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Lesson Info

Post Type
Article
Level
Level 4 / B2
Published
Title
At Dinner, Fewer Drink Orders
Webpage
https://eslnewsstories.com/articles/2026-04-02-at-dinner-fewer-drink-orders/

In this lesson:

  • Warm-up Prediction task and general discussion questions.
  • Vocab List Useful words and meanings.
  • Reading Read the main text.
  • Listen and Fill Gaps Listen for missing words.
  • Main Idea Choose the overall message of the text.
  • True or False Check understanding.
  • Multiple Choice Check understanding.
  • Words That Go Together Connect words and collocated phrases from the lesson.
  • Discussion Builder Think about how ideas relate to each other to choose connecting expressions.
  • Sentence Unscramble Reorder mixed phrases into correct sentences.
  • Discussion Questions Open speaking questions for discussion (or writing practice).
  • Answers Answer key for the printed tasks.

Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this story?

a) Alcohol-free cocktails now bring in more profit than alcoholic drinks.

b) Gen Z customers usually order more alcohol than millennials.

c) Drinks often give restaurants better profit margins than food.

A street-level photo of a recently closed restaurant with dark windows, stacked chairs inside, a closed sign, and a handmade cardboard “out of business” notice taped to the glass door.
A restaurant that has gone out of business.

Ask: (1) How often do you go out to eat? (2) Do you drink alcohol with meals? Why or why not?

VOCAB LIST

poll (n.) — A survey that asks people questions to find out what they think or do.
cocktail (n.) — A mixed drink, often with alcohol.
profit margin (n. phrase) — The amount of money earned after costs are paid.
millennial (n.) — A person from the generation born around the 1980s and 1990s.
ingredient (n.) — A food item used to make a dish.
Gen Z (n. phrase) — The generation born after millennials.
spoil (v.) — To go bad and no longer be good to eat or use.
weight-loss drug (n. phrase) — A medicine used to help people lose weight.
nonalcoholic (adj.) — Not containing alcohol.
sales decline (n. phrase) — A drop in the number or value of items sold.

Reading

American restaurants are facing a new pressure at dinner time: fewer customers are ordering alcohol. A 2025 Gallup poll found that only 54 percent of U.S. adults said they drink, the lowest rate on record. For many restaurants, that shift is reducing profits while other business costs keep rising.

Owners say food brings in guests, but drinks often support the business. Cooking needs skilled labor and fresh ingredients that can spoil quickly. By contrast, alcohol can be stored for a long time and is easier to serve, so profit margins are usually stronger. As rent, wages, and ingredient prices increase, that high-margin part of the menu is getting smaller.

Nonalcoholic options are growing, but many restaurant managers say they cannot make up the lost profit. New York chef-owner Marco Canora said his alcohol sales in 2025 were about 7 percent lower than the year before. He added that quality juices and teas can cost a lot to prepare, yet many guests resist paying cocktail prices for alcohol-free drinks.

A 2026 report on drinking habits said adults aged 31 to 45 were still the most likely to order alcohol at restaurants. However, many millennials are now drinking less as they get older and drink less than before. Owners expected younger adults to replace them, but many say Gen Z guests often stay briefly, take photos, and leave without drink orders.

Another possible factor is the spread of weight-loss drugs, which are now used by millions of Americans and may also reduce drinking. Restaurant managers cannot prove these drugs are driving sales declines, but many suspect they play a role.

Restaurants are expanding alcohol-free menus, yet many say lower drink sales are making it harder to stay in business.

At Dinner, Fewer Drink Orders

Level 4 Source: nytimes.com

Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It

A street-level photo of a recently closed restaurant with dark windows, stacked chairs inside, a closed sign, and a handmade cardboard “out of business” notice taped to the glass door.
A restaurant that has gone out of business.

American restaurants are facing a new pressure at dinner time: fewer customers are ordering alcohol. A 2025 Gallup poll found that only 54 percent of U.S. adults said they drink, the lowest rate on record. For many restaurants, that shift is reducing profits while other business costs keep rising.

Owners say food brings in guests, but drinks often support the business. Cooking needs skilled labor and fresh ingredients that can spoil quickly. By contrast, alcohol can be stored for a long time and is easier to serve, so profit margins are usually stronger. As rent, wages, and ingredient prices increase, that high-margin part of the menu is getting smaller.

Nonalcoholic options are growing, but many restaurant managers say they cannot make up the lost profit. New York chef-owner Marco Canora said his alcohol sales in 2025 were about 7 percent lower than the year before. He added that quality juices and teas can cost a lot to prepare, yet many guests resist paying cocktail prices for alcohol-free drinks.

A 2026 report on drinking habits said adults aged 31 to 45 were still the most likely to order alcohol at restaurants. However, many millennials are now drinking less as they get older and drink less than before. Owners expected younger adults to replace them, but many say Gen Z guests often stay briefly, take photos, and leave without drink orders.

Another possible factor is the spread of weight-loss drugs, which are now used by millions of Americans and may also reduce drinking. Restaurant managers cannot prove these drugs are driving sales declines, but many suspect they play a role.

Restaurants are expanding alcohol-free menus, yet many say lower drink sales are making it harder to stay in business.

Speaker: American Female  Duration: 1:59  Watch on YouTube

Two ways to use this audio:

  • Method 1: Listen for the main idea: what is the article about in one sentence? Listen a second time for more details, then try the Understanding activities below.
  • Method 2: Read the article first to learn the vocabulary and ideas. Then look at the gap-fill sentences to see what to listen for, and listen to fill them in.

Listen and Fill Gaps

Listen to the audio on eslnewsstories.com and complete the gaps below:

American restaurants are facing a new (1) at dinner time: fewer customers are ordering alcohol. A 2025 Gallup poll found that only 54 percent of U.S. adults said they drink, the lowest rate on record. For many restaurants, that shift is reducing profits while other business costs keep rising.

Owners say food brings in guests, but drinks often support the business. Cooking needs skilled labor and fresh ingredients that can spoil quickly. By contrast, alcohol can be (2) for a long time and is easier to serve, so profit margins are usually stronger. As rent, wages, and ingredient prices increase, that high-margin part of the menu is getting smaller.

Nonalcoholic options are growing, but many restaurant managers say they cannot make up the lost profit. New York chef-owner Marco Canora said his alcohol sales in 2025 were about (3) lower than the year before. He added that quality juices and teas can cost a lot to prepare, yet many guests resist paying cocktail prices for alcohol-free drinks.

A 2026 report on drinking habits said adults aged 31 to 45 were still the most likely to order alcohol at restaurants. However, many (4) are now drinking less as they get older and drink less than before. Owners expected younger adults to replace them, but many say (5) guests often stay briefly, take photos, and leave without drink orders.

Another possible factor is the spread of weight-loss drugs, which are now used by millions of Americans and may also reduce (6) . Restaurant managers cannot prove these drugs are driving sales declines, but many suspect they play a role.

Restaurants are expanding alcohol-free menus, yet many say lower drink sales are making it harder to stay in (7) .

Main Idea

Choose one answer, then click CHECK to see your result.

Main Idea

Choose one:

  • Restaurants are raising menu prices to deal with rent, wages, and ingredient costs.
  • Restaurants are losing a key source of profit as fewer Americans order alcohol. Correct answer
  • Younger adults now buy more alcohol than older adults when they eat out.
True or False

Answer each question by selecting True or False, then click CHECK to see your results.

  • A 2025 Gallup poll found that only 54 percent of U.S. adults said they drink alcohol.
    The first paragraph says 54 percent of adults said they drink, which was the lowest rate on record.
  • Restaurant managers in the article say alcohol-free drinks can already replace the lost alcohol profit.
    The story says many managers feel alcohol-free drinks are growing, but they still cannot make up the lost profit.
  • Managers can clearly prove that weight-loss drugs are the main reason for lower alcohol sales.
    The article says managers suspect a connection, but they cannot prove these drugs are driving the declines.

True or False

1. A 2025 Gallup poll found that only 54 percent of U.S. adults said they drink alcohol. TRUEFALSE True

2. Restaurant managers in the article say alcohol-free drinks can already replace the lost alcohol profit. TRUEFALSE False

3. Managers can clearly prove that weight-loss drugs are the main reason for lower alcohol sales. TRUEFALSE False

Multiple Choice

1. Why do drinks often matter so much for restaurant profits?

   a) They are the only items with rising demand.

   b) They need more labor than food.

   c) They usually have stronger profit margins.Correct

   d) They are sold only during dinner service.

2. What does Marco Canora say about alcohol-free cocktails?

   a) They are cheaper to make than drinks with alcohol.

   b) They take work to prepare, but guests resist high prices.Correct

   c) They are not popular with customers in New York.

   d) They have raised his alcohol sales compared with last year.

3. What generational pattern do many owners describe?

   a) Millennials are drinking less, and Gen Z has not filled the gap.Correct

   b) Millennials are drinking more than before, and Gen Z follows them.

   c) Adults aged 31 to 45 have stopped ordering alcohol.

   d) Gen Z is ordering more alcohol than every other age group.

Words That Go Together

Loading vocabulary activity...

Words That Go Together

Match each word with the words it goes with:

1. Faceh) pressure

2. Bring ing) guests

3. Orderf) alcohol

4. Make upe) lost profit

5. Payd) cocktail prices

6. Reducec) drinking

7. Expandb) alcohol-free menus

8. Staya) in business

a) in business

b) alcohol-free menus

c) drinking

d) cocktail prices

e) lost profit

f) alcohol

g) guests

h) pressure

Discussion Builder

Discussion Builder

Choose the best phrase for each gap:

  1. a nonalcoholic drink is worth cocktail prices only if the quality is really high.

    For example, / To me, / But, / So,

    To me, a nonalcoholic drink is worth cocktail prices only if the quality is really high.

  2. Small restaurants need to adjust prices carefully they can lose regular customers if prices jump too fast.

    and / but / because / so

    Small restaurants need to adjust prices carefully because they can lose regular customers if prices jump too fast.

  3. Many young adults care more about health and saving money. they may skip alcohol when they eat out.

    Also, / Because of that, / For example, / But,

    Many young adults care more about health and saving money. Because of that, they may skip alcohol when they eat out.

Sentence Unscramble

  1. A. faster than B. because C. costs can rise D. sales. E. Running a restaurant F. seems risky to me

    Running a restaurant seems risky to me because costs can rise faster than sales.

  2. A. Compared with B. goes out less often C. older groups, D. my generation E. and drinks less F. at dinner.

    Compared with older groups, my generation goes out less often and drinks less at dinner.

  3. A. but B. could be one reason C. I might be wrong, D. weight-loss drugs E. some people F. drink less.

    I might be wrong, but weight-loss drugs could be one reason some people drink less.

Discussion Questions

  1. What's your favorite food to eat in a restaurant?
  2. What's your favorite nonalcoholic drink?
  3. Do you take photos of your food? If so, what do you do with those pictures? If not, why not?
  4. Is running a restaurant an easy or difficult way to make money? Why?
  5. Would you pay the same price for a nonalcoholic cocktail as for an alcoholic one? Why or why not?
  6. What can small restaurants do when rent, wages, and ingredient costs rise together?
  7. What generation are you a part of? How is your generation different from others?
  8. Why are young adults drinking less than they used to?
  9. Do many adults in your life drink alcohol, or not many?
  10. Are weight-loss drugs popular in your country? Which ones have you heard of?

Answers At Dinner, Fewer Drink Orders / Level 4

Think Ahead: c

Listening: (1) pressure, (2) stored, (3) 7 percent, (4) millennials, (5) Gen Z, (6) drinking, (7) business

Main Idea: Restaurants are losing a key source of profit as fewer Americans order alcohol.

True or False:

  1. True. The first paragraph says 54 percent of adults said they drink, which was the lowest rate on record.
  2. False. The story says many managers feel alcohol-free drinks are growing, but they still cannot make up the lost profit.
  3. False. The article says managers suspect a connection, but they cannot prove these drugs are driving the declines.

Multiple Choice: c, b, a

Vocabulary:

  1. Face: pressure
  2. Bring in: guests
  3. Order: alcohol
  4. Make up: lost profit
  1. Pay: cocktail prices
  2. Reduce: drinking
  3. Expand: alcohol-free menus
  4. Stay: in business

Discussion Builder:

Hints: 1) Opinion. 2) Reason. 3) Result.

  1. To me,
  2. because
  3. Because of that,

Sentence Unscramble:

  1. Running a restaurant seems risky to me because costs can rise faster than sales.
  2. Compared with older groups, my generation goes out less often and drinks less at dinner.
  3. I might be wrong, but weight-loss drugs could be one reason some people drink less.

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