The restaurant business has its own set of terminologies and jargon commonly used in the industry.

• Front of House (FOH): Refers to the restaurant area that is visible to and interacts with customers, including the dining room, host/hostess stand, and servers.

• Back of House (BOH): The area of the restaurant where food is prepared and cooked, including the kitchen, prep areas, and dishwashing stations.

• Host/Hostess: The person responsible for greeting and seating guests, often customers’ first point of contact.

• Server: The staff members who take orders, serve food and beverages, and assist diners during their meals.

• Chef: The head of the kitchen, responsible for menu creation, food preparation, and kitchen management.

• Sous Chef: The second-in-command in the kitchen, often responsible for supervising food preparation and kitchen staff.

• Menu: A list of dishes and beverages a restaurant offers, descriptions, and prices.

• Specials: Dishes or promotions not part of the regular menu are offered for a limited time.

• Table Turnover: The rate at which tables are cleared and reset for new customers, affecting a restaurant’s capacity and revenue.

• Reservation: A booking made by a customer to secure a table at a specific time and date.

• Waitlist: A list of customers waiting for a table to become available, often used when the restaurant is fully booked.

• Cover: The term for a diner or guest at a restaurant.

• Tipping: The practice of leaving a gratuity or tip for the server, typically a percentage of the total bill.

• Corkage Fee: A charge the restaurant imposes for customers who bring their bottle of wine.

• BYOB: “Bring Your Bottle,” a policy allowing customers to bring alcoholic beverages.

• Kitchen Ticket: A printed order from the server to the kitchen.

• Expediting: Coordinating and ensuring orders are prepared and delivered to tables promptly.

• Front-of-House Manager: The person responsible for managing the dining room.

• Back-of-House Manager: Oversees kitchen operations, including food preparation, quality control, and kitchen staff management.

• Food Cost: The expense incurred by a restaurant for the ingredients and materials used in preparing dishes.

• Beverage Cost: The expense incurred by a restaurant for the beverages it serves, including alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks.

• Profit Margin: The percentage of revenue that represents a restaurant’s profit after accounting for all expenses.

• POS System: Point of Sale system, which includes hardware and software for processing orders, payments, and tracking sales.

• Turnkey Restaurant: A fully equipped restaurant ready for operation, often for sale or lease.

• Fine Dining: A restaurant known for its upscale ambiance, service, and cuisine.

• Fast Casual: A dining concept offering higher-quality food than fast food but quicker service than traditional sit-down restaurants.

• Quick Service: A dining concept where the food is served quickly directly from the kitchen to the customer.

There are thousands of them; I’ll share them next time