The professional kitchen is fast-paced and unique in its environment—it would only make sense that such a work setting has its own set of terms and slang to boost communication efficiency. We have compiled a list of the essential restaurant kitchen terminology every cook and chef should know to keep up to speed in any food setting.
Restaurant Terms 1-100
2-Top/4-Top/Etc.: Refers to the number of seats at a table in your dining room. For example, a table with two chairs that seats two people is considered a “2-top.”
5-out: The number of minutes a cook or chef estimates it will take to finish a dish for service. The number 5 is often swapped for another amount of time if needed.
5-minute Check: Often used by waitstaff; a time marker for checking back in with customers once they have received their food.
10-4: Used in some kitchens to share a message that was received or understood.
86: A term used to share that a dish or ingredient is out of stock. Very commonly used to convey that something is out of stock or not available.
A-F
A.
All day: A term used to declare how much of a dish or prep item you have left. For example, if you have five steaks left, you would say, “I have five steaks all day.”
Al dente: A term meaning “to the tooth.” Refers to the specific texture of pasta that is cooked to the bite.
À la broche: French for “on the spit,” referring to meat cooked on a skewer over heat.
À la carte: A la carte refers to ordering menu items individually rather than in a complete and set menu.
À la minute: French term that means “to the minute.” Refers to a dish that is prepared when the customer orders, or when an aspect of a dish needs to be cooked right that second.
À la mode: A dish topped or served with ice cream.
Amuse-bouche: A small appetizer served to a guest before a meal to pique the palate before more in-depth food is served.
Aromatics: Term referring to vegetables, herbs, and spices that help add aroma and flavor to a dish.
B.
Back of house (BOH): Refers to the area and staff that work in a kitchen prepping and cooking food for customers. This includes cooks, chefs, pastries, dishwashers, and all other kitchen personnel. Often abbreviated as “BOH” in writing.
Bain-marie: Refers to a water bath that keeps food warm. Often used for emulsions like hollandaise sauce.
Baker’s dozen: Refers to 13 of an item instead of 12.
Banquet: Banquet is an elevated term for a special event, also used to describe a restaurant’s special event equipment and staff versus the equipment used during everyday service; as in banquet servers that only work special events or banquet silverware that is only used in the private dining room.
Banquette: Pronounced ban-KET, this is the word for bench seating that runs along a wall.
Bartender: Refers to the person making drinks behind a bar.
Basting: The process of ladling fat or broth over ingredients to cook, finish, or enhance the flavor of a recipe.
Batch cooking: A term referring to cooking a recipe at a larger scale to prepare for a busy service.
Behind: A term restaurant staff use when passing behind other staff to alert them of their presence. It is important to say when passing behind cooks because of the tight nature of a professional kitchen.
Bev nap: Beverage napkin. Small, disposable napkins served with cocktails and other drinks.
Box a table: When you drape a table with tablecloths at right angles so the legs are not visible.
Brunoise: A small, cubical knife cut that measures out to ⅛ of an inch. This precision cut is used in more technical applications.
Bump bar: A tool connected to a kitchen display system (KDS) that lets cooks clear orders as they are made.
Burn the ice: When a server, bartender, or other front-of-house employee uses hot water to melt ice in ice bins at the end of a service. This is a necessary step to prevent mold and mildew from forming in ice bins.
Busser: Staff member who clears and resets tables and is responsible for the general cleanliness of dining room tables.
C.
Cambro: A large plastic container used for food storage. Cambro is also a brand for this type of storage container that is used in a wide range of foodservice operations.
Camper: A guest who sits at a table for too long, occupying the much-needed space for an egregious amount of time.
Canapé: A small, elegantly plated piece of food meant to be served as a walking appetizer or dinner starter.
Charcuterie: Cured meats that are artisanally made and served cold or room temp.
Check back: This refers to when a server checks back in with the table they are serving.
Chef: The leader or manager of a kitchen.
Chef de partie: Refers to a line cook. A colloquial French term related to a cook who works on a line, working on a specific station during a dinner service.
Chit: A ticket order printed from a point-of-sale (POS) machine.
Clopen: A term meshing the words “close” and “open,” and designates when a staff member works closing the restaurant one night and comes back the next morning to open it with the first shift.
Combi: This is shorthand for “combination oven,” an oven with dual functions for convection and steam cooking.
Commis: Refers to the stage or a novice cook taking on the role akin to an apprentice.
Cooked to order: This refers to a dish being cooked to a customer’s specifications. Eggs are typically cooked to order.
Comp: When you take care of a customer’s dish or meal, making it free of charge. It can be done for valued guests or to make up for a service or kitchen error.
Corner: Called out in a kitchen when rounding corners to avoid collisions and prevent accidents.
Cost of goods sold (COGS): This term refers to the monetary cost of the materials it took to sell dishes on your menu.
Cover: Refers to a paying guest. Ten customers would be considered 10 covers.
Cut: This can refer to a cut of meat or when a staff member is relieved of their shift. When a server is done with work, the manager will often “cut” them.
D.
Dead plate: A dish that cannot be served to a customer due to an error.
Deglaze: Adding liquid, such as broth or alcohol, to a pan to pick up the brown bits and simmer them to build flavor and foundation for a sauce.
Deli: A deli refers to a plastic quart container, often used for storing food or liquids.
Deuce: Refers to a table with two seats.
Double sat: When a server has two parties sat in their section; it can be difficult if the tables have many needs at the same time.
Double shift: Two shifts worked back-to-back during the day.
Drop: The act of cooking an item in the queue of service. “Drop two burgers” would be called out when a chef needs burgers to be cooked.
Drop the check: The act of giving a table their final bill when their meal is over.
Dupe: A copy of the customer’s order that is delivered to the kitchen.
E.
Expo: Refers to the person expediting or the physical station known as the “expo.” This person or station serves as the “conductor” of the kitchen, calling for plates and ensuring everything is ready to go for the customer.
ETA: Estimated time of arrival. Used commonly to ask how long it takes until a plate is ready to be served to the customer.
Event: An event is a large party booking as opposed to a singular reservation. Events can take place on-site or offsite at a customer’s home, business, or a special event venue.
F.
Family meal: A staff meal, which is commonly done in kitchens globally. A family meal is meant to feed and fuel the staff before a service.
Family style: When a dish is served on a large platter rather than individual plates and customers serve themselves at the table. Similar to “French service,” where many platters and tureens are served simultaneously and diners serve themselves.
FIFO: First in, first out. Refers to a method of organization that places the old product in the front and the new product in the back to prevent waste from expiration.
Fire: Term used to start the act of cooking. A chef will “fire” a main course for a table when it is time to cook for these guests.
Flash: Refers to quickly cooking with heat, typically for a piece of meat or other food item, to raise its temperature slightly.
FO: Short for “Friend of,” this abbreviation is commonly used in reservation notes to signify a guest as a friend of the chef, owner, or manager.
Floor: The floor is the dining room, and this term is used interchangeably with “dining room.”
Fold: A gentle mixing method where ingredients are combined with the goal of stopping air deflation from a recipe.
Food runner: A person who takes food from the kitchen to a customer’s table.
Front of house (FOH): Refers to all staff working in the dining room and other customer-facing areas. Waitstaff, bartenders, and hosts are all considered FOH.
G-J
G.
Garde manger: A station in which cold food prep is done. This includes salads, appetizers, and charcuterie boards.
General manager (GM): The GM often leads the dining room and kitchen productions. Alongside the Executive Chef, the GM will be responsible for the restaurant’s success. How much control they have over kitchen ops varies by kitchen.
Ghost kitchen: A ghost kitchen is a restaurant without a physical dining area that provides one or more brands with food that is delivered to customers through apps such as DoorDash.
Gratin: The technique of browning a breadcrumb or cheese on top of a dish.
Gueridon service: This term refers to tableside food preparation. The name is derived from the name of the trolley used to prepare the dish tableside.
H.
Hands: A chef will call for “hands” often, which refers to a staff member. This is a callout for staff to bring plates to customers.
Heard: A callout by restaurant staff to convey a message has been received. Often, when a chef declares an order, the kitchen staff will respond in unison with “Heard!”
Head chef: The leader of the kitchen, interchangeable with Executive Chef.
I.
Immersion blender: Also known as a “stick blender,” this tool is a handheld blender that can be inserted into a sauce to blend smoothly.
In the weeds: Being “in the weeds” means you are behind on your tickets. This is used to share a cook or station that is not on time to cook the plates needed to serve customers on time.
In the window: “In the window” refers to a dish at the pass or the expo station. This indicates that a dish is ready to be served to a customer.
J.
Julienne: A knife cut where food is cut into thin, precise strips for technical plating use cases.
K-O
K.
KDS: Kitchen display system. A piece of technology used to display customer orders to the kitchen staff.
Kill it: When an item is overcooked. It also refers to shutting down a menu item that is not working. For example, “The flounder special is not selling well. Kill it!”
Kitchen manager: A term used for a head chef, often used in more corporate kitchens.
L.
Last call: A term used to tell guests that the kitchen or bar is closing and that they have one final time to order any last-minute items.
Line cook: A staff member who cooks food in a kitchen. This is the base labor for kitchen operations.
Lowboy: A refrigeration unit located under kitchen prep areas.
M.
Maitre d’: The head waiter or host who oversees the dining room and helps with FOH management.
Market price: Items that are “market-priced” have rotating prices based on the price of an ingredient that day. For example, more select types of fish will be labeled “MP” on a menu to account for the changing market price of this ingredient.
Marry: Refers to the combination of ingredients or dishes that have a flavor affinity with each other.
Mise en place: French for “everything in place,” and refers to having all prep ready to go for a service.
Misfire: A mistake where a dish is called for or cooked, although the guest is not ready for it.
N.
Nappe: A French culinary term in which a sauce coats the back of a spoon, designating a desired consistency.
No-show: Refers to a party reservation or guest who was scheduled to dine at a restaurant but does not show up without canceling the reservation.
Nuke it: A term that refers to a staff member using a microwave to heat or reheat a dish.
O.
Omakase: Japanese dining menu style where the chef chooses the entire menu, serving it in smaller courses. Most prominent in the serving of sushi.
On the fly: A term to designate a task that must be done urgently, as soon as possible.
One-star guest: A customer who leaves 1 star or negative reviews online about a restaurant.
Open kitchen: A kitchen setup in which the guests can see the staff at work preparing their meals.
Overhead: Refers to cost aspects of a restaurant that represent the cost of doing business.
P-T
P.
Par: The inventory level of a certain ingredient or item.
Party: A “party” is a group of guests. Parties of two, four, six, etc., can all be attributed to this term.
Pick up: Two meanings, one of which is that a server takes over a table for another server. This is also used in food preparation, detailing the finishing step in cooking or completing a plate. Examples: “John, I am picking up your tables when you clock out,” or “Julia, pick up the sauce for the filet dish, we are ready to plate.”
Point of sale (POS): A POS system organizes customer orders, receives them, processes payments, helps organize a dining room, manages staff, and much more.
Prix fixe: A set menu with a fixed price, set courses, and a designated theme or regional cooking style.
Proof: A term that signifies the act of letting yeast dough rise, which in turn helps with baking.
PX: An abbreviation for “person x,” a term that restaurants use internally to refer to VIP guests. Some restaurants use additional variations like “XXX” to signify VIPs in reservation records and conversationally, so the restaurant staff knows that a customer is important to the business without telegraphing this information to other customers.
Q.
QR codes: Non-contact form of displaying a menu by having a customer scan a code.
Quoted time: A quoted time is an educated estimate of the time a guest must wait before they can be seated at a table.
R.
Rail: In some older kitchens, the long device is used to hold physical chits or order tickets.
Ramekin: A small, single-serving bowl used for sauces or other accompanying items like pickles.
Reach-in: A refrigeration unit in which the doors swing open and you can reach in for product. Often used to hold prep and other items needed throughout a service, and will sit on or near the line for easy access.
Resting: The act of letting meat sit after cooking to allow juices inside to stabilize for a better final product.
Robot Coupe: (pronounced “robo-coop”) The Robot Coupe is a brand of industrial food processor. In many restaurant kitchens, cooks refer to any food processor as the “robot coupe” regardless of brand.
Rollup: Silverware that is rolled into a napkin in an organized fashion.
Run: The act of bringing food to a table.
Runner: A person who runs food to a table.
S.
Scripting: The act of informing diners about a dish with the intent to sell that dish to them in a captivating fashion.
Server: A member of the waitstaff who takes orders and serves customers.
Shadow: When a staff member learns under another by following their work and watching how they perform their duties.
Shelf life: How long an ingredient has before it expires and is no longer servable.
Shoemaker: An insulting term referring to someone who does not know how to cook or is bad at it.
Short: When an item is missing from a plate or an ingredient from inventory, it can be called short.
Shorting: When a supplier does not deliver the amount of goods a restaurant pays for.
Sidework: The work FOH staff does in between serving customers. Includes polishing silverware, glassware, and setting rollups.
Soigne: Pronounced swan-yay, this French term is used in restaurants to describe a dish, person, or bit of service that is particularly elegant, tasteful, and well-done.
Sommelier: A staff member whose focus is on wine menu curation, wine service, wine pairing, and the general go-to person for wine information.
SOS: A ticket order acronym for “sauce on the side”.
Spider: A large slotted spoon that is used to scoop food from a deep fryer.
Split shift: When a staff member works two shifts in a day that are separated from each other.
Staging: The act of a prospective employee working for free in a kitchen to try out or further learning. It is not as common as it can go against modern labor laws.
Station: This can mean where someone cooks or prepares food. Also refers to the number of tables a server can be assigned to.
Stiffed: Refers to when a customer leaves without tipping.
Stretch It: When you are running short on an ingredient or recipe and work to make it last as long as it can.
Sub: When an ingredient is short, and you substitute it with another one.
T.
Tableside service: When a restaurant cooks or finishes preparing a dish tableside in front of customers for a better presentation.
Tare: A button on a scale that sets it to zero for accurate weight measurement.
TCS: Refers to foods that require time/temperature control for safety. Items that need to be refrigerated are often TCS foods.
Ticket: Refers to the piece of paper or digital chit of a customer’s order.
Tip pooling: Where tips for waitstaff are collected and dispersed evenly at the end of a shift.
Turns: The amount of times a dining room table can be sat, cleaned, and resat in one night.
Turn and burn: Quickly turning over tables to seat more guests.
U-Z
U.
Underwater: When a cook is struggling or behind on their station during service. Similar to being in the weeds.
Upsell: When a server tries to sell a guest a more expensive variation of a recipe or an add-on to make more revenue.
Use first: Pertaining to FIFO, the act of using older products and ingredients first to prevent expiration.
V.
VIP: Refers to a very important guest or a customer who is a high priority when it comes to order accuracy.
W.
Walked: Refers to when a customer walks out mid-service for dissatisfaction or other reasons.
Walk-in: A large refrigeration unit that stores a majority of the restaurant’s food. It can be walked into by staff.
Well: Refers to non-premium alcohol at a bar. Usually the cheapest option, it is used for mixed drinks.
Wine key: A corkscrew for opening and uncorking bottles.
Window: The expediting area where food is organized and then pulled from to serve customers.
Working: Food that is in the process of being made or prepared.
X.
X-factor: The driving ingredient or aspect of a dish that makes it desirable to customers.
Y.
Yes, Chef: An old-school response to the head chef when they give a command. Similar to saying “heard” to confirm a message was received.
FAQs
Learning restaurant terminology can take some time, especially since some terms thrown around mean the same thing. That being said, learning the slang of a kitchen is vital to being successful in it. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to common restaurant terms.
Last Bite
If you are new to the kitchen, a large variety of terms will be new to you. It is important to learn kitchen slang or shorthand, as these terms make a team’s communication efficient and precise. If you hear a new term you are not sure of, then come back to this guide to brush up on it or learn what it means. Learning restaurant terms is key to becoming proficient in a kitchen and understanding how to best communicate with your team.
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