How to Run This Lesson
Setup instructions before you begin
📱
Student device: Open
game-cafe/menu.html — the student reads the menu as a real customer would.
👩💻
Teacher device: Keep this page open. Follow the script scene by scene. Use the challenges when the student is doing well.
🎭
Stay in character! Speak naturally as an Aussie waitress. Use real Aussie expressions. Don't correct the student mid-sentence — wait until after each scene.
😈
Use the challenges! The more challenges you throw at the student, the better they'll be prepared for real life. Start easy, then get harder.
⏱️
Timing: This role-play should take 20–30 minutes. After each scene, pause briefly to give quick feedback before moving on.
Your Character – Sarah
The Corner Café, Melbourne — Monday Morning
👩
Sarah Thompson
👩 Waitress ☕ The Corner Café 🇦🇺 Melbourne Local ⏰ Monday 7:30am
You are Sarah, a friendly and experienced waitress at The Corner Café in Melbourne.
You have worked here for 3 years. You are upbeat and chatty in the morning.
You speak with casual Aussie expressions — say "yeah", "no worries",
"you right?", "heaps good", "arvo" naturally.
The café is busy this morning. You are professional but warm. You genuinely want to help the customer have a great experience.
The café is busy this morning. You are professional but warm. You genuinely want to help the customer have a great experience.
Scene-by-Scene Script
Follow this order. Add challenges when ready!
1
☀️ Scene 1 — Welcome & Seating
"Good morning! Welcome to The Corner Café. Table for one today, yeah?
Grab a seat anywhere you like — I'll be right with ya!"
"Oh, just so you know — we're pretty busy this morning, so it might take
a few minutes. That all right with you?"
✅ What the student should do
- Greet you back politely ("Good morning!")
- Say yes with please ("Yes please, just me")
- Respond to the busy café notice naturally
- NOT just say "yes" or "okay" with no other words
🆘 If student struggles
Slow down and repeat. Give a hint: "Are you dining alone today?" — a simpler version to help them respond.
2
☕ Scene 2 — Coffee Order
"Great! Can I get you started with a coffee or something to drink while
you have a look at the menu?"
"Just so you know, we've actually just run out of oat milk this morning.
We still have full cream, skim, almond, and soy. Does that work for you?"
"Would you like that as a large or regular size?"
"Have you tried our piccolo? It's really popular — strong but small!"
✅ What the student should do
- Use "I'll have a..." or "Could I get a..."
- Name a specific coffee from the menu
- Specify milk type if asked
- Respond to the "out of oat milk" challenge gracefully
- Always say "please" at the end
🆘 If student struggles
Point to your pretend notepad and say: "We've got flat white, latte, cappuccino, long black — what takes your fancy?"
3
🍳 Scene 3 — Taking the Food Order
"Here's your coffee! Are you ready to order some brekkie,
or do you need a few more minutes?"
"Oh, I'm really sorry — the Smashed Avo Toast is actually sold out today.
It's super popular on Mondays! Can I suggest something else?
The Big Brekkie Plate is really good, or we also have Eggs Benedict."
"How would you like your eggs? We can do scrambled, fried, or poached."
"Would you like white toast or sourdough with that?"
"Is that for here or takeaway?"
✅ What the student should do
- Order a specific dish from the menu
- Handle the "sold out" situation politely — ask for something else
- Specify egg preference when asked
- Ask "how does that come?" or similar to understand the dish
- Respond to "for here or takeaway?" correctly
🆘 If student struggles with "sold out"
Give them time. If totally stuck, help: "Would you like to hear what else we have on today?"
4
⚠️ Scene 4 — Dietary & Allergy Check
"Just before I put that through — do you have any allergies or
dietary requirements I should know about?"
"Oh, just so you know — that dish does contain nuts in the dukkah.
Is that okay for you, or would you prefer it without?"
"Are you gluten free at all? We can do the toast on GF bread
for a small surcharge — just \$2 extra."
✅ What the student should do
- Clearly say whether they have allergies or not
- Understand what "dietary requirements" means
- Handle the nuts/allergy scenario — either accept or ask to remove
- Respond to "surcharge" — this means extra cost
- Use polite language: "That's fine", "Could you please leave that out?"
🆘 If student doesn't know "surcharge"
Stay in character and add: "That just means it costs a little bit more — \$2 extra for the GF bread."
5
🍽️ Scene 5 — Serving the Food & Check-in
"Here we go! Big Brekkie for you. Enjoy!
Can I grab you anything else — maybe some
tomato sauce or extra toast?"
"Oh sorry, quick check — I think I might have given you the wrong order.
Did you order the scrambled eggs? Or was it poached?"
"How's everything tasting for you? Is the coffee okay?
Not too strong or anything?"
✅ What the student should do
- Thank the waitress politely when food arrives
- Politely correct a wrong order: "Actually, I ordered poached eggs."
- Respond to food check-in: "It's delicious, thank you!"
- Ask for extra items if needed: "Could I get some tomato sauce, please?"
🆘 If student accepts wrong order
This is a teachable moment! After the scene, explain: "In Australia it's totally okay to politely correct the waiter. You can say 'Sorry, I actually ordered poached eggs.'"
6
💳 Scene 6 — Paying the Bill
"How was everything? Can I get you anything else —
maybe a little something sweet? Our lamingtons are
fresh today! 😄"
"Of course! I'll grab the bill for you. That comes to...
\$26.50 all up. Are you paying by card or cash today?"
"Oh — our EFTPOS machine is actually having a bit of trouble today.
Do you happen to have cash on you, or I can try the machine again?"
"Just so you know — we do have a small card surcharge of 1.5%
for Visa and Mastercard. Is that okay?"
✅ What the student should do
- Politely decline or accept the dessert offer
- Ask for the bill: "Could I get the bill please?"
- Respond to payment method question: "Card please" / "I'll tap"
- Handle EFTPOS problem calmly
- Understand what a "surcharge" is
- Thank the staff and say goodbye warmly
🆘 Wrap up the scene
End warmly: "Lovely! Thanks so much, have a wonderful day! Hope to see you again soon! ☕"
Visual Dish Guide
Click any dish to show the student what it looks like!
💡 How to use: When the student doesn't know what a dish or drink is, click the card below to show them a full-screen image on your screen!
🍳 All Day Brekkie
Smashed Avo Toast
\$22.50
👆 Click to show student
Big Brekkie Plate
\$26.00
👆 Click to show student
Eggs Benedict
\$24.00
👆 Click to show student
Acai Bowl
\$19.00
👆 Click to show student
Banana Porridge
\$15.50
👆 Click to show student
🥗 Lunch
Chicken Schnitzel Roll
\$18.50
👆 Click to show student
Beef & Cheese Toastie
\$17.00
👆 Click to show student
Garden Salad Bowl
\$16.00
👆 Click to show student
Loaded Chips
\$14.00
👆 Click to show student
☕ Coffee & Drinks
Flat White ⭐
\$5.50
👆 Click to show student
Long Black
\$5.00
👆 Click to show student
Cappuccino
\$5.50
👆 Click to show student
Latte
\$5.50
👆 Click to show student
Chai Latte
\$5.80
👆 Click to show student
Iced Coffee
\$7.50
👆 Click to show student
🍰 Sweet Treats
Lamington 🇦🇺
\$6.50
👆 Click to show student
Tim Tam Cheesecake
\$10.00
👆 Click to show student
Banana Bread
\$8.50
👆 Click to show student
Vegemite Toast 🇦🇺
\$5.00
👆 Click to show student
💬 Say to student:
Extra Challenge Scenarios
Use these if your student is doing well and needs more difficulty!
🚫 Item Sold Out
Tell the student their first choice is not available and they must choose something else from the menu.
"Sorry, we've actually just run out of that one this morning. Can I suggest something similar?"
🔇 Noisy Café
Pretend you didn't hear the order and ask them to repeat — tests if they can repeat confidently.
"Sorry, it's a bit loud in here! Could you say that again for me?"
💳 Card Not Working
Pretend the card machine is down — can the student handle an unexpected problem?
"Oh, I'm so sorry — our machine is playing up today. Do you have cash, or shall I try again?"
🧾 Wrong Bill Amount
Quote the wrong total and see if the student notices and speaks up politely.
"That'll be \$34.50 thanks!" (correct amount is \$26.50)
🥜 Allergy Warning
Warn the student their dish contains a common allergen — do they know how to respond?
"Just a heads up — that dish has nuts in it. Is that okay for you?"
🪑 No Table Available
Tell them there's a short wait — can they respond politely to waiting?
"We're actually fully booked right now — it'll be about a 10-minute wait. Are you right to wait?"
🍳 Wrong Order Delivered
Bring the "wrong" food and see if the student can politely correct you.
"Here's your scrambled eggs!" (they ordered poached)
💬 Recommend a Special
Push a daily special and see if they can ask follow-up questions about it.
"Can I also recommend today's special? It's a smoked salmon bowl — it's absolutely amazing!"
Aussie Vocab Cheat Sheet
Words to use naturally in the role-play
Yeah
= Yes. Very natural. "Yeah, no worries!"
No worries
= No problem / You're welcome. Use constantly!
You right?
= Are you okay? / Can I help you?
All up
= Total price. "That's \$18.50 all up."
Heaps
= Very / a lot. "It's heaps popular today!"
Arvo
= Afternoon. "We stop serving at 3 in the arvo."
Brekkie
= Breakfast. Use this word often!
Tap & Go
= Contactless card payment. "Just tap your card!"
EFTPOS
= Card payment machine. "The EFTPOS is right here."
Surcharge
= Extra fee. "There's a 1.5% card surcharge."
For here or takeaway?
= Eating in or taking the food to go?
Put that through
= Submit the order to the kitchen.
Live Assessment Checklist
Tick off each skill as the student demonstrates it
Scoring Guide
Use this after the role-play to give feedback
| Score | Stars | Level | What it means | Teacher Feedback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11–12 ✅ | Excellent | Student handled all scenarios naturally and politely | "You're ready for a real Aussie café! Brilliant work." | |
| 8–10 ✅ | Good | Managed most situations, minor mistakes in phrasing | "Really solid! Just keep practising the tricky scenarios." | |
| 5–7 ✅ | Developing | Got the basics but needs more confidence and vocabulary | "Good start! Study the menu vocab and let's try again." | |
| 0–4 ✅ | — | Beginner | Needs more preparation before the role-play | "Let's go through the menu vocab together first, then replay." |