Be Our Guest Quotes

Context

This line is sung by Lumiere, voiced by Jerry Orbach, in the song "Be Our Guest," by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken, from the album Beauty and the Beast (Original Soundtrack) (1991).

Belle has just agreed to trade her freedom for her father's and refuses to join her captor, the Beast, for dinner, because she doesn't have Stockholm Syndrome just yet. Hungry, she sneaks down to the kitchen, and servant Lumiere (enchanted to look like a candelabra) decides she should be treated like a guest instead of a prisoner, in direct opposition of the Beast's orders.

This line comes at the beginning of the song, as Lumiere begins trying to charm Belle into enjoying her time at the castle. Belle is the enchanted servants' only hope of returning to human form, so they really need to get on her good side.

Where you've heard it

Disney has milked this line for all it's worth. "Be Our Guest" appears multiple times on their hospitality related advertising and is even the name of one of their many restaurants. But, like Belle in the Beast's castle, "guest" is a relative term, and maybe Disney should specify, "Be our (paying) guest."

Additional Notable References:

• Mr. Burns sings a parody titled "See My Vest" in Season 6, Episode 20 of The Simpsons.
• Oscar host Seth Macfarlane parodied "Be Our Guest" at the 2013 show.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

We don't even want to think about the number of times this quote has been dropped at a dinner party. Or at a restaurant, or at a hotel, or possibly by the R.A. in a college dorm. It's become the battle cry of the hospitality industry. It's too commonly used to be pretentious, but quote with caution because it's not like you're being original.