The A to Z Guide to Restaurant Lingo
The A to Z
Guide to Restaurant Lingo (100+ Restaurant Terms Explained)
# | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W
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5
Out: When
a chef yells out "5 out!" they are trying to tell the other cooks
that the dish they are working on will be ready for plating in 5 minutes.
86: This is a
common term you'll have heard multiple times if you've worked in the restaurant
industry long enough. "86" is used when a restaurant is unable to
prepare a certain dish, whether that be because they have some external
constraint or simply run out of the ingredients required.
A
A
La Carte: A
la carte is the opposite of a set restaurant menu and refers to when a
customer orders an individual dish from the menu.
A
La Mode: A
dish served with ice cream.
Adam
and Eve on a Raft: Even
if you've worked in the restaurant industry for years, this
one might be a term you've never heard of, and that's because it's primarily
used in the states. Adam and Eve on a raft refers to when a customer orders two
eggs (poached or scrambled) on a piece of toast.
All
Day: The
term "All Day" refers to the total number of items that needs to be
sent out from the kitchen. The term is usually slapped on the end of a long
sentence. "I need eight scrambled eggs, five soup of the days, three cups
of coffee, five pancakes with butter on the side all day"
B
Back
of House (BOH): The back of the house refers to everything
in the restaurant behind the dining room. This usually includes the kitchen,
storage rooms, offices, and any prep rooms. The back end of the restaurant,
typically the kitchen, prep, and storage areas.
Bartender: A bartender is
someone employed at a restaurant, usually behind a bar, to prepare and serve
alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages. Bartenders are referred to by many
different names, which include barkeep, barman, bar chef, mixologist, and
barmaid.
Bev
Nap: Bev
naps are the small square paper napkins that are used in lieu of a coaster.
Customers can use this for wiping their hands or table, but conventionally
these are meant to be placed under a beverage.
Blue-Plate
Special: A
blue plate special is a type of dish almost exclusive to the United States and
Canada, other countries serve a variation of this concept, but don't refer to
them as 'blue plate specials'. This dish refers to a low cost menu item that changes
everyday and is typically served at diners and cafes.
C
Camper: A camper is a
busy restaurant's least favorite kind of customer. The term refers to someone
that has already paid for and finished their meal but will not leave their
table. Campers lead to longer wait times when a restaurant is packed and on a
waitlist.
Can't
cook their way out of a paper bag: This is usually said about
someone that is terrible at cooking but is in denial about it.
Charcuterie: This term
refers to a specific kind of cooking that is focused primarily on the
preparation of meats such as sausage, ham, and bacon.
Check
Back: This
refers to when a server checks on how the customer's meal went while also
dropping the check at the same time, as opposed to having them be two separate
events.
Chef: A chef is
someone that is trained professionally in the art of food preparation and
cooking. Most trained chefs will focus on one specific cuisine, but it is not
unheard of for a chef to be proficient in multiple cuisines.
Chef
de Partie: More
commonly referred to as a line cook, a Chef de Partie refers to a chef that is
usually at the beginning of their career and can fit into multiple chef roles.
The next role for a Chef de Partie is usually as a Sous Chef once they get
promoted.
Chef's
Table: A
Chef's Table experience is probably one of the most luxurious ways you can dine
at a restaurant. With its location right in the kitchen, Chef's Tables are
reserved for special guests only and provide them with a custom curated dinner
that they would otherwise not get in the normal dining room.
Combination
Meal: A
combination meal, sometimes referred to as a "combo" is a meal type
that includes everything one needs for a complete meal. You will mostly see
these kinds of dishes at fast food chains, but they are not uncommon to fast
casual and fine dining restaurants. A combo meal will usually include a main
course, a side, and a beverage.
Commis: A commis
usually refers to a beginner chef that works right below the Chef de Partie.
Similar to an internship or apprenticeship, their main goal is to learn as much
as they can about their kitchen responsibilities.
Comp: "Comping"
something means giving something away for free to your customer. Usually this
is to smooth things over with a disgruntled customer who has had some part of
their meal go wrong.
Cooked
to Order: This
is a type of dish that is cooked to a customers specific instructions. Not
something that is pre-prepared.
Counter
Meal: A
counter meal is very similar to a "Blue Plate Special" except for the
fact that counter meals are more popular at bars and pubs in Australia. These
are usually set meals that are changed daily and are eaten at the countertop.
Cover: A cover refers
to a single paying customer. A reservation for 5 people translates to 5 covers.
Cut: A slice of
meat.
D
Dead
Plate: A
dead plate is a dish that can in no way be served to customers. This can be for
a number of reasons but includes poor appearance, incorrect temperature, taking
too long to serve the dish, or wrong ingredients.
Deuce: A table that
can only seat two customers.
Dine
and Dash: This
term is not too foreign, and people that don't even work in the restaurant
industry will know what it means. To dine and dash means a customer finishes
their meal and sneaks out before having to pay the bill.
Double: Having to work
two shifts in a row.
Douse
It: When
a customer requests to have their dish covered in extra sauce.
Drop: To start
cooking an accessory item; e.g. "The burger is almost done grilling, drop
the fries into the fryer."
Drop
the Check: Bringing
the guest their bill to their table.
Dupe: A dupe is the
information that gets passed to the kitchen from the front of house staff so
the chefs know what to prepare for the customers.
E
Early
Bird Dinner: An
early bird dinner usually takes place earlier than peak dinner times and is
primarily aimed at elderly couples and tourists that are looking to eat as much
as they can for as little as possible. A very common offering for buffets.
Expeditor: The employee
responsible for arranging food from the kitchen and sending it out to the
dining room for the servers.
F
Family
Meal: A
family meal, sometimes referred to as a staff meal, is a daily meal that the
restaurant serves its employees, usually outside peak hours. Sometimes these
meals will be prepared using leftover or unused ingredients, and often times a
chef will use family meals as an opportunity to test new recipes.
Fire: Orders given by
the head of the kitchen to start preparing a certain dish.
Flash: When a particular
meat is undercooked, a chef might "flash it" in an oven to raise the
temperature slightly and cook it the remainder of the way.
Foodie: A foodie is
someone that believes they know everything they need to know about food and
cooking.
Free
Lunch: A
free lunch is a strategy restaurants use with the aim of bringing in customers
and increasing revenue generated. By promising a free lunch with the purchase
of a drink, restaurant owners are hoping that customers will order more than
one drink or become loyal long time customers.
Front
of House (FOH): The
front of house of a restaurant is everything that your
customers can see. This includes the dining room and bar.
G
Garde
Manger: The
garde manger is the part of the kitchen where chef prepare cold menu items such
as salads, desserts, and cold appetizers.
Ghost
Restaurant: A
ghost restaurant is a restaurant that is usually empty and generates almost all
of its revenue through food delivery.
Gueridon
Service: This
term usually refers to tableside food preparation. This requires that a
gueridon (trolley) is used to transport ingredients to a guest table where a
dish is prepared live for the customer.
H
Happy
Hour: Happy
hours are ways for restaurants to drive more traffic into their restaurant
during their off peak hours. Most of the time happy hour offers include free
drinks, a free dish, discounts, or even a free meal.
Hockey
Puck: A
reference to a well cooked hamburger patty.
I
In
the Weeds: In the weeds is a term that refers to both the front and
back of house staff and it is used to describe a situation where the kitchen
staff is pressed for time and required to do a huge task such as dropping the
check to 12 tables at once.
J
Jumpin: A colloquial term to
describe a very popular and busy restaurant.
K
Kid’s
Meal: A
kid's meal is a meal that is catered to and targeted to children. They usually
include a fun toy or something to entertain a child.
Kill
It: To
overcook something, usually by the customer's request.
L
Line
Cook: Line
cooks are tasked with preparing ingredients and assembling dishes according the
the restaurant recipes. Line cooks are essential to the basic functioning of a
busy restaurant kitchen.
M
Main
Course: The
main course section of a menu displays dishes that
are the main focus of a meal. Usually follows an appetizer.
Maitre
d’Hotel: A
Maitre d'Hotel is usually something exclusive to high end restaurants, and is
someone that welcomes guests, assigns their tables, takes reservations, and
just makes sure that the guest has a generally good time.
Meat
and Three: This
type of restaurant offering is exclusive to the Southern United States and
refers to a set menu where your customer can choose one meat and three side
dishes for a special price.
Menu: A menu at a restaurant is a list of
everything that your establishment can serve to your customers. This usually
includes pictures and descriptions of each dish to entice your customers to
make an order.
Mise
en Place: This
is a french term which refers to "putting everything in place" and is
most commonly referenced when kitchen staff are required to follow a certain
procedure before being able to start cooking.
Monkey
Dish: A
small dish that is used to serve condiments or nuts. It can also be used to
dispose of bones when eating meat.
N
No-Show: A
guest that makes a reservation at your restaurant and then doesn't show up.
Nuke
it: When
kitchen staff microwave a dish to heat it up or cook it.
O
Omakase: Coming from the
Japanese term which means "Leave it up to you", Omakase refers to
when customers let the chef choose the course of their meal as opposed to
ordering each dish a la carte.
On
the Fly: Something
that needs to be done urgently.
One
Bowl with Two Pieces: This
term is primarily used in China and refers to ordering a pot of tea along with
two dim sum.
Online
Food Delivery: Ordering
food from a restaurant online, whether that be from a restaurant website
or restaurant aggregator app.
Overhead: Overhead refers
to any additional factors that go into calculating food cost at your
restaurant. This includes the electricity that is required to prepare a dish,
the cost of labor, and even shipping costs.
P
Party: A reference to the
size of a group dining at your restaurant.
Pick
Up: This
is when one server takes over another server's tables.
Pump
it Out: Preparing
food quickly.
Push
It: Selling
a particular item. Actively trying to get rid of stock of one particular dish.
Q
Quote: When a restaurant is
busy, a quote time is the time that a member of restaurant staff tells a
customer they will need to wait before being able to get a table.
R
Rollup: Dining utensils
that are rolled up in napkins.
Runner: A person whose job is
not to be assigned to certain tables such as servers, but rather to just run
back and forth between the kitchen and dining room delivering dishes.
S
Sacked: Fired.
Saucier: A chef de
partie that is responsible for any item that is sautéed.
Serving
Cart: A
serving cart is a small cart that is used to help transport dishes to a table.
Sometimes a serving cart is even used to display certain items.
Server: Refers to a
waiter or waitress.
Shelf
Life: How
long a particular ingredient can sit on the shelf before losing quality or
expiring.
Shorting: When a supplier
charges a restaurant a larger amount than the cost of the products they've
received.
Sidework: Busy work that
is done by the front of house staff that is required to keep the restaurant
operational. Includes drying and polishing silverware, refilling salt and
pepper shakers, refilling toothpicks and napkins.
Signature
Dish: A
signature dish is a menu item that is a specialty of the restaurant or
particular chef.
Sizzle
Platter: A
heavy duty metal plate that is used to serve sizzling dishes such as fajitas or
nachos. Really good at maintaining heat.
Sommelier: An employee
whose speciality is wine. Usually the one to make recommendations to
customers about which wine pairs best with their dish of choice.
SOS: An abbreviation
for "sauce on the side".
Sous-Chef: The second in
command at your kitchen. The sous chef will be in charge when your main chef is
off.
Starch: Starch refers
to starchy sides such as rice, potatoes and pasta as alternatives to
vegetables.
Station: A set number of
tables that a server is assigned.
Stiffed: When a customer
leaves without leaving a tip.
Still
Mooing: Usually
used to refer to a steak that is ordered rare.
Stretch
It: Something
that is done when a restaurant is running low on a certain ingredient, and they
do whatever they can to "stretch" whatever is left to last them the
entire night.
T
Table
d’Hôte: A
multi course set menu that is offered at a fix price.
Table
reservation: A table reservation refers to when a
customer calls or makes a booking online in advance to guarantee that a table
will be available to them when they arrive.
Table
Service: Table
service is when a restaurant serves food right to the customer's table rather
than having them pick up it up from the counter such as with fast food
restaurants.
Table
Sharing: Table
sharing is when a restaurant will seat multiple parties at the same or adjoined
tables.
Table
Turns: Table turns refers to the number of
times that a specific table has gone through the entire meal process (from
being seated to paying) each shift.
Take-Out: When a customer
orders food from your restaurant with the intention of eating it somewhere
else.
Tare: The weight of
the container that a product is delivered in, this number should be subtracted
from the total weight of the product as to pay for an accurate weight.
The
Boogie Man: A
health inspector.
Three
Martini Lunch: A
special restaurant offering that usually takes place around noon in the United
States and is primarily catered towards business people and lawyers.
Top: The number of
customers in a party. A seven top refers to a dining party of seven people.
Toss: When a food
vendor alters the appearance of a product to make it look like the box is full
when it is in fact not.
Tourne: When a
vegetable is cut in the shape of a small tapered cork.
Turn
and Burn: To
turn tables very quickly, usually a result of a busy restaurant with a long
waiting list.
Two
Second Rule: An
unspoken rule in the restaurant industry where dropped ingredients are okay as
long as they've only touched the floor for no more than two seconds.
U
Upsell: When an
employee tries to sell a guest something that is more expensive than what they
have requested.
V
Value
meal: A
value meal is a combination of restaurant items that are bundled and offered
together for a very low price. This is usually done to increase revenue at a
restaurant by increasing the number of items ordered.
Veg: Any veggies
that accompany a main course.
VIP: A customer that
is very important such as a food blogger, critic, relative of the restaurant
owner, or a celebrity.
W
Walk-In: A walk- in can
refer to two things at a restaurant.
·
A
walk in freezer where meats and perishable items are stored.
·
A
customer that walks into your restaurant looking for a table without making a
reservation.
Walked: Very similar to
"dine and dash", refers to a customer that leaves without paying. Can
also refer to an employee that has left half way through their shift.
Well
Drinks: Alcoholic
drinks that are made from cheap house liquors.
Window: A heated shelf
where a prepared dish is placed to keep it warm while it waits for a server to
take it to the customer.
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