More Differences in Dining

Credit card for bar tab and bar ID policies

Want to sit at the bar and keep ordering drinks? Be prepared to hand the bartender your credit card. For some reason, you’ll usually only see this in more upscale establishments. Essentially, it is their way of preventing you from walking off without paying.

Also, unless you look like you are pushing 70, don’t bother ordering alcohol without bringing ID. The legal age for drinking in the US is 21, and bars get in a ton of trouble if they are caught serving underage patrons. For this reason, they usually have very strict “carding” rules for their staff, and some places simply “card” everyone – regardless of age.

Yes, this is a real hassle, as you will have to carry your drivers license or passport everywhere you want to drink. If your license does not include English, you’ll need to carry your passport. The same rules also apply to purchasing alcohol in retail stores – in fact, the law is so strict, that underage checkout clerks will have to call for someone over 21 to scan your alcohol purchase.

Opening hours and breakfast



Restaurants are open when people are hungry, so don’t be too surprised if you find a Taco Bell or McDonalds serving people 24/7. In fact, if you are in a major metropolitan area, you should be surprised if you can not find somewhere to eat in the middle of the night. The only downside is that many of these 24/7 places only serve people at the drive up window.

Breakfast is big here – forget the British with their fried breakfast; the US is where you’ll find fried chicken, gravy and steaks on the menu at many breakfast establishments. Oh, and for those of you visiting from the UK – bacon is served fried and crispy, not raw and dripping in grease.

The bathroom crack

Filled up on free Diet Coke refills and need to visit the bathroom? If you step into a stall, don’t be alarmed by the large crack in the walls and door. Most US bathrooms are made of privacy unfriendly panels, and the gap between the wall and door is often half an inch or more. Most of them are only high enough to reach your shoulders, so if you value your privacy, I suggest doing your business, and getting out of there as soon as you can.

Yes, the same country that freaked out over seeing half a nipple during the Super Bowl, has no problem with people being able to see you poop. Ironic eh?

The good news? Bathroom access is almost always free in the US, and when compared to some countries, our facilities are generally clean.

Choice is king!

Be prepared to be overwhelmed when it comes to ordering your meal – most places work hard to offer a large number of dishes. Don’t be surprised if you are presented with a 16 page menu and a separate wine list.

Tea is a drink served cold

If you order “tea”, be prepared to be served with a cold beverage. Tea in the United States refers to iced tea. If your idea of tea is something steeped and served in porcelain, then be sure to ask for hot tea.

Don’t be surprised to dine somewhere with 4 different flavors of iced tea, but no hot tea.

Free condiments!

If you are from Western Europe, then chances are you are perfectly used to paying for your condiments (ketchup, mayo etc.). Thankfully we here in the US will have none of that.

Some fast food restaurants may have a limit on the number of freebies, but you won’t run into anyone asking for 25 cents just so you can get a single pouch of ketchup.

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