9 Best Ways to Politely Ask for a Bill in a Restaurant

In many situations, you might find yourself wanting to ask for the bill at a restaurant. And being polite to restaurant workers is a mark of good manners and virtues. So for those situations, this article will present you with several sentences you can use to ask for the bill.

The three preferred versions to ask for the bill politely are “may we have the bill please”, “could we have the bill please” and “could you get me the bill please”. These three phrases are very straightforward and you use them to directly, yet politely, ask the waiter for your bill.

May We Have The Bill Please

Perhaps the best way to politely ask the waiting staff for the bill at a restaurant is to simply say “may we have the bill please”. This phrase fulfills all of the conditions that you’d need to craft a polite, casual phrase that you can easily use.

By using “may we have the bill please”, you can easily end a night of fine dining or casual dining with basically no difference in the expression that you’re using.

Here are some example sentences of the ways in which you could use this phrase in a longer sentence:

1. Well, this was a really fantastic pasta plate, may we have the bill please?
2. No, no I don’t think we will be having anything else, may we have the bill please?
3. I think we’re all done with tonight’s courses so may we have the bill please?
4. Whenever you get the chance, may we have the bill please?
5. I think the last round of beers got us there, may we have the bill please?

Could We Have The Bill Please

Another great and direct phrase that you can use to ask the waiter for you bill or check is to simply say “could we have the bill please”. Using this, you basically reduce the chances of the person you’re talking to misunderstanding you to zero.

“Could we have the bill please” is a useful phrase, because of the fact that the usage of “could” at the beginning, plus “please” at the end of sentence, make it a very polite phrase.

In case you’re not sure how to use “could we have the bill please” in a sentence, here are some examples:

1. Thank you for everything tonight, it was delicious, could we have the bill please?
2. I really loved this burger, it was cooked to perfection, could we have the bill please?
3. I don’t think we’ll be getting anything else tonight, could we have the bill please?
4. The toppings on this pizza slice were particularly tasty, could we have the bill please?
5. This soup was exactly what I needed tonight, could we have the bill please?

Could You Get Me The Bill Please

A more personal, direct way to ask the waiter for the bill is to say “could you get me the bill please”. This is an equally useful phrase that you should keep in your arsenal for when you’re personally talking to a waiter and want to ask for the bill.

The great thing about “could you get me the bill please” is that you’re directly talking to the waiter themselves, and not phrasing your request in a roundabout way.

Here are some example sentences that will teach you how to use this phrase to ask for the bill:

1. Your service has been really great, thank you, could you get me the bill please?
2. Those steamed scallops were divine, could you get me the bill please?
3. This banana pudding was incredible, could you get me the bill please?
4. I do think that will be all for tonight, could you get me the bill please?
5. This was an incredible dining experience, could you get me the bill please?

No, Thank You, Just The Bill Please

This is a great phrase to use because it’s a response. To use it, you simply wait for the water to approach you and ask if you want anything else, to which you’ll reply “no, thank you, just the bill please”.

When you say “no, thank you, just the bill please”, you’re inherently politely denying the offer for more food or drinks, and choosing to end the dining experience.

These are a few example sentences that show how you can incorporate this phrase into your vocabulary:

1. No, thank you, the pizza was great but now we’ll have the bill please.
2. No, thank you, just the bill please, and thank you for your great service.
3. No, thank you, just the bill please, we’ll finish our drinks and that’s it.
4. No, thank you, this dessert was delicious, just the bill please
5. No, thank you, we’ll just get the bill and wrap up the evening.

Excuse Me, Could You Please Bring The Bill

This is yet another useful phrase, in this case specifically because you can use it to get the attention of a waiter. By using “excuse me, could you please bring the bill”, you’re crafting a small interaction that is exclusively about the bill.

Because this phrase opens with “excuse me”, it’s the perfect way to get the attention of a waiter that isn’t talking to you at the moment.

Here are some example sentences that will teach you how to use this phrase in your life:

1. Excuse me, could you please bring the bill now that we’ve finished our meal?
2. Excuse me, we’ve just finished our dinner, could you please bring the bill?
3. Excuse me, now that we have finished our dessert could you please bring the bill?
4. Excuse me, the food was delicious, could you please bring the bill?
5. Excuse me, could you please bring the bill since this was our last round of drinks?

No, Thank You, That Will Be All For Tonight

This particular sentence is useful because of how subtle it is: When you say “no, thank you, that will be all for tonight” you’re indicating to the waiter that you’re done with ordering things and therefore, they can infer, they should bring the bill so you can pay it-

This phrase is also a reply to the waiter, meant to be used whenever the waiter comes back and asks if you’ll be having anything else. That moment will be perfect to employ this phrase.

Here are a few example sentences that will show you how to use this phrase in context:

1. No, thank you, with this round of drinks that will be all for tonight.
2. No, thank you, now that we’ve finished our dinner that will be all for tonight.
3. No, thank you, with this order of fries done that will be all for tonight.
4. No, thank you, now that we’ve ordered dessert that will be all for tonight.
5. No, thank you, that will be all for tonight, and it was a great meal.

If You Could Bring Us The Bill, That Would Be Great

A very unique phrase that you can use to politely ask for the bill at a restaurant is to say “If you could bring us the bill, that would be great”. This is a good phrase to use when you’re talking with a waiter, which naturally happens often.

When you use this phrase, you’re bringing up to the waiter that you want the bill, and your request is very casual, using “that would be great” for emphasis, though you could use another term.

Here are some example sentences that will show you how to use this specific phrase in context:

1. We’ve fully finished our drinks now so if you could bring us the bill, that would be great.
2. The dessert was delightful, if you could bring us the bill, that would be great.
3. I really liked this souffle, if you could bring us the bill, that would be great.
4. This was a really nice meal, if you could bring us the bill, that would be fantastic.
5. If you could bring us the bill, that would be amazing, since we’ve finished eating now.

After This, Could You Bring Us The Bill Please

This is a very particularly useful phrase to use in a restaurant. When you say “after this, could you bring us the bill please” you’re asking the waiter to bring you either a meal, or drinks, and afterwards, the bill. This makes it incredibly useful in many situations.

This is a great sentence to close out your stay at a restaurant, ensuring that after one final course, you’ll be all set to wrap up the meal.

These are some examples that will teach you how to use this particular phrase in sentences:

1. We’ll take the shrimp, and after this, could you bring us the bill please?
2. We’ll have two more ginger iced teas, and after this, could you bring us the bill please?
3. I’ll have the chocolate lava cake, and after this, could you bring us the bill please?
4. I think I’ll have another round of drinks, but after this, could you bring us the bill please?
5. We’ll have the carbonara, and after this, could you bring us the bill please?

Could You Get The Bill For Us Please

To close out this article, this particular phrase is a really great way to get a waiter to fetch the bill for you. Using “could you get the bill for us please”, you’re emphasizing the fact that this request is for all of the people at the table.

By using “us”, you’re letting the waiter know that the bill is of importance to everyone at the table, and that most likely your group is going to be splitting the bill

These example sentences will show you the correct way to use “could you get the bill for us please”:

1. We’ve finished our third round of drinks so could you get the bill for us please?
2. She’s going to finish her pasta in no time so could you get the bill for us please?
3. I’ll finish this dessert quickly, could you get the bill for us please?
4. It was all very delicious, could you get the bill for us please?
5. I really enjoyed all three courses, could you get the bill for us please?