, in is the only possibility.
     
    I think that the use of 'at' in these contexts gives a very strong indication that we're thinking of the restaurant as an establishment rather than thinking of it as an edifice.

    (If I heard you saying 'we had lunch at the kitchen' I'd assume that 'The Kitchen' was the name of a restaurant.)
     
    Hello everybody
    I texted my mother and told her that I was eating in a restaurant.
    My mother asked:
    What restaurant are you in?
    Or
    In what restaurant are you?
    (I'm inside the restaurant and I'm eating something.)
    Are these sentences correct in informal English?
    If it's not , what would a native speaker suggest?

    Thank you.
     
    Hello again everybody

    As I said earlier, my mother texted me and said:
    What restaurant are you in?
    I said:
    I'm in Zapata Mexican Restaurant.
    I'm in Zapata.
    Are these sentences correct?

    Thank you in advance.
     
    Last edited:
    They are, but they are not typical in American English. It would be "at", not "in" if someone was asking you from a distance by text.

    "At" is the general word unless there is some specific reason to indicate you are inside the restaurant.
     
    This question has been added to a previous discussion.
    Cagey, moderator

    Hi,

    What is the difference between two sentences below:
    I am at the restaurant.
    I am in the restaurant.
    Thank you.
     
    Last edited by a moderator:
    I am at the restaurant. -> I am outside, in front of, at the side of, behind, or inside the restaurant.
    I am in the restaurant.-> I am inside the restaurant.
     
    Another factor is context.

    Suppose you'd arranged to meet someone for lunch somewhere. You arrive first and go in to wait for him. He calls you on your mobile to say he's on his way and asks where you are. Here the more natural answer is: I'm at the restaurant.

    Suppose you are with a colleague in the lobby of a hotel. You wander off for a cup of coffee while he stays behind reading the newspaper. After a few minutes he calls and asks where you are. Here it'd be more natural to say: I'm in the restaurant.
     
    geostan said:
    At is more likely in the first example because you are not stressing the inside of the restaurant. In the second example, in is the only possibility.
    Click to expand...
    Does your explanation also apply in my example below?

    I ate some dirty food at/in the restaurant yesterday.

    Is "at" more likely? And will native speakers find it weird if I use "in" instead?
     
    EdisonBhola said:
    Does your explanation also apply in my example below?

    I ate some dirty food at/in the restaurant yesterday.

    Is "at" more likely? And will native speakers find it weird if I use "in" instead?
    Click to expand...
    Before answering, I'd need to know what you mean by "the restaurant".

    Are you staying in a hotel, and this is the restaurant of the hotel? Do you alternate for lunch between a restaurant and a pub? Is this your own restaurant? Or...?

    (I'm also, like cidertree, puzzled by "dirty food".)
     
    Loob said:
    Before answering, I'd need to know what you mean by "the restaurant".

    Are you staying in a hotel, and this is the restaurant of the hotel? Do you alternate for lunch between a restaurant and a pub? Is this your own restaurant? Or...?

    (I'm also, like cidertree, puzzled by "dirty food".)
    Click to expand...
    I mean just a generic restaurant, e.g. McDonald's or KFC. For extra context: My friend and I went to a restaurant yesterday. I ate some dirty at/in the restaurant, and now I have a stomachache.

    And "dirty food" is just a random example, such as the kind that causes food poisoning. :)
     
    I must say that, even though I think I now understand the difference between "at the restaurant" and "in the restaurant", I don't think I can confidently choose the right option in various situations.

    If I have the following scenario:

    Tom: So you went to ABC Restaurant yesterday?
    Ann: Yes, I did. You know what, I ate something bad in/at the restaurant, and ended up vomiting in the end.

    Are both options correct? Would you consider one of them to be wrong?
     
    The trouble is that neither seems natural to me because it's not anything I would really say and I wouldn't expect to hear it from others.

    Tom: So you went to ABC Restaurant yesterday?
    Ann: Yes, I did. You know what, I ate something bad in/at the restaurant there and ended up vomiting in the end.

    We wouldn't repeat the word restaurant.

    I wouldn't say this either.

    - I ate some dirty food at/in the restaurant yesterday.

    I would say something like:

    - I had some bad food at a restaurant yesterday and I have been feeling sick ever since.
     
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