| Term | Definition | Example | Notes |
| 86 | An item that you have run out of, or are not currently offering | 86 the cod | ONLY to be used with colleagues, NEVER with guests |
| All in | All reservations and guests have been sat for a given shift | We’re all in | |
| Auction (Food/Drinks) | Announcing the items to the guests as they are being delivered to the table to determine which guest gets which item, usually due to a lack of knowledge or use of seat #s | Food runners should never auction the food at a table | NOT a best practice! Avoid auctioning items whenever possible! |
| Behind | Used to make another person aware of your presence if they cannot see you when passing | Behind! | |
| BOH | Back of House. Refers to all kitchen, non-service staff | All the BOH employees work in the kitchen | Sometimes referred to as HOH (Heart of House) |
| Busser | Server assistant OR back server/waiter | The busser helps clear tables | Server assistant, busser and back server/waiter are used interchangeably, and usually vary by culture/location and outlet structure |
| Camping (out) | When guests are staying an unusually long amount of time at a table | Table 41 is camping out | |
| Captain | The highest ranking member of the line-level service staff | The captain is in charge of directing the servers and bussers | NON-management. Not applicable in all locations and/or outlets |
| Coaster | A cardboard, cloth or metal underliner for drinks or bottles, used to collect condensation and prevent moisture on the table | Always use a coaster underneath drinks served in a rocks glass | Different outlets will have different policies of when to use a coaster |
| Comp | Short for complimentary, meaning free of charge | We are sending the VIP on table 41 comp desserts | Can pertain to an item, or an entire check. Can be used as a verb – i.e. we are comping table 41’s check |
| Corked | A specific fault found in some wines, usually characterized by an unpleasant smell (i.e. wet dog, wet newspaper) | The guest sent the wine back because he thought it was corked | |
| Count | Quantity of an item left before it becomes 86’d | Can you give me a count on the cod? | |
| Cover | A guest, usually used for counting purposes | We did 100 covers tonight OR reset table 41 for 4 covers | |
| Dish Tank/Pit | The dishwasher station, where all dirty dishes are placed, and recently washed clean dishes that are ready for service are stored before use | All dirty dishes should be brought directly to the dish tank | a.k.a. dish pit, dishwash, dish station, dishwasher |
| Don’t Make | Commonly used modifier to indicate that the item being modified as such should not be made | I rang in the Cabernet “Don’t Make” since I poured it already | |
| Double (Shift) | Working 2 consecutive shifts (usually breakfast & lunch or lunch & dinner) | I’m working a double on Saturday | |
| Double Seat/Sat | Having more than 1 table sat in a section within a very close time proximity of each other | I got double sat earlier, which is why I was so busy! | |
| Drop (Check) | Presenting the check to a table | I just dropped the check on table 41 | |
| Drop (Food/Drinks) | Presenting food or drinks to a table | I just dropped appetizers on table 41 | |
| Dupe | Paper ticket (usually from a printer that is linked to Micros), used by the kitchen and bar to indicate items that have been ordered and need to be produced | I’m missing the dupe for table 41, which is why their cod never got served | a.k.a “ticket”. Slang abbreviation for “duplicate” since most tickets have 2-3 copies to distribute to stations for production |
| Dupe Pad | The pad of paper on which orders are written down when taking them from the guest. NOT linked to Micros | I wrote the order down on my dupe pad | a.k.a. order pad. Slang abbreviation for “duplicate” since most pads use carbon paper to produce 2-3 copies to distribute to stations for production |
| Expeditor | The employee and/or Chef that helps organize and distribute the food as it’s produced and ready in the kitchen | The expeditor works closely with the food runners to make sure the food gets out of the kitchen efficiently | a.k.a. expo. May also refer to the position on the line – i.e. Chef is working expo tonight |
| Fire | Used to tell the kitchen (when) to start preparing the next course | Fire course 2 on table 41 | |
| FOH | Front of House. Refers to all service, non-kitchen staff | All the FOH employees work in the dining room | |
| Full House | All of the tables are occupied and the restaurant is at full capacity. May also refer to the hotel being at full capacity | We have a full house tonight OR we had a full house last week, we we’re running at 100% occupancy | ONLY to be used with colleagues, NEVER with guests |
| In the Weeds or Weeded | Extremely busy and/or unable to keep up with the necessary tasks in a station | I was in the weeds in section 3 tonight | a.k.a. slammed |
| Line-Level | All NON-Management staff | All line-level employees are paid hourly | |
| Line-Up | The pre-shift meeting | Line-up is at 10:30am | a.k.a. pre-shift, pre-meal or daily briefing |
| Management | All NON-Line level employees | The management team is in charge of scheduling | |
| Mark | Place the necessary wares on the table for service | I marked table 41 for main courses | |
| Micros | This the brand of POS used at all Four Seasons properties. Used frequently to refer to the actual computer terminal at which all transactions take place | I spent an extra 5 minutes on Micros while entering all of the special requests on table 41 | The Four Seasons uses Micros as their POS system in all locations, so the terms Micros/POS are used interchangeably |
| Mise [pronounced meez] | Place the necessary wares on the table for service | I mise-d table 41 for main courses | Short for mise en place. A French term that roughly translates to “put” |
| Mise en Place – Dining Room [pronounced meez on plahs] | The necessary wares for service | Make sure you have your mise en place setup at the side station before the shift starts | A French term that roughly translates to “put in place” |
| Mise en Place – Kitchen | The necessary prepped food for service | The cook took care of his mise en place before starting his shift | A French term that roughly translates to “put in place” |
| [pronounced meez on plahs] |
| Modify (Modifier) | A word or phrase used to indicate a special or standard modification that is needed for a food or beverage item | The guest requested spinach instead of potatoes, so I modified the cod “no spinach sub potatoes” | A variation on “modification” |
| Neat | Served un-chilled with no mixer. Used only for liquor | Table 41 ordered a Macallan 12 neat | |
| No Call/No Show | An employee that has not shown up for a scheduled shift and has not called prior to the shift to let anyone know they are going to be absent | Joe was a no call/no show yesterday | Can also be used as a verb – i.e. Joe no call/no showed yesterday |
| No Show | A party that does not fulfil their reservation | The Smith party was a no show | |
| Occupancy | The percentage of hotel rooms that are occupied at any given time | We’re at 100% occupancy this week because of the convention being in town | |
| On the Fly | Prepared as quickly as possible | I need a cod for table 41 on the fly | |
| Order Fire | An item that is prepared immediately and automatically once the order is sent to the kitchen | I rang in the cod order fire for seat 3 because they were in a rush | Appetizers or single course meals are usually order fire, main courses in multiple course meals are not |
| Order Pad | The pad of paper on which orders are written down when taking them from the guest | I wrote the drinks down on my order pad | a.k.a. dupe pad |
| Pass | The station in the kitchen where all food is collected and prepared for serving to the guest OR the service station at the bar where all drinks are collected and prepared for serving to the guest | Table 41’s food is up in the pass | a.k.a. “the window”. In the kitchen, it is usually where the expeditor works from |
| POS | Point of Sale. This is the computer system used to enter and produce food and beverage orders, take payment, and track revenue. Used frequently to refer to the actual terminal at which all transactions take place | I spent an extra 5 minutes at the POS while entering all of the special requests on table 41 | The Four Seasons uses Micros as their POS system in all locations, so the terms Micros/POS are used interchangeably |
| Pre-Shift | The pre-shift meeting | Pre-shift is at 10:30am | a.k.a. line-up, pre-meal or daily briefing |
| Re-Fire | The RE-preparation of an item, usually because it was prepared incorrectly to begin with | Re-fire the cod on table 41 | |
| Rocks | Ice | Table 41 ordered a vodka on the rocks | Sometimes abbreviated Rx. Also refers to the type of glass in which a drink on the rocks is served – i.e. rocks glass |
| Roll-up | A cloth napkin pre-rolled with silverware inside | We use roll-ups for the place settings on the patio | Usually used for more casual or weather dependent areas such as patios, bars or lounges |
| Run (Food/Drinks) | Bring to a guest | I need drinks run to table 41 | Does not literally mean “run” – always walk in the dining room! |
| Seat # | The sequential order used to identify the seats at a table, and thus which guests have ordered which items | Seat 1 is the chair that faces the kitchen | Seats #s typically start at 1, which is designated by an easily identified direction and object in the room, and then move around the table in a clockwise direction and in numerical order |
| Section (Number) | A group of tables assigned to one particular server and/or team of employees | You are in section 3 tonight | Also referred to as “station” |
| Server | Waiter/waitress OR front server | The servers are the main point person for guests | Waiter, server and front server/waiter are used interchangeably, and usually vary by culture/location and outlet structure |
| Server Assistant | Busser OR back server/waiter | The server assistants help clear tables | Also abbreviated SA. Server assistant, busser and back server/waiter are used interchangeably, and usually vary by culture/location and outlet structure |
| Serviette | A cloth napkin used solely for the purpose of service-related wiping and cleaning | Always have a serviette available when opening a bottle of wine | Serviettes are NOT for general cleaning purposes, only those related to service – i.e. wiping a wine bottle, cleaning the surface of a table |
| Share | When more than one of the guests are eating one portion of the same item served on one plate | Seats 3 and 4 are going to share the calamari | |
| Sidework | A list or set of tasks to be performed by an employee before or after a shift | My opening sidework was polishing 20 Burgundy glasses and restocking silverware | |
| Slammed | Extremely busy and/or unable to keep up with the necessary tasks in a station | I was slammed in section 3 tonight | a.k.a. in the weeds or weeded |
| Spiel [pronounced shpeel] | Your sales pitch, usually used to explain the food, beverage or dessert menus and/or restaurant concept | I gave my spiel to table 41 after I took their drink order | |
| Split | When more than one of the guests are eating one portion of the same item and the one portion is separated onto more than one plate | Seats 3 and 4 are going to split the calamari | |
| Station (Number) | A group of tables assigned to one particular server and/or team of employees | You are in station 3 tonight | Also referred to as “section” |
| Straight Up | Served chilled and in a martini glass OR served neat and at room temperature (always confirm with the guest) | Table 41 ordered an Absolut straight up OR Table 41 ordered a Jack Daniel’s straight up | The meaning usually depends on the spirit – for clear spirits it means chilled and in a martini glass, while for dark spirits it means served neat and at room temperature |
| The Floor | All service related areas of the restaurant, bar or lounge in which service occurs and/or guests are present | I had to step off the floor to go to the pantry | |
| The Line | The area of the kitchen where the cooks work and produce food during service | The Chef had to jump behind the line tonight because it got so busy | Can refer to the hot line or the cold line |
| Ticket | Paper ticket (usually from a printer that is linked to Micros), used by the kitchen and bar to indicate items that have been ordered and need to be produced | I’m missing the ticket for table 41, which is why their cod never got served | a.k.a. “dupe” |
| Top | The number of guests at a table | I just sat a 4-top at table 41 | |
| Turn | The resetting and re-seating of a table or tables | I turned table 41 3 times tonight OR we did 3 turns tonight | |
| Turn Time | The amount of time in which a table, on average, completes an entire dining experience | Turn times for dinner are 2 hours | |
| Up | Served chilled and in a martini glass | Table 41 ordered a Manhattan up | |
| Void | The removal of an item that was NOT produced from a check | Can you void the cod on table 41? | |
| Waiter/Waitress | Server OR front server/waiter | The waiters are the main point person for guests | Waiter, server and front server/waiter are used interchangeably, and usually vary by culture/location and outlet structure |
| Walk-in | A guest who did not make a reservation prior to arriving at the restaurant | We had 25 walk-ins tonight | |
| Window | The station in the kitchen where all food is collected and organized for serving to the guest | Table 41’s food is up in the window | a.k.a. “the pass”. Usually where the expeditor works from. There is rarely ever an actual “window” involved! |
