If you’ve ever talked to your friends who’ve worked in a restaurant and you can’t understand what the hell they’re talking about, it’s probably because you’ve never been introduced to the restaurant lingo. There is very much a different language in the restaurant than in the real world. So many things have different names and sometimes it can be very confusing unless you know the language. However, it’s imperative to learn the language of the restaurant if you want to succeed, otherwise people are just going to look at you like you’re a tool bag. We don’t want that, do we? Here are a list of terms commonly used in most restauarants around the country.
86 - Can mean either “get rid of”, or “out of” a certain product.
All Day - The total amount of a required dish to one kitchen station.
Apps - Appetizers.
BOH- Back of House. Includes: Prep, Line Cooks, Dishwasher, Expediter.
Bev Nap - A Beverage Napkin on which the ordered drink sits.
Busser - A FoH employee that’s job is to clean and reset tables and bring dirty dishes/glassware to the dishwasher
Campers - Customers that linger for longer than desired times.
Cambro - Also called a Lexan. A large plastic topped pan that stores food product.
Chef de Partie - Station chefe, or line-cooks.
COGS - Cost of Goods. Generally what the food costs to make prior to adding overhead costs.
Closer - the FoH or BoH employees that stay until the end of the shift, to make sure that other employees perform their closing work. Usually the last employees to leave the restaurant.
Closing work - Work that is required to be performed by servers after they have been cut.
Commis - An apprentice who works under the Chef de Partie.
Comp - To give something away for free, either because of a mistake or to please customers.
Cut - To release an employee from the shift....
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