List of restaurant terminology

This is a list of restaurant terminology. A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money, either paid before the meal, after the meal, or with a running tab. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearance and offerings, including a wide variety of the main chef's cuisines and service models.

Restaurant terminology

A blue-plate special

A garde manger cold dish, Pollard chaud froid (as a display piece)

A table d'hôte menu from the New York City Lotos Club, 1893

• 86 - a term used when the restaurant has run out of, or is unable to prepare a particular menu item.
• À la carte
• Bartender
• Blue-plate special
• Brigade de cuisine
• BYOB – an initialism meant to stand for "bring your own bottle", "bring your own beer", "bring your own beverage", or "bring your own booze."^[1]
• Charcuterie
• Chef
• Combo meal
• Chef's table
• Counter service
• Dine and dash
• Early bird dinner
• Family meal
• Fast food
• Free lunch
• Garde manger
• Gueridon service
• Happy hour
• Kids' meal
• Main course
• Maître d'hôtel
• Meat and three
• Mise en place
• Monkey dish--small (3" or 5cm) bowl used for sauces, nuts, or as repository for bones or citrus peel
• Omakase
• One bowl with two pieces
• Online food ordering
• Plate lunch
• Platter (dinner)
• Rôtisseur
• Saucier
• Signature dish
• Sous-chef - The 2nd chef within the kitchen, Sous means 'under chef'
• Table d'hôte – In restaurant terminology a "table d'hôte" menu is a menu where multi-course meals with only a few choices are charged at a fixed total price. Such a menu may also be called "prix fixe" (for "fixed price"). The phrases "set meal" and "set menu" are also used. The cutlery on the table may also already be set for all of the courses.
• Table reservation
• Table service
• Table sharing
• Take-out
• Three-martini lunch

See also

References