86’d: When an item on the menu is unavailable for sale, it is referred to as 86’d. A drunk customer or even an exhausted colleague, is also deemed to be 86’d.
À la, Au / Aux: French terms referring to the style or manner of cooking, or what the dish is served with.
Al Dente: Literally means “to the teeth / to the bite”. The term is used when evaluating the correct degree of doneness of dishes, particularly vegetables and pasta. It is considered just right when biting into an item offers a slight resistance without being hard.
Al Fresco: Literally translated “in the fresh air”, this term in the restaurant industry refers to outdoor dining spaces.
American Service: American style food Service involves serving restaurant guests food that is pre-plated in the kitchen itself. Table sauces, Bread & Butter, Salads etc. are usually placed at the table. Possibly the only style of food service wherein service is from the right side of the guest.
Mis en scene: Literally translated “put in scene”. This refers to the broader picture in area preparation. It includes mis en place as well as general layout readiness.
Amortise: When a business gradually writes off the initial costs of its assets or repays its loan regularly over a period of time, it is said to be amortising the capital costs or loan.
Angel Investor: An investor who provides capital and sometimes even guidance to start-up businesses in return for a shareholding or equity in the company. Considering the risk they take in first time entrepreneurial ventures, they usually expect high returns. Referring to them as “angels”, might just stem from the fact that they invest at a stage prior to proof of concept.
ATL: “Above the Line” refers to sales & marketing techniques that promote the awareness of a brand through media channels including television, radio, print, cinema, the internet, and even out-of-home mediums like billboards. Since the agencies involved used to charge a commission when the phrase was created, accountants back then categorised them as “operating expenses” and therefore called them “above the line” costs.
Audit: An examination of stocks, systems or processes such as inventory management, financial transactions, customer experiences etc. with a view to correct or improve.
B&B Plate: Bread and Butter Plate is a 6 inch side plate placed to the left of the dinner plate. In a fine dining restaurant, it would be used to place bread to be buttered and consumed. It is also known as a quarter plate and in many cases side dishes or starters are placed in it for consumption.
Back Burner: As putting a pot on the back burner implies that it isn’t actively being attended to, just simmering; so also tasks put on the back burner would be the ones that are low priority for the moment.
Bain-Marie: A water bath or double boiler that comprises of 2 utensils: a smaller one placed inside a larger one with a liquid (usually water) in between. It may be used for cooking custards, whipping mousses, melting chocolate etc. or for keeping food warm as with chaffing dishes on buffet counters or even in a cold version as in the case of a salad counter.
Barista: Italian for bartender, a Barista is a person proficient in the art of preparing and pulling espresso-based and other beverages at a coffee shop or any other type of restaurant.
VFM: Value for Money. The fair amount a consumer perceives a particular product / service to be worth.
Sommelier: A French term for a wine steward who has expertise in wine varieties, their procurement, storage and service. In high-end restaurants, that offer such wine, a sommelier will help the restaurant select its wines, work in conjunction with the chef to plan the pairing of wines with food and accordingly recommend suitable options to guests, as per their tastes and budgets.
Silver Service: A formal style of service wherein food is transferred from a service dish to the guest’s plate from his left using a service spoon and fork. Clearing of plates and serving of beverages is done from the guest’s right. Further, guests seated at the table are served clockwise, ladies first followed by the gentlemen and lastly the host.
Soft Launch: A method of announcing the opening of a restaurant to a limited audience with little fanfare. The intent is to first get their buy-in, before making it available to the general public.
Running Order / On the Fly: Refers to an order that needs to be served right away. This is either because the guest is getting late, the rest of the guests at the table have been served, a guest needs to leave urgently, a dish is inedible, or because the waiter has delayed or made a mistake with an order that needs to be replaced / served urgently.
Organoleptic Tests: A sensory evaluation of food and beverages in areas including product color, appearance, hand-feel, mouth-feel, pliability, aroma, taste etc. usually conducted by a trained professional or panel of judges.
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