Expeditor Job Description: What Does Expo Do in a Kitchen?
Short answer: An expeditor, or expo, is the link between the kitchen and the dining room. The expeditor reads incoming tickets, calls orders to the line, times each course so a table’s dishes are ready together, checks every plate for accuracy and presentation, and hands plates to servers or runners. In many restaurants a chef or manager works expo during busy service.
Expo checks every plate before it leaves.
Expeditor duties
Read tickets and call orders and fire times to the line.
Keep the “all day” count for each station.
Time courses so a table’s food is ready together.
Check plates against the ticket: dish, modifiers, allergies, presentation.
Hand finished plates to servers or food runners with table numbers.
Without an expeditor, servers wait at the pass, food dies under the heat lamp and mistakes reach the table. One person owning the pass keeps service smooth. Learn the terms in restaurant lingo and see other roles in restaurant job positions.
Staff the pass every rush
EZTime helps you schedule an expo for every busy service and track kitchen hours on the time clock.
Frequently asked questions
What does expo mean in a restaurant?
The expeditor, who coordinates orders between the kitchen and servers.
Is an expeditor a cook?
Not always. Expo can be a chef, a manager or a dedicated staff member.
What does an expeditor check?
That each plate matches the ticket, including modifiers and allergies, and looks right.
