Hypothetically in the context of
What's your favorite restuarant to eat food?
If they have food, I'll eat it.".
Does the second sentence mean they would eat food at a single resturant or multiple restaurants?
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2I would interpret it as 'If they (any restaurant, using the corporate 'they') have food, I'll eat it'. In other words, I am not fussy; I'll happily eat anywhere. Note: it sounds silly and redundant to talk of a 'restaurant to eat food'. That's what you do in a restaurant.– Michael HarveyCommented Jan 19, 2020 at 22:50
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Can it be interpreted as a single restaurant?– ToulouseCommented Jan 19, 2020 at 23:37
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The first sentence is incorrect. A restaurant does not eat food. And it makes little sense; why go to a restaurant if not to have a meal??– DrMoishe PippikCommented Jan 20, 2020 at 1:57
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Toulouse, any restaurant means any single restaurant.– Michael HarveyCommented Jan 20, 2020 at 7:37
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We don't say: A favorite restaurant to eat food. Also, since all restaurants have food by definition, you don't need anything after favorite restaurant....– LambieCommented Sep 14, 2021 at 15:40
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2 Answers
When the person responding says, 'If they have food, I'll eat it', they are saying that it doesn't matter what restaurant they're visiting. If they're in a restaurant, then they will eat the food there. They're ignoring the question about which restaurant is their favorite and implying that they don't have a favorite. They're saying that they like any restaurant because what's important is not that it's a good restaurant, but that there is food there they can eat.
You might be confused by the pronoun, 'they', which is normally a plural pronoun. But in this case it is not referring to multiple restaurants. 'They' means the people running the restaurant where the person is.
It is a sarcastic way of saying "I like all restaurants equally".
The first sentence contains an odd phrasing "... to eat food." Because by definition a restaurant is a place to eat food.
So I suppose the answer is making fun of this by being sarcastic:
If they have food (sarcastic condition because all restaurants have food) I'll eat it (I don't care about how good the food is or anything else. So I like all restaurants the same.)