Service staff serve in English

A local diner relates this on the newpaper.

When I speak Mandarin to foreign front-line staff, my experiences have mostly been pleasant. I find these Chinese nationals to be generally courteous.

However, whenever English is used, problems start surfacing.

I have dined in restaurants where the staff cannot even understand a request for warm water in English.

Recently, at a Peranakan restaurant, my non-Chinese-speaking friend asked the waiters what some of the dishes contained.

This drew a few blank looks from the service staff, until a brave soul stepped forward to explain - in Mandarin - that he could tell us what meat went into a certain dish, but would not be able to explain beyond that.

Eventually, I had to ask their Singaporean supervisor to help explain.

With regard to the report, 'Service grouses spill to Facebook', I do not agree with the Giant supermarket spokesman who appealed to Singaporeans to be patient with non-English-speaking service staff, saying 'it will take some time for them to learn a new language'.

When you put someone in the front line, he should be trained already, whether in service or language.