Common Restaurant Terms

Back of House – It refers to the area of a restaurant that guests are not allowed. The kitchen, dishwashing area and wait station are all located in the back of the house.

Bar – back – An assistant for the bartender. A bar-back usually runs glasses through the dishwasher, stocks the coolers and liquor bottles, and pours beer, wine and non-alcoholic drinks for the wait staff.

Chaffing Dish – It is a metal dish that is filled with water and kept warm with a candle or fuel cell underneath. These are typically used on buffets.

Expediter – The kitchen staff who groups plated food together by table number, for the servers to deliver.

Front of House – It refers to the area of a restaurant where guests are allowed. The dining room and bar are all in the front of the house.

Host/Hostess – The person who meets the guests and shows them to their table. The host is also responsible for keeping track of reservations and waiting lines.

Line – The line is the area that divides the cooks from the wait staff. It is where the food is placed to await pickup.

Mise en Place – It refers to the set up of the sauté station. Essentially, it means everything in its place. Most cooks put certain ingredients in a certain spot each shift (salt and pepper to the right, olive oil to the left).

Plating – It refers to putting the food on the plate is referred to plating. This includes adding any sauce or garnish before handing over to the expeditor or the server.

POS System – A point of sale system is a computer system that helps businesses track sales. It also tracks employee sales (who sold the most during a shift) and which dishes are sold most often.

Sections – Many restaurant dining rooms are divided into sections, and each section goes to a particular wait staff each shift.

Turnover Rate – How fast tables empty and fill during a shift. A high turnover rate means more people have eaten and gone, while a slow turnover rate means the same people have been at the table for a long time, or the table is sitting empty.

Appetizer – Food items served before the main courses of the meal

Dessert – It is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal consisting of sweet food.

Check – Order for transfer of money