please erect your tent if you intend to camp

Two ladies sit together in a booth, dinner has been ordered, served and cleared; coffee and dessert are long reduced to crumbs and rings on the table.  The bill has sat untouched for almost an hour and the conversation rages on...

It's been so long since you've seen each other, I know, you just want to relax and catch up and enjoy each other's company, I get it.  But what you are not considering is that you are reducing my income significantly by taking up a table long after you have eaten.

You see, in most restaurants each server has a section which is comprised of a specific number of tables.  Those tables represent the potential income, not only for the establishment in which you find yourselves, but more directly for the server in that section.  When you forge your way past lingering into the realm of camping we begin to get upset.

As with any industry there is an assumed amount of time it takes to process an order or deal with a client, the same goes for the restaurant biz, there is an average amount of time that it normally takes to 'turn the table'. Some other occupations charge by the hour so that they do not have to concern themselves with potential campers, we don't have that luxury.  Restaurants do not rent you a table for a specific fee but they do expect that once you have finished dining and enjoying the offereings of said restaurant that you will pay your bill and be on your way so that the next table may be given the same opportunity.

If you are planning to stay for the duration of an afternoon or evening it would be courteous to inform your server and perhaps include a little extra when it comes to paying the bill so that he/she does not lose out on a significant amount of income from that table.

Stratford is filled with lovely independent coffee shops that provide an atmosphere to linger in, have a few lattes and catch up on the last 20 years of your life there perhaps?

restaurant terminology M-Z

The final instalment of restaurant lingo.  If I have missed anything or you'd like clarification on any term let me know in the comment section and I'll do my best to respond!

M'aitre D: see 'Host/Hostess' (this is an old term that is rarely relevant anymore).  Though it can refer to the head waiter in situations where it remains relevant.

Mise en Place: Originally referred to the set up of the just kitchen stations but has broadened into use in the front of house. Essentially, it means 'everything in its place'. (Kitchen - garnishes, salt & pepper, olive oil, chef towel, prep) (FOH - extra cutlery, bar garnish, service napkin, pens, float, etc).

Modifier: A change to a menu item to intimate how the customer prefers something (Eg. martini - up, olives OR steak - medrare).

Plating: Putting the food on the plate. This includes adding any sauce or garnish before handing over to the expediter 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.  It is also lovingly referred to as a 'piece of shit' system when it crashes/locks up.

Prix Fixe: Pronounced [PREE-feeks] this literally means 'fixed price' and usually refers to a set menu with a specific number of items for a set price.

On the Fly: Get it done right now! This term pops up when something has been forgotten or added and must be cooked last minute.

Sections: Many restaurant dining rooms are divided into areas that have a certain number of tables in each one, and each 'section' goes to a particular wait staff each shift.

Sharking: Circling a table repeatedly, often because the restaurant is slow (usually while playing the theme from Jaws in your head).  Also can mean luring an employee from one restaurant to another (also while playing the Jaws theme).

Sous Chef: Literally means 'under chef'.  This is the person in charge of the kitchen when the head chef is not around.

Substitutions: Changes to a menu item requested by the guest.  Often an irritation to the kitchen, particularly when they are 'in the weeds'!

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.

Walk in: A table of guests that arrives without reservations.  This is acceptable for small parties of 4 or less but becomes difficult to accommodate when larger than 6 guests are present.  This also refers to a refrigerator/freezer that is large enough to be walked into (Eg. "Can you get me some more cream? It's in the walk in"

restaurant terminology A-L

People who work in restaurants have their own private language, it's not our fault and we're not trying to keep you of the loop, it's just the environment we find ourselves in.  I will attempt to shed a little light on the meaning behind the 'gibberish' heard in and around your favourite dining venues so that you can sound extra-savvy the next time you're out with your friends.


A la Minute: Made to order from start to finish (no pre-fabricated/par-cooked products used).

Allergy: Something that the kitchen takes very seriously and the guest does not; ie. dairy allergy to us means you can't have butter (because of the milk solids) but for some reason you can still have butter.  Don't say allergy unless you mean it!

Aperitif: A drink served before the meal to cleanse/stimulate the palate. (Eg. prosecco, campari, vermouth, lillet, pimm's).

Back of House: The area of a restaurant that guests are not allowed. The kitchen, dish-washing area and wait station are areas where we talk dirty to each other and say mean things about the guests.  

Bar-back: An assistant for the bartender. A bar-back usually runs glasses through the dishwasher, stocks the beer and wine bottles, changes kegs and generally is lorded over by the bartender.

Behind: "Don't back up or you'll wear the tray I'm carrying".  A term used to alert those around you that you are moving behind them - helps avoid spilled trays, etc.

Board:  An ever growing number of chits filled with food orders that the kitchen must remember and produce for your dining pleasure.

Bussing: Term used for clearing off and resetting tables after guests have left. In busier restaurants this is done by the busperson (also called a busser or a runner).  A pre-buss is the general table maintenance while the guests are still dining (removing empty glasses, dirty plates etc.)

Campers: The dreaded guests that sit on the bill for an eternity chin wagging and drinking water.  Usually, they're the last table in the restaurant.

Canape: Pronounced [can-uh-PAY] this is another word for an hors D'oeuvre when you want to sound fancy.

Charcuterie: The area of cooking devoted to prepared meats such as bacon, pate, terrine, sausage, confit, etc. 

Check Average: The amount of money each individual spends in the restaurant.  Higher check averages means higher tips/profits, so have another drink!

Chit: The piece of paper on which a table's order is recorded to be given to the kitchen so the food can be prepared and served.  Often printed from a computer system or written in chicken scratch by the servers.

Covers: This term directly translates to 'customers' it just has one less syllable so it's easier for us to remember.

Deuce: A table of two.

Digestif: A drink served at the end of the meal to supposedly aid digestion. (Eg. brandy, port, sherry, grappa, ouzo).

Eighty-Six: This is a general term for something that is no longer available (run out of).  If the kitchen runs out of a particular dish, that dish is "86'd". It can also refer to the termination of someones employment (Eg. "Did you hear? Todd got 86'd last night!").

Expediter: The staff member who coordinates plated food together by table number, so the servers can get it to the proper guests.

En Command: see 'On the fly' in the next terminology post.

Flat Seated: A terrifying term for any server, this is usually the result of poor planning by the 'front of house' and the 'hostess' seating four 'deuces' and three 'four-tops' at once, which will inevitable lead to being 'in the weeds'.

Floor: The area where dining happens and servers run amok.  Usually split into sections.

Front of House: Refers both to the area of a restaurant where guests are allowed (dining room, bar) and to the staff who work there (bartender, server, floor manager). Short-form = FOH.

4-top: A table of four.  This can be extended to 6-top or 8-top as well.

Host/Hostess: The person who greets the guests and shows them to their table. The host is also responsible for keeping track of reservations and waiting lines.  A good host is invaluable, a bad one - disaster!

In the Weeds: A colloquial expression used when persons are near or beyond their capacity to handle a situation or cannot catch up. Struggling. Very busy. Weeded.

Line: The line is the area that divides the cooks from the wait staff. It is where the food is placed to await pickup (a place it usually waits longer than desired!).

Let me know if I have missed anything or if something begs further definition!
Thank you to those who have commented, I have updated the post!