Chinese Waiter (Episode 788)

The Chinese Waiter served Stan and Hilda Ogden when they dined at the Golden Mandarin Restaurant on Market Street in Manchester in July 1968 to celebrate Stan becoming a "managing director" i.e. running his own window cleaning round. Hilda had been given the restaurant's name by Emily Nugent as the only other eatery that Stan knew was the buffet in Manchester's Central Station. Hilda prompted Stan to hand his coat to the waiter, who he thanked in simple French, theorising that he couldn't very well speak to him in English as he was a "son of the orient". Stan then looked the menu, most of which confused him and ended up ordering numbers 15, 33 and 61, twice. The choice turned out to be egg, chips and peas, much to Hilda's disappointment. The waiter afterwards lit one of the "minigaro" cigars for Stan that Hilda had purchased for him in the Rovers and was again thanked in French.