Restaurant Lingo: Kitchen and Server Terms Explained

Short answer: Restaurant lingo is the short code kitchen and floor staff use to move fast during service. A few you will hear every shift: 86 (an item is out), in the weeds (overwhelmed), on the fly (needed right away), all day (total count of an item), behind (walking behind you), FOH and BOH (front and back of house) and stage (an unpaid or paid trial shift in a kitchen).

Line cooks calling orders during service — Short words keep a busy kitchen safe and fast.

Kitchen terms

86: an item is out, or remove it. See what does 86 mean.
All day: the total count of an item across open tickets.
On the fly: needed immediately, often to fix a mistake.
Fire: start cooking a dish or course now.
Hold: wait before cooking.
In the weeds: overwhelmed and behind.
Mise en place (mise): ingredients prepped and in place.
Expo: the expeditor who checks plates before they leave. See the expeditor job description.
The pass: the counter where finished plates wait for servers.
Family meal: the staff meal before or after service.
Stage: a trial shift in a kitchen before hiring.

Floor and server terms

FOH / BOH: front of house and back of house.
Behind / corner / hot: safety calls when walking behind, turning a corner or carrying something hot.
Two-top, four-top: a table for two or four.
Turn: seating a new party at a table.
Double-sat / triple-sat: a server gets two or three new tables at once.
Comp: an item the house gives at no charge.
Side work: cleaning and restocking tasks. See the server side work checklist.
Cut: being sent home when it gets slow.
Bus: clearing a table. See the busser job description.

Scheduling terms

Double: working two shifts in one day.
Clopen: closing at night and opening the next morning. See clopening shifts.
On call: available to come in if needed.
Soft opening: a trial run before the grand opening. See restaurant soft opening.

Some cities limit last-minute schedule changes and clopens. See predictive scheduling laws.

Train new hires faster

Add this list to onboarding. With EZTime, new hires get their shifts, team chat and checklists in one app from day one. More roles in restaurant job positions.

Frequently asked questions

What does 86 mean in a restaurant?

The item is out, or remove it from an order or the menu.

What does in the weeds mean?

A server or cook is overwhelmed and behind.

What is FOH and BOH?

Front of house (dining room staff) and back of house (kitchen staff).

What is a stage in a restaurant?

A trial shift a cook works in a kitchen before being hired.

Shifts, chat and checklists for restaurant teams. Start your 14-day trial or book a demo.

Updated November 2026.