I thought of something funny not too long ago while at Middlesex Community College, teaching my Intro to Food and Beverage Management class. (Which must be the toughest “guaranteed B” ever. The students don’t just have to show up, they actually have to listen to me! No cell phones, no texting, no sleeping … I will wake your ass up!)
I digress. That’s not the funny thing I was thinking.
We were discussing “cross utilization,” one of the many keys to success in the restaurant business, and how the “Specials Board” serves as one of our greatest outlets to “move” product before it becomes unusable “cash in the trash.”
Characterizing a conversation between chef and owner, what came out of my mouth was: “I’m sitting on some haddock.” And the image simultaneously occurred in my head of me actually sitting on a pile of fish. (Not filets mind you, but in the world that occurs in my head, they were whole, spiky, floppy, scaly, mean and ugly haddock.)
And it occurred to me, that aside from the nature of my own personal images, we say some weird things in our business!
A server who has been “triple seated” and can’t keep up with guest demand expresses that he or she is “in the weeds.” (I think that’s akin to not being able to “see the forest for the trees.”)
“On the fly” translates to, “I am in the weeds and forgot to ring in this lady’s haddock and she is pissed … please cook it faster.” At which point, the chef may place it “under the salamander.”
“I just got stiffed” is the same as, “The lady who waited so long for her haddock did not compensate me with a generous gratuity.”
The “reach in” refers to a refrigerator that you reach into, as does the “refer,” which may also refer to the “walk in,” and not to a 70s term for what the wait staff may be referring to later, once they have “been cut.” Of course, the “walk in” may also refer to a guest that arrives without a “rezzie.”
And none should be confused with “the reach around,” which suggests a suggestive action when you were really just reaching for more lemon, from “behind you.” (A term also used to warn others not to turn around fast with that late piece of fish because I am “behind you” with a hot pot of coffee.)
“Fire it” means preparing for “pick up,” and when the time is right, the chef “sells it.”
Unless you requested that he “burn it,” which is not relevant to the hot coffee warning, as everyone knows that well-done just takes longer.
And when the cooks are “slammed,” finding themselves in the weeds as well, not sure how many haddocks are “on the board,” they may ask the “expo” for “an all day.”
Finally, when the “front of the house” has done their job well, because they “upsold” haddock to their many “4-tops” of “Q-Tips”, the chef eventually will shout “86 Haddock”…
…meaning, image wise, I am now sitting on solid “Turf.”
A Glossary of Restaurant Terms:
Triple seated: Three tables seated in succession in the same “station,” greatly challenging the server’s ability to coordinate proper service timing.
Under the salamander: Also known as a “cheese melter,” this wall-hung “broiler” utilizes top heat in close quarters to finish the cooking process quickly — i.e., French onion soup.
Been cut: Sent home, clocked out, done for the day.
Rezzie: Short for reservation.
On the board: Also known as “rail,” where all the order slips are hung by the “expediter,” providing orders/tables food information.
All day: The totality of items found “on the board.” For example: “Five sirloins cooking all day.” (On the busiest of nights, cooks do not read the slips, as they are too busy managing the cooking food. They listen to the commands of the expediter.)
Expo: Short for expediter or kitchen “coordinator,” the staffer/chef/manager who verbally orders food, fires food, puts the orders together, garnishes and directs the delivery of the food.
Upsold: A sales activity generally performed by service staff that directs guests to order specific items, for any number of reasons.
4-Tops: A table with four guests.
Q-Tips: aka blue hairs, refers to “mature” guests with white hair.
86 Haddock: Sold out. A term whose origin is disputed, but 86 is widely understood to mean “no more left.” As in: We have no more haddock.
Scott Plath, along with his wife Kathleen, own Cobblestones of Lowell and moonstones, in Chelmsford, MA. Scott possesses a deep well of humorous and insightful stories that he will share with us regularly.
From the Kitchen – I Have Meatballs Coming Out My…
I digress. That’s not the funny thing I was thinking.
We were discussing “cross utilization,” one of the many keys to success in the restaurant business, and how the “Specials Board” serves as one of our greatest outlets to “move” product before it becomes unusable “cash in the trash.”
Characterizing a conversation between chef and owner, what came out of my mouth was: “I’m sitting on some haddock.” And the image simultaneously occurred in my head of me actually sitting on a pile of fish. (Not filets mind you, but in the world that occurs in my head, they were whole, spiky, floppy, scaly, mean and ugly haddock.)
And it occurred to me, that aside from the nature of my own personal images, we say some weird things in our business!
A server who has been “triple seated” and can’t keep up with guest demand expresses that he or she is “in the weeds.” (I think that’s akin to not being able to “see the forest for the trees.”)
“On the fly” translates to, “I am in the weeds and forgot to ring in this lady’s haddock and she is pissed … please cook it faster.” At which point, the chef may place it “under the salamander.”
“I just got stiffed” is the same as, “The lady who waited so long for her haddock did not compensate me with a generous gratuity.”
The “reach in” refers to a refrigerator that you reach into, as does the “refer,” which may also refer to the “walk in,” and not to a 70s term for what the wait staff may be referring to later, once they have “been cut.” Of course, the “walk in” may also refer to a guest that arrives without a “rezzie.”
And none should be confused with “the reach around,” which suggests a suggestive action when you were really just reaching for more lemon, from “behind you.” (A term also used to warn others not to turn around fast with that late piece of fish because I am “behind you” with a hot pot of coffee.)
“Fire it” means preparing for “pick up,” and when the time is right, the chef “sells it.”
Unless you requested that he “burn it,” which is not relevant to the hot coffee warning, as everyone knows that well-done just takes longer.
And when the cooks are “slammed,” finding themselves in the weeds as well, not sure how many haddocks are “on the board,” they may ask the “expo” for “an all day.”
Finally, when the “front of the house” has done their job well, because they “upsold” haddock to their many “4-tops” of “Q-Tips”, the chef eventually will shout “86 Haddock”…
…meaning, image wise, I am now sitting on solid “Turf.”
A Glossary of Restaurant Terms:
Triple seated: Three tables seated in succession in the same “station,” greatly challenging the server’s ability to coordinate proper service timing.
Under the salamander: Also known as a “cheese melter,” this wall-hung “broiler” utilizes top heat in close quarters to finish the cooking process quickly — i.e., French onion soup.
Been cut: Sent home, clocked out, done for the day.
Rezzie: Short for reservation.
On the board: Also known as “rail,” where all the order slips are hung by the “expediter,” providing orders/tables food information.
All day: The totality of items found “on the board.” For example: “Five sirloins cooking all day.” (On the busiest of nights, cooks do not read the slips, as they are too busy managing the cooking food. They listen to the commands of the expediter.)
Expo: Short for expediter or kitchen “coordinator,” the staffer/chef/manager who verbally orders food, fires food, puts the orders together, garnishes and directs the delivery of the food.
Upsold: A sales activity generally performed by service staff that directs guests to order specific items, for any number of reasons.
4-Tops: A table with four guests.
Q-Tips: aka blue hairs, refers to “mature” guests with white hair.
86 Haddock: Sold out. A term whose origin is disputed, but 86 is widely understood to mean “no more left.” As in: We have no more haddock.
Scott Plath, along with his wife Kathleen, own Cobblestones of Lowell and moonstones, in Chelmsford, MA. Scott possesses a deep well of humorous and insightful stories that he will share with us regularly.