Restaurant Glossary

Restaurant

Terminology...

ABCD AWARD - An award given to employees who go above and beyond in their work to encourage
them to excel in their work.
BACKORDERED - When you order a product the is not in stock and will be shipped at a later date
BOGO - Buy one, get one free.
BOUNCE
BACK
COUPON A
coupon
given
to
the
customer
after
the
sale,
The purpose is to get the customer to come back to redeem it within a certain time period. It is
important to save and track these coupons for future campaigns.
BREAK-EVEN POINT - A break even point is the minimum amount of sales that a restaurant must
achieve in order to cover all costs. The amount that is left would be considered the profit.
CASH-IN SHEET - A cash-in is used to account for all money during an employee's shift.
CASUAL DINING - A restaurant providing sit-down service in a causal, relaxed atmosphere. Menu
prices are moderate and dress is casual.
COMPANY CULTURE - The environment, effecting the decisions made in your restaurant concerning
how problems are dealt with and staff management.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS - Gathering information information about your competitors, the services
they offer, prices, coupons, special incentives for employees and/or customers, vendors, etc., for the
purpose of competing with them.
CORE MENU CONCEPT - The main type of menu you offer, having to do with your restaurant
concept.
Corrosion-resistant materials - surfaces that will maintain their original qualities when they come
in contact with cleaning solutions, foods, etc.
CORPORATION Setting
up
an
ownership
that
is
separate
from
Business owners do this to protect their personal non-business assets from lawsuits.

the

owners.

CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK - the process of letting employees know what the correct procedures are in
you business.
COST OF GOODS - The daily, weekly, monthly or yearly total dollar amount of all inventoried items
that have been used in the restaurant.
CROSS CONTAMINATION - Cross contamination occurs when bacteria, chemicals, etc. from one
product are allowed come into contact with another product. An example would be storing vegetables
under a meat product in your cooler and the juices dripping onto the product below.

CURB SIGN - A sign placed outside your business, allowing you to place specials, menus or artwork.
DAY-PART - The menu time period when menu items are served in your restaurant, such as the
breakfast menu, lunch menu and dinner menu.
DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEYS - Conducting a survey to determine consumer habits according to age,
gender, income, race, etc. that will help you decide if a restaurant or menu item will be successful in
your area.
Dramshop laws - laws concerning establishments serving alcoholic beverages to the public.
DRINK COST - Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly dollar cost total of of all items pertaining to the cost of
drink sales inventoried in your restaurant.
Dual-Branding - when two or more brand name operations are located in the same retail space.
FSI - Direct/free standing inserts are advertisements or messages that are mailed to postal patrons or
inserted in newspapers.
EGRESS - having to do with how easy it is for your customers to exit your restaurant parking lot.
FEASIBILITY STUDY - A study done to see if your concept will work.
FIFO - Rotating and using products according to date of expiration or when they were received
(always date all products when you receive them).
FIXED COSTS leases and loans.

The

ongoing

permanent

costs

that

do

not

vary,

such

as

rent,

FOOD CONTACT SURFACES - -All surfaces that come in contact with food.
FRANCHISING - The decision to market your business, services or goods for a fee or a per-cent of
the gross sales. Restaurants can draw up a franchise agreement allowing others to use their name,
advertising, expertise and concept for a fee.
FRANCHISEE - Someone who owns a franchise.
FRONT OF THE HOUSE - The part of your restaurant where your customer goes. These areas can be,
the entry area, the public bathrooms, the dining area and conference room areas.
FULL SERVICE - full service restaurant is one where a wait person is there to see to the customer's
every need
GOODWILL - The value of your business/business assets or the positive reputation/feelings you have
built up with your customers.
HACCP -( Hazard analysis control point system) It helps ensure food handling errors do not occur and
that safe food is served to your customers.
HOLD TIME - The time you are allowed to hold an item before it begins to break down.
HQSC - Hospitality, quality, service, and cleanliness.

HVAC - Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning

IMAGE ADVERTISING - Determining the good qualities of your product and advertising that good
quality.
INGRESS - having to do with how easy it is for your customers can enter your restaurant parking
area.
Kitchenware -multi use utensils other than tableware.
LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (LLC) - according to wikipedia.org is a legal form of business
company in the United States offering limited liability to its owners.
LTO - Stands for "A limited time offer." Used in advertising letting the customer know that the special
sale, offer or product will only be offered for a limited time.
MARGIN MARKUP -Has to do with the price the manufacturer charges the distributor and the
amount he is charging you. This allows you to negotiate prices with your distributor.
MARKET PENETRATION - Having to do with growing your business to get more of the market share.
MARKET SATURATION - Having to do with how will your product will do in a market in regards with
how much the market is already saturated with like products.
Meat Jobber - A distributor or wholesaler that sales to restaurants.
MENU MIX - Determing how much each product receives from the gross sales in your restaurant.
MYSTERY SHOPPER - Someone who is asked to visit a restaurant and evaluate its performance
NET SALES - This is the actual dollar amount of all items sold, excluding sales tax.
OPEN-DOOR POLICY - The policy in your restaurant that lets employees know you are always free to
talk about their concerns.
OUTSOURCING - Paying for a job done by someone who is not under your employment.
PAID-OUTS - Money taken from the register to purchase items with cash for the restaurant. Always
keep a record of each transaction and a receipt.
PARTNERSHIP - When two or more people go into business together and share all liability, assets
and profits.
PASS STATION - Refers to an area of the restaurant where food is passed from the kitchen to with
wait staff.
PERCEIVED VALUE - Your customer's value that they attach to your product or service.
POINT OF DISTINCTION - The point of where your restaurant differs from all others.
POINT OF PURCHASE - This usually refers to the place where your customers pay for their items.

PRESS RELEASE - The primary tool used to tell your story. It is a brief, concise story that is
submitted to the media for possible publication. It should include the five W's -who, what, where,
when and why.
PRIME INTEREST RATE - Banks have an interest rate reserved for their most credit-worthy
customers.
PRODUCTIVITY - A measure of scheduling efficiency.
QUICK SERVICE - QSR-quick service restaurant, usually considered a fast food restaurant.
REPRIMAND - A notice or action given to employees who disregard your restaurant policies. All
reprimands should be documented and kept in the employee files.
SAFE MATERIALS- referring to materials that will not negatively impact a food product.
SANITIZING - A cleaning process to remove anything unclean.
SINGLE SERVICE ARTICLES - Disposable tableware, carry out utensils designed for one-time or one
person use.
SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP - A business that is owned and operated by one person.
STAIR-STEPPING - Scheduling employees at different intervals with to improve productivity.
STREETFIGHTING - Marketing your store in your actual neighborhood (distributing flyers on car
windshields, donating food to businesses, working with community based organizations, etc.
TABLE TURNS - How many times a table in restaurant is used to serve a new customer.
Tableware - eating, drinking and serving utensils for the table.
TARGET MARKET ANALYSIS - Determining who your customers are and designing marketing
towards their profile.
TRADE AREA - The area surrounding your business, which provides your major customer base.
TRAFFIC COUNTS - Surveys of actual foot traffic or motor traffic passing your restaurant.
TRIPLE-NET LEASE - A lease requiring the person leasing to pay all expenses (utilities, taxes,
insurance, maintenance, etc.) in addition to the rent.
WASTE FACTOR - Adding a percentage to food costs to account for food waste or loss.
YIELD - The total amount that is usable in a product after unusable parts are removed.
UTENSILE - tableware and kitchenware, that is used to cook or eat food.
VARIABLE COSTS - The costs in your business that do not remain the same such as cost of goods.

A GLOSSARY OF RESTAURANT LINGO,

SLANG & TERMS
Heather Turner March 19, 2012 Food Service 160 Comments

Facebook

Twitter

Google +

LinkedIn

Pinterest

We at Tundra Restaurant Supply wanted to put

together one of the most complete guides to restaurant lingo, terms and slang. Do any of these
sound familiar? Sound off on terms we may have missed by commenting below!
Click these links to jump to a letter to look up a term:
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVW
And dont forget to add your own terms to the comment section below!

A
* All Day The total amount. If table 12 orders two orders of salmon and table 19 orders four orders
of salmon, thats six salmon, all day.

B
* Back of the house The back end of the restaurant, the kitchen and storage areas, where the
chefs, cooks, prep people and dishwashers primarily work.
* Bev Nap The little square paper napkin which a beverage rests on.
* Brigade System The kitchen organization system instituted by Auguste Escoffier. Each position
has a station and a set of well defined responsibilities.
* Bubble Dancer A disrespectful name for one of the most valuable and unrecognized of kitchen
staff the dishwasher.
* Buried See In the weeds. Way behind. Overwhelmed.

C
* Cambro A large plastic pan used for storage of perishables and non-perishables. The term
Cambro derives from the company that makes these containers. Also referred to as a Lexan (from a
competing company).
* Campers Customers that hang out at a table all night long and even turning off all the lights
doesnt get rid of them at closing time.
* Cant cook his/her way out of a paper bag Someone who cant cook well, usually applied to
describe someone thats a terrible cook/chef but thinks that he or she is the greatest. The origin of
this phrase is used for many different things. A good explanation of some is found
at: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=28317
* Chef de Partie Station chefs. In the brigade system, these are the line cook positions, such as
saucier, grillardin, etc.
* Commis An apprentice. A cook who works under the Chef de Partie to learn the station and
responsibilities.
* Comp To give something away free. Usually done by owners or managers to get brownie points
from important customers. Also used to smooth over problems. i.e. Table 12s chicken was raw!
Comp the whole table desserts and coffee!
* Cover A customer, i.e.It was a slow night, We only did 20 covers tonight.
* Credits An amount that is due back to a restaurant from the vendor for a mis-picked, damaged or
out of date product. See mis-picked.
* Cremate it or Kill it To almost burn something or be very overcooked; i.e Table 5 wants his
burger cremated (extra extra well done).
* Cryovaced Generally used with meat products, but many dried goods are packed this way to
retain freshness. Cryovacing is a process used to remove any excess oxygen from a bag, and then
the bag is heat sealed to make it airtight. When receiving meat products that have been cryovaced,
keep a look out for products that are discolored and brown-looking, this means the airtight seal has
been broken and you should send the product back.

* Deuce A table with only two seating spaces. For example, Seat this deuce at Table 12 (see
Top).
* Double Two shifts in a row; e.g. Im exhausted, I just pulled a double.
* Double/Triple Sat When more than one table is seated in a particular station at the same time.
* Dupe The ticket/information that gets submitted to the kitchen so the cooks can cook orders of
food.
* Drop the Cheque Taking a guests bill to their table for payment.
* Drop Start cooking the accompanied item; e.g. The mussels are almost done, better drop the
calamari.
* Drop Food/Order The moment at which the kitchen begins to prepare a guests food or the
moment a server delivers an order to the customers; e.g. I just dropped the drinks on table 4.
* Dying/Dead Plate Food that is nearly or totally unservable, either due to temperature,
appearance, the waitstaff talking to look to pick up from the hot line or wrong ingredients; for
example, My shrimps dying in the window, because I dont have veg (accompanying vegetables) to
go with it! (Also called beyond in the weeds.)

E
* Early Bird Generally elderly people or tourists who want everything included for very little money.
The $12.95 all you can eat buffet.
* Early Bird Special A cheap meal that is generally available for a limited amount of time when the
restaurant opens for service.
* Eighty-six, 86 Were out of Sams! (Sam Adams) 86 it! or the kitchen is out of the item ordered.
To remove an item from an order or from the menu because the kitchen or bar is out.
* Expeditor, Expo Person in charge of organizing food from the kitchen and sending it to the
dining room; a mediator of the line.

F
* Fire, Fire it Order given by the head of the line to the other cooks to begin preparation of certain
orders, such as Fire those shepherds pies!
* Foodie (Depending on context) The bane of cooks and chefs everywhere, a Wanna-Be
professional cook/chef. There is nothing more irritating then going to a dinner party or meeting at a
restaurant with a group of people and there is always at least one Foodie attending who proceeds
to tell you all about how he/she made the most fabulous chicken dish. etc etc. until you just want to
strangle them

ZZZ

* Food cost What a menu item costs to prepare. The cost of a chicken entre with meat, sauce,
vegetables and starch is your food cost. Most restaurants run between a 30-40% food cost, this
does not include the cost of overhead that needs to get added in before you start making a profit.
* Front of the house The front end of the restaurant, the dining room and bar where the
customers are served and wait staff, bartenders, bussers and dining room managers primarily work.

G
* Garde-Manager Pantry chef/station. The position responsible for cold food preparation, including
salads, cold appetizers and plating desserts.

H
* Hockey Puck A well done hamburger.

I
* In the Weeds Can have meanings for both the front and back of the house. The kitchen being in
the weeds can mean having only one 2 ft by 3 ft grill and having 40 people order medium well steaks
in the space of five minutes. In the front of the house, it could mean one server just had two parties
of 15 seated at the same time and they all want separate checks.

J
* Jeopardy/Wheel of Fortune Crowd Early bird diners. Need to be home early or looking for
cheap meals that include everything.

K
* Kill it To make something very overcooked; see Cremate it.

M
* Mispick An item that is ordered from a vendor that has a label on it that does not match the
product it contains.

N
* No Call/No Show Employee who does not show up and does not call or a Reservation that does
not show up and does not call.
* Nuke it to Microwave.

O
* On a Rail or On the Fly Something needed quickly, like yesterday. I need table 2s salads on a
rail! Or, Give me a well done tenderon the fly.
* Overhead The added in factors when you are costing out menu products to make sure you are
making a profit. Overhead may include electricity costs, paper and chemical products, employee
salaries and any additional costs that may be relevant in serving an item.

P
* Paddy Well A term used very frequently in Irish Pubs and Restaurants, which means to cook it
until there is no possibility of life remaining. The next level above Cremate it.
* Party A group of people at a table.
* Pittsburgh Rare Burnt outside, rare inside.
* Pump it out Getting food out quickly.

* Push- Sell it. Put it in the window or We only have two orders of sole left, push it.

R
* Redneck The non-tipping public, not related to a rural type person, meaning a cheapskate. See
stiffs.
* Rollup Silverware rolled into a napkin, usually linen but can be paper.

S
* Sacked Fired, usually employees are considered sacked after a major screw up, like serving a
banquet of 200 people the $100.00 bottles of Dom Perignon champagne instead of the $12.95
bottles that they were supposed to get.
* Saucier Saut Chef/station. The chef de partie responsible for all the sauted items and their
sauces.
* Server The preferred term for waiter or waitress, for example, Could you find my server, please,
I need a refill on my Pepsi.
* Shelf life The amount of time in storage that a product can maintain quality, freshness and
edibility.
* Sidework Work performed by front of the house staff (e.g., refilling salt and pepper shakers,
polishing silverware).
* Shoe A slacker cook/chef. Someone who doesnt cook well. The only origin for this word that I
know of was told to me by a European Chef I worked for. The term Shoe came from the fact that in
Europe most Chefs in the Northern regions wore wooden clogs in the kitchen. A bad or clumsy
chef/cook used to stumble a lot and was made fun of by the other cooks and chefs.
* Shoe Chef (The Sous Chef) See Shoe, sometimes accompanied by the phrase The Shoe Chef
at (my restaurant) cant cook his/her way out of a paper bag.
* Shorting An unscrupulous method used by some vendors to charge a restaurant for more
product than they actually receive.
* Sizzle Platter Heavy grade metal oval plate that is used to reheat or cook something in a high
temperature oven.
* Skate Leaving without doing side-work.
* Slammed Busy. See In The Weeds. Perhaps not as out of control as in the weeds.
* Sommelier Wine Steward or wine waiter.
* Sous Chef Generally the second in command in a kitchen; there can be an Executive Sous
Chef, generally found in a larger kitchen with a lot of staff. The Sous Chef runs the kitchen when its
the Chefs day off or he/she is not available.
* Starch Starch can be potatoes, rice, grain or pasta, the other accompaniment besides the Veg
to an plated meal.
* Station The set number of tables waited on by a particular server.
* Stiffed A customer has left the restaurant without tipping the server.
* Stiffs Non-tipping customers, see redneck.

* Still Moving or Still Mooing Ultra rare, they want the tender (tenderloin) still Mooing.
* Stretch It To make four orders of hollandaise sauce last through an entire shift by stretching it
with whatever is available and edible.

T
* Table Turn Number of times a table has had the full revolution of service from being seated to
getting the check and then reset for the next group of customers.
* Tare The weight of a container that the product from a vendor is delivered in. This weight should
legally be deducted from the actual weight of the product. See shorting.
* Tender A tenderloin.
* The Man, the Boogie Man Health Inspector. Wash your hands, The Man is here! Better mop
the walk-in, the Boogie Mans coming in 10 minutes.
* Top The number in a dining party. For example, an eight top is a dining party of eight. A three top
is a party of three.
* Toss An unscrupulous method used by some vendors to make a box look like its full of product.
* Totes Plastic containers that are usually used to deliver fish. They are frequently rectangular but
sometimes square or round. Totes are horded by kitchen staff because once washed and sanitized,
they make excellent airtight storage containers for just about anything.
* Tourne Vegetables that are cut to resemble a small, slightly tapered cork, but instead of being
smooth they are cut to have seven equally large facets. Generally root vegetables, potatoes, carrots,
but sometimes zucchini or other soft vegetables are used. Traditionally, they are boiled, steamed or
roasted.
* Turn & Burn Turn a table quickly (usually because there is a long waiting list for tables). see
Table Turn
* Tron Old 80s slang for a waiter or waitress.
* Two second rule The amount of time between when a piece of food hits the floor and when its
picked up and placed in a saut pan or on a plate, generally accompanied by a guilty look to see if
anyone else saw it.

U
* Upsell To suggest a higher priced item. Id like a glass of merlot, please. suggesting Iron Horse
at $6.00 a glass as opposed to the house vino at $4.00 a glass.

V
* Veg The vegetable accompaniment to a plated meal.
* VIP A very important customer, perhaps well known and deserving of extra special treatment.
Food critics fall into this category. Generally accompanied by many Comps.

* Waitron Coined in late 80s to avoid using sexist terms Waiter/Waitress. Was replaced in the
90s by Server.
* Walk-in A refrigerated room for cold storage of perishable items.
* Walked A customer has left without paying the bill or a employee get fed up and just left in the
middle of their shift.
* Window A shelf, usually heated and connected to the kitchen, upon which the food is placed
after preparation and awaiting delivery to the table.
* Well drinks Well drinks are made from the inexpensive house liquors on hand. i.e. If you ask
for a unspecified gin and tonic you will get whatever gin they serve as opposed to a Tanqueray and

ABOUT MAX'S RESTAURANT

Max's Restaurant's beginnings started in 1945, after World War II. Maximo Gimenez, a Stanford educated teacher, befriended the American occupation troops stationed at Quezon City. Because of
this friendship, the soldiers regularly visited Maximo's nearby home for a drink or two. Later on, the
troops insisted that they pay for their drinks. This prompted Maximo to open a cafe, where the troops
could enjoy food and drinks.

The cafe initially served chicken, steak and drinks. Maximo's niece,Ruby, who managed the kitchen,
created a special recipe for chicken that became an instant favorite for the GIs. Soon, the Filipino
public heard about the delicious chicken-tender, juicy and crispy-and they came too! Max's
Restaurant was born.
Over the years, Max's Restaurant's popularity grew and it became known as "the house that fried
chicken built." It has expanded in Metro Manila, Southern and Northern Luzon, Cebu, and to
California and other places in the United States. It has also expanded to Canada. It will soon open
restaurants in other countries as well.

Max's Restaurant has established itself as a household name in the Philippines, an institution, and a
proud Filipino tradition. The second and third generations of the family continue to zealously uphold
the standards and traditions set by Maximo and Ruby for all Max's Restaurants.

Today,dynamic individuals interested and willing to invest in the long-standing tradition of quality
which Max's Restaurant offers can invest in Max's. It opened its doors to franchising in the second
quarter of 1998. This is an opportunity to join the thriving food service industry in the Philippines.
tonic.

Five Star Beers In Five Star Establishment

Reviewed July 26, 2016 via mobile

Restaurace A Pivovar Marina is a five star restaurant and pub that offers its
own microbrewed beers and serves excellent meals.Located in the
neighborhood area of Prague called Holeovice and housed in an old
customs house on the banks of the Vitava river which has been completely
renovated inside as well as outside to the highest standard.Restaurace A
Pivovar Marina has a very upmarket multi-roomed interior and upstairs
seating.The main pub part to this area is located were the brewing kettles
are on display.This is a massive interior with an open lofted ceiling and
upstairs seating.Lots of wooden fixtures and features in here and this area
is a joy to spend a few hours in relaxing and having a few beers.The other
area to here is'to me the main restaurant part to this fine establishment and
is very upmarket with lots of ornate fixtures and features and its own
bar.The whole interior has amazing light features and Restaurace A Pivovar
Marina is in my opinion one of the most elegant establishments in the
whole of Prague.To top it off they have excellent outside seating options at
the side and the front of here.We went here after visiting a few pubs and
bars around this area of Prague.When here we sat in the pub part to this
fine restaurant and pub and ordered a couple of glasses each of the beers
brewed on sight.The beers we had were excellent and price wise great
value for money.This is one of my favourite restaurants and pubs in Prague
as it ticks all the boxes to me.It is a first rate restaurant and pub it has a
fantastic interior and serves great beers and meals.
If ever you get a chance of visiting Prague and you are in this area go in
and sample the beers or meals on offer in here you won't be
disappointed.Located on Jankocova street very easy to find from tram stop
Maniny walk along Dlnick street onto Jankocova street a five minute
walk.(This is my 2nd review of Restaurace A Pivovar Marina).
Opening hours are.
Monday-Sunday-11.00-00.00.
Nearest metro or tram.
Tram Stop-Maniny-01-12-25-26-54.

https://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/ShowUserReviews-g274707-d3954683-r397284904Restaurace_a_Pivovar_Marina-Prague_Bohemia.html#