Calling for a waiter

Question

In Uruguay (I think) you call a waiter by tapping a glass with a spoon. In other countries, I have heard; Mozo, Niño, Muchacho, Apart from whistling, are there any other methods which can be used?

Answer 1

A waiter is certainly not a Mozo around here (Texas) but rather is a mesero. However, working in a restaurant myself I will say that all of your methods are quite rude. How about "Perdón señor?"

I agree with you - the glass tapping is the rudest! - 00515f39, OCT 21, 2009

Perfect answer. - --Mariana--, OCT 21, 2009

Answer 2

Please do not whistle to a waiter or to anybody else for that matter, very rude indeed!!

Here we say:

¡Perdón, me puede atender?

Oiga, puedo pedir por favor?

Oiga, señor/señorita!

All your words mentioned would be extremely rude in Spain. Even mozo, as this is only used for bell-boy.

I agree with you - all those rude things, I heard in South America. Nobody has yet mentioned the clapping of hands which I think is very impolite. - 00515f39, OCT 21, 2009

Answer 3

I think you can safely call "¡Oiga (por favor)!", "La cuenta, por favor", "¡Perdón!"

Answer 4

We always get prove here:

Panhispánico de dudas

1. Usos especiales

b) Cuando el sentido de una oración es interrogativo y exclamativo a la vez, pueden combinarse ambos signos, abriendo con el de exclamación y cerrando con el de interrogación, o viceversa: ¡Cómo te has atrevido? / ¿Cómo te has atrevido!; o, preferiblemente, abriendo y cerrando con los dos signos a la vez: ¿¡Qué estás diciendo!? / ¡¿Qué estás diciendo?!

Además, Zolti, mira que dudar de mí!!!!!! Cuando nunca jamàs en la vida meto faltas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol - 00494d19, OCT 21, 2009

Answer 5

Off Topic!

¡Perdón, me puede atender?
Oiga, puedo pedir por favor?
Oiga, señor/señorita!

I just wonder, are the ¡! and ¿? used correctly? I thought they were supposed to be paired. I guess I will have to hunt on the internet for the answer.

Answer 6

Zoltán:

Take a look at this recent topic.

Quentin stated that:

Exclamation points are used in the same way that question marks are except to indicate exclamations instead of questions. Exclamation marks are also sometimes used for direct commands. If a sentence contains a question and an exclamation, it is OK to use one of the marks at the beginning of the sentence and the other at the end.

Thank you Marianne. - Zoltán, OCT 21, 2009

Answer 7

I'm from Uruguay and is not true we tap a glass with a spoon. We call "¡Mozo!". And it's "Mozo" only (regardless the waiter's age), not "Niño" nor "Muchacho".

Sorry about the glass-tapping. It does happen, but I cannot remember where. - 00515f39, OCT 21, 2009