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November 6, 2024
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You can’t truly refer to yourself as an adult until you catch yourself getting really angry when the grocery store changes their layout”

"You can't truly refer to yourself as an adult until you catch yourself getting really angry when the grocery store changes their layout" is a saying that has been printed on many…

June 3, 2025
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You can’t kick me out of the International House Of Pancakes! I have diplomatic immunity!”

The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) doesn't give anyone diplomatic immunity, but there are jokes. "The best thing about working at the International House of Pancakes? Diplomatic…

January 14, 2026
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You can’t spell ‘menu’ without me n u so wassup baby, take me out to dinner”

“Do you know what’s on the menu? Me-n-u” is a "menu" joke and pickup line that has been cited in print since at least 1878. "ya know u cant spell menu without me-n-u" was…

January 14, 2026
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You can’t spell ‘menu’ without (me n u) so wats up baby, you hungry?”

“Do you know what’s on the menu? Me-n-u” is a "menu" joke and pickup line that has been cited in print since at least 1878. "ya know u cant spell menu without me-n-u" was…

June 14, 2013
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here” (bar saying at closing time)

"You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here" is what a bar manager might say to his last remaining customers at closing time. "In the old days, the cry in the…

September 10, 2016
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You hate your job? There’s a support group that meets at the bar”

American actor and comedian Drew Carey is credited with the line: "Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and…

March 18, 2024
Food/DrinkRestaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You have to hand it to Subway for convincing us it’s acceptable to eat an entire loaf of bread for lunch”

Many people who order a sub at Subway feel like they're eating a whole loaf of bread in one sitting. "'Ha! And you thought you couldn't eat an entire loaf of bread.' - me…

December 16, 2021
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You know a restaurant is fancy when instead of bringing the bill, they bring the William”

A joke has it that a fancy restaurant doesn't give you a "bill," it gives you a "william." "At the end of meals in formal restaurants remember to ask for the William.…

July 7, 2025
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You know that feeling you get when you unwrap your food and you realize it’s not what you ordered. I feel like that all the time”

"You know that feeling you get when you unwrap your food and you realize it’s not what you ordered. I feel like that all the time" was posted on X/Twitter by Danger on September 2,…

January 16, 2022
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You know the food is expensive when the restaurant menu has no dollar signs”

Many expensive restaurants don't put dollar signs on their menus. This is said to make expensive menu items psychologically easier to order. "If the menu doesn't have dollar signs in…

April 11, 2023
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You know what rhymes with Friday? Liquor store”

"You know what rhymes with Friday? Alcohol" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many images. There is no rhyme, of course, but it's the weekend and the speaker no longer…

August 3, 2023
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You might be Texan if you base your restaurant decisions on its chips and salsa”

Many Texans love the free chips and salsa served at Tex-Mex restaurants. But is this a basis to choose a restaurant? "Don't judge a book by its cover, but always judge a TexMex restaurant…

January 27, 2025
Food/DrinkRestaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You never realize how little self control you have until chips and salsa are in front of you at a Mexican restaurant”

Mexican restaurants serve complimentary chips and salsa before the meal, and many people can't stop eating them. "You never realize how little self control you have until chips and salsa…

January 18, 2026
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You should be able to rev your shopping cart at people in the grocery store”

Shopping carts (also called "trolleys") are unsophisticated vehicles, but some people imagine them like a motorcycle or a car. "Do you ever 'rev' your trolley at the…

January 18, 2026
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You should be able to rev your trolley at people in supermarkets”

Shopping carts (also called "trolleys") are unsophisticated vehicles, but some people imagine them like a motorcycle or a car. "Do you ever 'rev' your trolley at the…

February 1, 2025
Food/DrinkRestaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You think you have self-control until they bring the chips and salsa”

Mexican restaurants serve complimentary chips and salsa before the meal, and many people can't stop eating them. "You never realize how little self control you have until chips and salsa…

July 6, 2025
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You’re either normal or you study the menu before going to a restaurant”

Many people want to study a restaurant's menu online, so when they get to a restaurant they know what they want and can order quickly. "am i the only one that needs to study the menu…

April 3, 2006
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You’re gonna get spoiled” (Beefsteak Charlie’s)

"You're gonna get spoiled" and "I'll feed you like there's no tomorrow" were the slogans of Beefsteak Charlie's restaurant in the 1960s and 1970s. There…

August 5, 2013
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You’re so dumb, you think Taco Bell is a Mexican phone company” (joke)

An old joke tells of a person who is so dumb (or stupid) that he or she thinks Taco Bell is a Mexican phone company. "And if you believe that, you probably also think Taco Bell is a Mexican…

April 15, 2025
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“You’ve got to question the legitimacy of the Burger Kingdom if the Burger King is just handing out crowns to anybody willy-nilly”

Burger King fast food restaurants hand out a lot of cheap paper crowns. This was posted on X/Twitter by FᎪᎢ ᏩᎪNᎠᎪᏞF on May 6, 2023: "You've got to question the legitimacy of…

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BARRY POPIK is a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionary of American Regional English, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Yale Book of Quotations and Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Since 1990 he has also been a regular contributor to Gerald Cohen's Comments on Etymology.

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