The other day my family and I called into an amazing vegan café called ‘The Ethos Brothers’, which was situated, somewhat unusually, in a largely disused trading estate in the Essex countryside. The food was excellent and the service superb. Not only was it all great value, but the waiter gave us an additional vegan ‘milk’ shake and said that it was ‘on the house’, so we didn’t have to pay for it 😊. We were so pleased. We will definitely go back there again, and will tell all of our friends about it too!
On the house – this is a very common idiom which is used in bars, hotels, restaurants, cafes and sometimes in shops, where there is any form of client interaction. It is usually to thank patrons for their custom or to recompense for some real or perceived inconvenience while using an establishment.
Situations where it might be used;
- Paid for by or courtesy of the owner or the establishment.
‘’I’m so sorry that you didn’t enjoy your meal. Please accept this bottle of wine on the house as an apology. Don’t worry, this round is on the house.’’
- Given away free by a merchant.
“Here,” said the waitress, “have this cup of tea on the house.”
I went to a restaurant last night. I was the ten thousandth customer, so my dinner was on the house.
Usage rating (how well known it is) – 8/10
French equivalent – ‘’offert par la maison’’
Recent Comments