Kitchen Chronicles
We Have Our Own Lingo In The Restaurant Business and It Is Awesome
There is a very special language we speak in the restaurant business. We take it for granted but it is important to know. It is actually amazing when I think about it because it is universal, any restaurant, in any language has basically the same lingo.
Working in a restaurant is fun, stressful, fast paced, lots of shit talking, etc… I love it and I love the pace and our special language.
Learn to talk like a pro!
OK! Lets learn our vocabulary.
First don’t be a camper at a busy restaurant. We want to turn tables so we end up with more covers.
Camper– people who sit and take up a table after their bill is paid. Go somewhere else, we have people waiting for the table and the poor server is losing opportunity because we can’t..
Turn the table-exactly as it sounds. We want to turn the table so we get more…
Covers- one customer served equals one cover.
So you and you significant other go to the restaurant without a reservation (reso). This makes you a walk in (walk in is also a big refrigeration unit you can walk in which is different than a reach in). Since there are two of you, you are looking for a two top, a table for two sometimes called a deuce.
The hostess sits you and the table next to you has 6 people. We refer to that table as a Big Top.
If you do make a reso make sure you show up or you will be a no show. Very bad!!!
Did you know many restaurants turn their floor (seating area) into all two tops on Valentines Day
Ok! You get the point Here is a quick list of FOH terms!
Part 2 is BOH (back of the house) lingo, Coming Soon. Which is a lot of fun.
Comped- food or drink given for free. You may comp to solve a problem like slow service or because there is a special occasion.
Closer-closers are the FOH people that stay to close the restaurant. Usually servers because other positions like bussers and runners cost more.
The openers open the restaurant and do all the side duties (rolling silverware, setting tables etc)
The openers work until they are cut when the restaurant slows down and they are no longer needed, also there aren’t enough tables for all the servers to make money. This helps the closer still make good money.
Corked- when a bottle of wine goes bad. When the server or sommelier present you the bottle and the cork it is to see if the wine is good. IT IS NOT TO SEE IF YOU LIKE THE WINE!!!
Don’t smell the cork or you look unsophisticated and the servers will be laughing behind your back. The cork is presented so you can make sure it matches the bottle. Be the cool person, don’t touch the cork!
Dead-very slow shift
Double Sat, Triple Sat– when the host or hostess seats multiple tables in the same servers section right in a row. This adds a lot of stress for the server and we avoid it as much as possible.
Sometimes it happen because the server has a desirable section like a patio or the host needs more training. The server usually ends up in the weeds.
Weeds or Weeded– When a server gets overwhelmed and goes on tilt.
So, your server arrives at your table and takes your order. They head over to the POS. Ha! Not what you think but there are a lot of POS in the industry.
POS– point of sale
There is a brief lesson on our lingo!
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