5I’d say “Can I have a box, please?” – herisson Nov 20, 2015 at 3:56
2Generally, in the US, you ask for “a box”, but it varies somewhat with the restaurant and the type of food. The waitress may then offer to box up the food for you, or may return with a styrofoam container and let you place food in it as you wish. – Hot Licks Nov 20, 2015 at 4:19
1@LiveMynd “doggie/doggy bag” is a euphemism, people ask for a doggie bag for several reasons: they actually do have pets; they spent a lot of money and they don’t want to see it wasted; the food was too much, but they’re happy to eat leftovers the next day etc..Restaurant folk know this, in fact, it’s so well-known, people have stopped pretending the food is for their pets, and just come right out and admit it. – Mari-Lou A Nov 20, 2015 at 6:53
1Serving staff who cannot speak English sufficiently well, shouldn’t be serving English native speakers in the first place. It’s simply bad business. But if their English is acceptable, I would have thought restaurant mangers instruct them fully on their policy about leftovers—a very common occurrence—before unleashing them to the public. But maybe not everyone does. In the restaurant I used to work in, as a teenager, staff were properly trained. – Mari-Lou A Nov 20, 2015 at 8:34
