Vocabulary Words and Definitions: US Restaurant Culture 

 
1. Mess up​: to make a mistake; to make a mess, ruin, or destroy 
2. Living wage​: an income that allows a worker to meet his or her basic needs 
3. Incentivize​: to give someone motivation to do something 
4. Attentive​: observant, paying close attention to something 
5. To be in a rush​: needing to move quickly; to hurry 
6. End up: ​to be in a place because of something that happened 
7. Language barrier​: a difficulty in communicating between people who speak different languages 
8. To-go box/bag/container or doggy-bag​: a container given at a restaurant to take leftover food 
home 
9. Upscale​: luxurious or costly 
10. Indicate​: to show or signal something 
11. On a personal level​: referring to someone’s personal life 
12. Ew​: an exclamation to show disgust 
13. Testify​: shows that, provides evidence or proof of 
14. Fast-paced​: happening very quickly 
15. Drive-through​ or ​drive-thru​ (informal): a business, in this case, fast food restaurants, designed 
so that you can be served while remaining in your car