In the fast-paced environment of a restaurant, understanding the common terms and phrases can make all the difference. If you’ve recently started as a line cook or if you’re a manager still trying to figure out what it means to “fire a dish,” mastering this lingo is essential. It’s not just about keeping up—it’s about proving to your team that you’re on the same page. Whether you’re just stepping into the restaurant industry and want to be a good server, have years of experience under your belt, or you’ve heard some interesting language used behind the scenes, this guide is here to help. Some of these terms are used more frequently than others, but knowing them ensures you’re never left in the dark.
The Restaurant Terminology and Slang Glossary
| Terminology and Lingo | What it Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| # Out | Food will be ready in # minutes. | “Table 12’s order is 5 out. Let the server know.” |
| 86 | Item is out of stock or unavailable. | “We’re 86 on the salmon; offer the trout instead.” |
| 911 | An order that needs to be rushed because it is late or wasn’t prepared properly | “Can I get a 911 on the order for the family meal at table 3?” |
| A La Carte | Ordering individual dishes separately as opposed to a set menu. | “They prefer ordering a la carte rather than the set menu.” |
| A La Mode | Dessert served with ice cream on top. | “She’d like her apple pie a la mode, please.” |
| All Day | The total number of a specific item needed across all orders. | “We need eight burgers all day. Two more just came in.” |
| Back of House (BOH) | Admin, prep, kitchen, and storage areas used to serve the dining areas. | “Back of house needs more staff for tonight’s service.” |
| Behind | Typically used to signal other kitchen staff that you’re trying to get by them with an order in hand | “Behind you Chef” |
| Bev Nap | Small, square beverage napkin used under drinks. | “Place a bev nap under every glass on the table.” |
| Busser | A person who clears and sets tables. | “The busser is clearing table 5 now.” |
| Bump it | Removing a pending order from the KDS or rail/board once made. | “Bump it to the line, the order’s ready for prep.” |
| Camper | A customer who lingers after eating and paying. | “We have a camper at table 7; should we offer coffee?” |
| Charcuterie | Platter of cured meats and cheeses. | “They ordered a charcuterie board to share before dinner.” |
| Check Back | Server checks in with customers to see if everything is okay. | “I’ll check back with table 4 in a few minutes.” |
| Chef’s Table | A special table in the kitchen reserved for VIP guests. | “They booked the chef’s table for an exclusive dining experience.” |
| Comp | Giving a dish or meal for free. | “Let’s comp their dessert for the long wait.” |
| Cooked to Order | Food prepared based on a customer’s specific instructions. | “All our dishes are cooked to order, ensuring freshness.” |
| Corner | Used to alert anyone around a corner that can’t be seen when navigating back of house. | “I said “corner,” but he didn’t hear me and we ran into eachother.” |
| Cover | A single customer, counted for service. | “We served 120 covers during the lunch rush today.” |
| Cut | End of a shift for staff. | “You can cut the servers who aren’t needed anymore.” |
| Dead Plate | Food that can’t be served to a customer for various reasons. | “That steak’s been sitting too long, it’s a dead plate now.” |
| Deuce | A table for two people. | “We’ve got a deuce coming in for 7:00 PM.” |
| Double-sat | When a server gets two tables at once. | “I was just double-sat, can you help with drinks?” |
| Drop | Starting to cook a side dish. | “This steak is 5 out, drop the fries.” |
| Drop the Check | Deliver the bill to the customer. | “It’s time to drop the check at table 8.” |
| Entrée | The main course of a meal in North America. | “Here’s your appetizer, any thought on what you’d like as an entrée?” |
| Expeditor | The worker who coordinates orders between kitchen and servers. | “The expeditor ensures everything leaves the kitchen hot and ready.” |
| Expo | Someone who brings food to the table and ensure that each dish is prepared, plated, and served correctly and timely. | “Can I get an expo in the window?” |
| Eyeballing | When experienced chefs estimate ingredients without weighing them to speed up delivery on rushed orders. | “We need a rush on table 5’s order so just eyeball the fries” |
| FIFO | First In, First Out inventory management. First order purchased is first prepared. | “Remember to FIFO the lettuce so it doesn’t spoil.” |
| Fire | Start cooking an order. | “Fire table 9’s mains, please.” |
| Flash | Quickly cooking or heating something at a high temperature. | “Flash those veggies to warm them up before serving.” |
| Front of House (FOH) | Every area of the restaurant that customers see and experience. | “We need more hands in front of house for the dinner rush.” |
| Food Runner/Runner | Staff member who delivers food to tables. | “The runner took the plates out to the dining room.” |
| FSR | Full-Service Restaurant. | “We operate as an FSR, so guests are seated and served by staff.” |
| Garde Manger | Chef responsible for cold dishes. | “He’s working as garde manger tonight, handling salads and appetizers.” |
| Ghost Restaurant | A restraunt that is usually empty and generates almost all of its revenue through food delivery.. | “They operate a ghost restaurant.” |
| Gueridon Service | Tableside preparation and serving of dishes. | “They’re known for their Gueridon service, preparing dishes right at the table.” |
| Hands | A call for servers to help carry food. | “Hands! I need help running these plates to table 6.” |
| Heard | Acknowledgment that an order or request is understood. | “Table 5 wants their steak rare, heard?” |
| Hockey Puck | Overcooked meat, usually a burger. | “This burger’s a hockey puck, we need to make it again.” |
| In the Weeds | Overwhelmed or very busy. | “I’m in the weeds, can someone grab table 3’s drinks?” |
| In the window | Food ready to be served, waiting in the pass-through. | “Order for table 4 is in the window, take it out now.” |
| KDS | Kitchen Display System for orders. | “Check the KDS for the next ticket.” |
| Kill It | Overcook something intentionally. | “They want the steak well-done, so kill it.” |
| Last call | Final opportunity to order drinks or food. | “It’s last call, so let’s get those final orders in.” |
| Line Cooks | Or “chef de partie” in fine dining restaurants, are cooks responsible for a specific station in the kitchen. | “The line cook handles all the grilled items during service.” |
| Lowboy | A refrigerated drawer or under-counter cooler in the prep room. | “Store the dairy in the lowboy for easy access.” |
| Market price | Current price of an item, often seafood. | “The lobster is market price today, ask if they’re okay with that.” |
| Main Course | The central dish of a meal, also known as the entrée. | “For the main course, she ordered the filet mignon.” |
| Maitre d’Hotel | A French term for the head of the host staff, manages service (usually in fine dining restraunts). | “The maitre d’ greeted guests and showed them to their table.” |
| Mise en Place | Prep work and organization done before cooking. | “Everything should be mise en place before service starts.” |
| Misfire | When an order is incorrectly prepared. | “We’ve got a misfire on table 7, that steak needs to be medium, not rare.” |
| Mods | A specific request on an order, such as extra seasoning or different type of sauce with their food. | “The steak has a mod, extra seasoning.” |
| No-Show | A reservation that doesn’t show up. | “We had two no-shows tonight, so we’ve got open tables.” |
| Nuke it | Microwave food to heat it quickly. | “Just nuke that soup to get it up to temp.” |
| Omakase | Chef-selected meal, common in Japanese dining. | “They went with the omakase, so the chef will choose their dishes.” |
| On the Fly | An urgent request for a quick order. | “We need a salad on the fly for table 12.” |
| One star | A low rating often given in reviews. | “They left a one-star review because of the slow service.” |
| Overhead | Ongoing costs of running a restaurant. | “Our overhead includes rent, utilities, and staff wages.” |
| Pages | The amount full pages of orders the cooks have left in the system to prepare, 1 page varies from 10-25 orders | “We have 16 pages open” |
| Party | A group of diners together. | “The party of six just arrived for their 7:00 PM reservation.” |
| Pass Through | The area connecting the kitchen and dining room where food is placed when it’s ready to be served. | “Pick up the steak from the pass through and take it to table 7.” |
| Pick Up | Process of taking food from the kitchen to the table. | “Pick up entrées for table 5.” |
| POS | Point of Sale system for processing orders and payments. | “Enter the order into the POS so the kitchen can see it.” |
| Prix fixe | A set menu with a fixed price. | “They’re offering a prix fixe menu for the holidays.” |
| Pump it Out | Call to quickly prepare and serve dishes. | “We’ve got a full house, let’s pump it out, team!” |
| Push It | Urge the kitchen to speed up preparation. | “Push it on table 8’s order, they’ve been waiting a while.” |
| Quote | Estimated wait time given to customers for seating. | “The quote for a table is about 30 minutes.” |
| QSR | Quick-Service Restaurant, also known as fast food. | “They prefer QSRs because of the fast service.” |
| The rail/board | Area where order tickets are placed for the kitchen. | “Grab the tickets off the rail and start cooking.” |
| Rollup | Wrapping silverware in a napkin. | “Finish your rollups before the dinner rush starts.” |
| Run | Deliver food or drinks to a table. | “Can someone run these appetizers to table 3?” |
| Saucier | Chef specializing in sauces and sautéed dishes. | “The saucier is prepping the béarnaise sauce for tonight’s special.” |
| Scripting | Pre-planned dialogue servers use with guests. | “The server followed the scripting when describing the specials.” |
| Server | The person who takes orders and serves food. | “The server will be with you shortly to take your order.” |
| Shadow | Training technique where a new staff member follows an experienced one. | “The new hire is shadowing the senior server tonight.” |
| Shorting | Not delivering the full order, usually due to a mistake or shortage. | “We’re shorting table 12’s order; they’ll get their sides in a moment.” |
| Sidework | Tasks done before or after shifts, like setting tables. | “Complete your sidework before clocking out.” |
| Signature Dish | A dish a restaurant is famous for. | “Our signature dish is the truffle pasta, known for its rich flavor.” |
| Silent service | Serving guests with minimal interaction to avoid disruption. | “The staff practiced silent service during the VIP event.” |
| Sommelier | A wine expert who helps with wine selection. | “Ask the sommelier to recommend a wine pairing for the steak.” |
| SOS | Sauce on the Side, a request to serve sauce separately. | “The customer requested their salad with SOS.” |
| Sous-Chef | Second-in-command in the kitchen, assisting the head chef. | “The sous-chef is managing the kitchen tonight.” |
| Staging | A trial period where a cook works temporarily to learn or demonstrate skills. | “She’s staging at the restaurant to gain experience before applying full-time.” |
| Station | Specific area in the kitchen where certain dishes are prepared. | “He’s working the salads station tonight.” |
| Stiffed | Not receiving a tip from a customer. | “I got stiffed on that big table, no tip at all.” |
| Still Mooing | Meat that’s very rare, barely cooked. | “The customer wanted their steak still mooing, so cook it rare.” |
| Stretch It | Make a dish go further by adding more ingredients. | “We’re low on pasta, so stretch it by adding more sauce.” |
| Sub | Short for substitute, like swapping one ingredient for another. | “They want to sub fries for a salad.” |
| Table d’Hôte | A multi-course set menu that is offered at a fixed price. | “The restaurant offers a table d’hôte menu for special occasions.” |
| Table Service | Where a server takes orders and brings food to the table. | “Our restaurant prides itself on excellent table service.” |
| Table Sharing | When guests share a table with strangers. | “During busy hours, table sharing is encouraged to seat more guests.” |
| Table/Ticket stacking | Placing multiple orders at the same time for efficiency. | “The kitchen is stacking tickets during the rush to get orders out faster.” |
| Table Turns | The number of times a table is seated and served during a shift. | “We had four table turns during the dinner service.” |
| Tare | The weight of a container, subtracted to determine the weight of its contents. | “Make sure to tare the scale before weighing the ingredients.” |
| Top | Refers to the number of people in a dining party at a table. | “We have a 6-top reservation for 8:00 PM.” |
| Tourne | A knife cut that shapes vegetables into small, cork-like shapes. | “The chef is demonstrating the tourne cut for the new staff.” |
| Turn and Burn | Quickly serve a table to seat new customers as fast as possible. | “Let’s turn and burn table 3 to seat the waiting guests.” |
| Upsell | Encouraging customers to buy more expensive items or add-ons. | “The server upsold the steak by suggesting a side of truffle fries.” |
| Use first | A reminder to use older inventory before newer stock. | “Always use the older lettuce first to reduce waste.” |
| Veg | Short for vegetables. | “The kitchen is prepping the veg for tonight’s service.” |
| VIP | A very important person, who may receive special attention or service. | “We have a VIP coming in tonight, make sure their table is perfect.” |
| Walk in | A large fridge where ingredients are stored or a customer without a reservation. | “Grab the tomatoes from the walk-in cooler” or “I sat the walk-in at table 14.” |
| Walked | When a customer leaves without paying or employee who left early. | “The party at table 4 walked, and now we have to cover the bill.” |
| Waxing the table | Flawlessly serving a table from start to finish usually for VIP’s. | “The server was waxing the table all night, the guests were impressed.” |
| Well Drinks | Basic mixed drinks made with lower-cost liquor. | “The happy hour special includes well drinks for $5.” |
| Window | The pass-through area where food is placed when ready to be served. | “The burgers are in the window, ready to go.” |
| Working | Describes a dish that’s currently being prepared. | “The pasta for table 6 is working, it’ll be ready soon.” |
