Diners Industry Terminology
All-Day (Kitchen Count)
The cumulative quantity of a specific item needed by the kitchen at that moment, summed across all open tickets.
-“How many pancakes all-day?” “We’ve got 12 on order across the board.” -“All-day on bacon is 18 strips—fire 10 more.”
Average Check
The average revenue per guest (or per party), typically calculated as total food-and-beverage sales divided by number of covers for a given period.
-“Our average check at breakfast is $12.80; at dinner it’s $16.50.” -“Bundle coffee refills to lift average check without slowing turns.”
Back of House (BOH)
The non-guest areas of a restaurant, including kitchen, prep, dish, storage, and employee spaces; also refers to the staff working there.
-“BOH labor spiked due to extra prep for the LTO.” -“Keep BOH traffic clear—deliveries are coming through the back door at 10.”
Blue Plate Special
A traditional diner-style daily value meal, usually a hearty entrée with sides, promoted at a sharp price to drive traffic and manage inventory.
-“Today’s blue plate special is meatloaf with mashed and gravy for $9.99.” -“Run the turkey melt as the blue plate to move excess roast turkey.”
Break-even Point
The sales level at which total revenue equals total costs (no profit or loss). Often computed as fixed costs divided by contribution margin ratio.
-“We break even at $6,800/day given fixed costs and a 62% contribution margin.” -“Extending hours won’t help if late-night sales don’t cover break-even.”
COGS (Cost of Goods Sold)
The direct cost of ingredients and disposables used to produce menu items, typically expressed as a percentage of sales.
-“Target COGS is 28–30% for this diner format.” -“Syrup waste is pushing beverage COGS over plan.”
Comps and Voids
Comps are items given at no charge (post-production) for service recovery or promotions; voids are canceled items removed before fulfillment. Both must be controlled and documented.
-“Voids require manager approval before the item is made.” -“Limit comps to service recovery and track reasons by category.”
Covers
The count of guests served, used to track volume, staffing needs, and average check.
-“We did 320 covers on Saturday brunch.” -“Covers per labor hour dipped—tighten staffing next week.”
Cross-Contamination
The transfer of pathogens or allergens from one surface or food to another, often via equipment, hands, or improper storage.
-“Use separate tongs for gluten-free toast to prevent cross-contamination.” -“Allergen stations reduce cross-contact risk with peanut butter items.”
Daypart
A distinct time segment of the operating day (e.g., breakfast, lunch, dinner, late-night) used for menu, staffing, and promotion decisions.
-“Pancake sales spike in the breakfast daypart.” -“Test shakes as a late-night daypart driver.”
Drive-Thru
A service lane where guests order and receive food without leaving their vehicle; focuses on speed, order accuracy, and throughput.
-“Average drive-thru time is 3:45—goal is under 3:00.” -“Add a second drive-thru window to improve throughput.”
Eighty-Six (86)
Industry slang indicating an item is no longer available or should be removed/canceled from an order.
-“86 corned beef—sub ham on the Reuben.” -“We’re 86 on pies until the next bake at 3 PM.”
Expo (Expediter)
The role/station that coordinates the pass, ensuring ticket order, plate accuracy, garnishes, and timely handoff from kitchen to service.
-“Expo, call the wheel and check plate garnishes.” -“Have expo double-check temps before running entrées.”
FIFO (First In, First Out)
An inventory rotation method where the oldest product is used before newer stock, minimizing spoilage and ensuring freshness.
-“Rotate the milk—FIFO labels facing out.” -“Use yesterday’s chopped onions first—FIFO on the line.”
FOH (Front of House)
Guest-facing areas and staff, including dining room, counter, bar, host, and servers.
-“FOH pre-shift at 10:45 covers specials and sections.” -“FOH needs more training on POS modifiers for allergens.”
Food Cost Percentage
Food COGS divided by food sales, used to evaluate pricing, waste, and purchasing efficiency.
-“The chicken-fried steak plate runs at 29% food cost.” -“Trim waste to bring breakfast food cost back under 27%.”
Ghost Kitchen
A production-only facility with no dining room, focused on off-premise orders for one or more brands.
-“Launch a delivery-only brand from the ghost kitchen during late night.” -“Use the ghost kitchen to test a patty melt concept.”
Greasy Spoon
Colloquial term for a no-frills diner known for hearty, affordable comfort food; often nostalgic, sometimes pejorative.
-“It’s a classic greasy spoon—counter seats and a huge griddle.” -“Embrace the greasy spoon vibe but keep standards tight.”
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points)
A systematic food-safety approach that identifies hazards and establishes critical control points, limits, monitoring, corrective actions, verification, and record-keeping.
-“Update the HACCP plan for our sous vide potatoes.” -“Log critical limits for the hot hold line per HACCP.”
Health Inspection Score
A jurisdiction-specific grade or numeric score reflecting compliance with health code during inspections.
-“We maintained a 98 on our health inspection.” -“Correct cold-holding violations to protect the score.”
In the Weeds
Slang for being overwhelmed by workload or tickets, risking delays and errors.
-“I’m in the weeds—can someone run my drinks?” -“Kitchen went in the weeds when the bus hit at 11:30.”
Inventory Turnover
A ratio showing how often inventory is used and replenished, commonly COGS divided by average inventory for a period.
-“Dry goods turnover is 14x annually; dairy is 52x.” -“Slow turnover on pies—reduce par levels.”
Just-In-Time Prep (JIT)
Producing or prepping items close to the time of use to reduce waste, storage needs, and quality loss.
-“Switch to JIT chopping for tomatoes to cut waste.” -“JIT pancake batter batches every hour keep quality high.”
KDS (Kitchen Display System)
Digital screens that display and route orders to kitchen stations, replacing or supplementing paper chits.
-“Route breakfast tickets to the egg and griddle KDS screens.” -“Color-coding on KDS flags late items.”
KPI (Key Performance Indicator)
Quantifiable metrics used to track operational and financial performance against targets.
-“Ticket time and RevPASH are core KPIs.” -“Weekly KPIs show labor % trending up post-holiday.”
Labor Cost Percentage
Total labor expense (wages, taxes, benefits) divided by sales; a core efficiency metric.
-“Aim for 30–32% labor on weekdays.” -“Cross-train to lower labor % during shoulder periods.”
LTO (Limited-Time Offer)
A menu item or promotion available for a short period to create urgency, test demand, and drive traffic or mix shifts.
-“Pumpkin pancakes LTO runs through November.” -“Feature an LTO patty melt to boost dinner traffic.”
Menu Engineering
Analyzing item popularity and margins to optimize pricing, placement, and design using categories like Stars, Plowhorses, Puzzles, and Dogs.
-“Reprice ‘Stars’ and rework ‘Dogs’ per menu engineering.” -“Add a callout box to trade up from omelets to skillets.”
Mystery Shop
A covert evaluation by a third party to measure service, cleanliness, accuracy, and standards adherence.
-“Mystery shop flagged slow greet times at the counter.” -“Scores improved after server retraining from shop feedback.”
Nutrition Disclosure (Menu Labeling)
Regulatory requirement (e.g., U.S. chains with 20+ locations) to display calorie counts on menus and make additional nutrition info available.
-“Post calories next to items per federal rules.” -“Provide written nutrition info on request to comply.”
Off-Premise
Sales and consumption outside the dining room, including takeout, curbside, catering, and delivery.
-“Off-premise mix is 28% via takeout and delivery.” -“Package syrup separately to protect pancakes off-premise.”
On the Fly
A rush request to prepare or expedite an item immediately to fix an error or delay.
-“Need a BLT on the fly—table 12 got the wrong sandwich.” -“Fries on the fly to complete ticket 246.”
P&L (Profit and Loss Statement)
A financial statement summarizing revenues, costs, and expenses over a period to show profitability.
-“Review the monthly P&L for COGS variance.” -“Utilities ran hot on the P&L—check HVAC schedules.”
POS (Point of Sale)
Hardware and software used to ring orders, process payments, manage menus, and integrate with KDS and reporting.
-“Program POS modifiers for egg temps and toast types.” -“POS down—switch to offline payments and paper chits.”
Prime Cost
Sum of COGS and total labor cost; the most controllable major expense bucket in restaurants.
-“Prime cost at 61% is within target for full service.” -“Trim waste and optimize schedules to lower prime cost.”
QR Code Ordering
Guest uses a smartphone to scan a code to view the menu, order, and/or pay, reducing friction and enabling digital upsells.
-“Place QR stickers at the counter for scan-and-pay.” -“QR menus cut printing costs and ease LTO launches.”
Recipe Costing
Calculating the exact ingredient cost per recipe and per portion to set prices and control margins.
-“Update the pancake recipe costing for egg price changes.” -“Portion variance shows up when recipe costing doesn’t match plate builds.”
RevPASH (Revenue Per Available Seat Hour)
Total revenue divided by the product of seat count and open hours; measures revenue productivity of seating capacity.
-“Saturday brunch RevPASH hit $12.40.” -“Reduce table turn time to lift RevPASH without raising prices.”
ServSafe Certification
A widely recognized food-safety training and certification program covering safe food handling and sanitation.
-“All managers must hold current ServSafe Manager certs.” -“Schedule ServSafe food handler training for new hires.”
Short-Order Cooking
Fast, à la minute preparation of simple items (eggs, pancakes, burgers) typically on griddles and fryers.
-“Short-order skill on the flat-top is key for a busy breakfast.” -“Cross-train fry and short-order stations for rush coverage.”
Table Turn Time
The elapsed time a table is occupied from seat to reset; shorter turns enable more covers per daypart.
-“Average table turn at lunch is 36 minutes.” -“Streamline payment to shorten turns during peak.”
Ticket Time
The time from order placement to when the food is ready (or delivered); key speed-of-service metric.
-“Egg station ticket time is trending over 12 minutes.” -“Batch hash browns to improve ticket times.”
Tip Credit
U.S. wage provision allowing employers to count a portion of tips toward meeting minimum wage for tipped employees; rules vary by jurisdiction.
-“In our state, the tip credit reduces cash wage, but check local rules.” -“Tip pooling must comply with tip credit regulations.”
Upselling
Encouraging guests to purchase higher-margin items, add-ons, or upgrades to increase average check.
-“Suggest a side of bacon to upsell the pancake plate.” -“Train servers to upsell shakes with burgers.”
Variance (Inventory/Sales)
The difference between expected (theoretical) and actual results—common in inventory usage, sales, or labor—used to flag waste or shrink.
-“Theoretical vs. actual usage variance is 3% on bacon.” -“Investigate variance spikes after the weekend rush.”
Virtual Brand
A delivery-only brand produced from an existing kitchen, often sharing inventory and labor with the core concept.
-“Launch a late-night virtual brand for loaded fries.” -“Virtual brand sales smooth demand after dinner.”
Walk-In Refrigerator
A large refrigerated room used for bulk cold storage of perishable items; critical control point for food safety.
-“Keep raw proteins on the bottom shelf in the walk-in.” -“Log walk-in temps twice per shift.”
Waste Log
A record of discarded or spoiled items used to analyze and reduce waste and control COGS.
-“Record burnt pancakes and expired dairy in the waste log.” -“Daily waste log review drives prep and par adjustments.”
Yield Percentage
The proportion of usable product remaining after trimming, cooking loss, or waste; used in recipe costing and purchasing.
-“Tomato yield is 85% after trim and core.” -“Use yield % to cost cooked bacon accurately.”
Z Report
End-of-day POS summary that resets totals and details sales, tenders, taxes, comps, and voids for reconciliation.
-“Run the Z report and close out cash drawers.” -“Reconcile comps and voids against the Z report nightly.”
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