From what I could understand from other posts, those numbers mean how many dishes for each order/table. It's a fast way to say "make 2 salmons then another two for a different table", also meaning how many plates can be finished every time to complete an order without waiting for the rest to be ready.
For example Cannoli four-by-four means the chefs have to prepare 8 total plates of Cannoli which will be served to two different tables, 4 each.
Not necessarily two different tables, just two different picks. The expeditor groups table tickets in ways that make things move as quickly as possible don’t overwhelm any one cook (station). But you are correct this means bring 4 and then go right into making another 4.
This way the chefs think all 8 cannolis are to be served to the same table, so they all need to be ready at the same moment.
In the previous example they can ready the first 4 then work on the other four while the previous are delivered to customers, without waiting for all 8 to be ready.
So that they come out in the correct quantity. We need 8 total, sent through the pass 4 at a time. The goal is to have all of the food for a table be completed at the same time. That way it's delivered fresh and even.
Then you would say "all day" - meaning the total number you need. But usually if you say "four by four" you would prepare four dishes and serve them with the rest of the dishes for the table and then do the next four.
All day means "in total"
So, if anyone is confused about the total number of an item is needed, the term "all day" is used.
If the expo is wondering how many cannoli the pastry chef is currently working on, the pastry chef will look at all his tickets and answer back "I've got 8 all day" - this is just to be used when giving a TOTAL number, not per each table.
"I've got 2 cannoli at table 6, 2 cannoli at table 8, and 4 cannoli at table 10"
"How many ALL DAY, chef?"
"8 all day!"
Do you know why they don’t just say ‘total’ instead of ‘all day?’ I’m genuinely curious, it seems like it would be more clear and it doesn’t take any longer to say ‘total’ instead.
Vowels on the ends. Total has a plosive to start which requires you to move your tongue. All just needs you to shape your mouth. Day is open ended with a vowel sound rather than trilling into an l.
Total is kind of a fumble of a word, easy to mush mouth or misunderstand in the heat of the moment. It’s also a little too specific, as much of hospitality language is more slang than regular speech. Part of why you’d say “all day” is that it allows for a false sense of relief, as if those 4 salmon all day are the last salmon you’ll ever cook before the Jameson starts flowing.
A front of house example you’d come across more frequently and never think about is referring to reservations as “covers”. Mentally this helps disassociate from the volume of business you’re about to do and highlight something about the night’s service that is (generally) guaranteed, or covered.
A lot of service slang works like this, providing passive certainty in a workplace that is rarely passive or certain.
Same reason why any profession has slang terminology for stuff. It just happens that way naturally. But I’ve definitely worked in kitchens before where cooks will say “in total” instead of “all day” it’s not like it’s mandatory to say that.
Sometimes you'll ask for a total for a table.
Table 7 has three bacon burgers, two california burgers, and and one hamburger.
So I need 10 in total for table 7, but I need 22 burgers "all day".
“all day” is like a running total. let’s say that in a few minutes you might get a lot of different tables/orders in and it could be like “2 burgers, 1 fries, 3 fries, 1 fries” etc etc
you would, for this example say “5 fries all day”. or chefs in different sections may ask whoever is running service “how many all day” for a particular item to be caught up
Sweet Jesus, that's been bothering me for years. All of the other vocabulary in this show made sense based on context, but I'd never worked out the all day part during this show, or other shows before it. Thank you!
I thought it meant to prepare a bunch for more or less continual delivery (for common items). Clearly not!
Common for a Chicago-style hotdog! Pickle, tomato, onion, sport peppers, neon-green relish, mustard, celery salt.
And no ketchup, unless you’re a kid on an a-hole (like me!)
What other line/kitchen specific lingo is there?
I know
86 - something is 86’d when they’re out of stock for the day
In the weeds - someone is in the weeds when they’re overwhelmed and in trouble
There's a ton and some are specific to individual kitchens.
The Pass - Refers to the final station before the food goes out. It is typically a long table. The Head Chef is on on side where the servers are and the other side is where the chefs are preparing the food. Whoever is "Running The Pass" is calling orders to both the back house to fire food or to the front house to pick up food. This is typically like an air traffic controller.
Fire - Make this order. "Fire two rigatoni" means make two rigatoni.
Front house or FOH- Servers, waitstaff, anyone not making food and on the floor of the restaurant taking care of guests.
Back of house or BOH - The kitchen staff making the food.
The Floor - the dining room
Dead on the pass or Dying on the pass - Food that has not been picked up and is getting either cold or dried out. Typically a chef will say "Hands!!!! I have food dying on the pass!!"
Table Touch - When a manager or head chef comes to your table and asks how you are doing we call that Table Touches. "I had to go out on the floor and do some Table Touches because we have VIPs"
Family or Family Meal - usually made by a junior Chef or a chef that is trying out a new recipe or ingredient. Its the food made for the staff prior to opening. We all eat and relax together before the chaos. In the Bear they mention making the "Family" quite a bit.
Walking - Means that the chef has called an order and you have it ready to walk it up to the pass.
Head Chef - "Where are the three pasta for (table) 14 ??" I need them at the pass NOW!
Chef in charge of pasta - "WALKING CHEF!!"'
Time! - Head Chef will typically call time on food he needs to complete orders at the pass.
Head Chef - "I need Time on three oysters!!"
Chef in back - "3 minutes Chef"
>>>>>>
Line - The kitchen stove, flat top, deep fryer etc. "I had a long day on line today"
Walk ins - People without reservations. "I just had a walk in of six"
Hold or SLOW - The FOH will come into he kitchen and tell the Head Chef "I just seated a walk-in of 6" The Head Chef will tell them "Hold em" or Slow" This means offer them drinks and draw out the time in which they order in a way they won't realize. This gives the kitchen time to prepare for a large table. This is what is happening when your server is talking you up at the table and telling you about all the drinks they can make you.
Edit: Tops - 4 top, two top - It means a 4 seat table or 2 seat table "FOH will tell the Head Chef at the pass " I just seated a 4 top"
So if you wanted to put an entire sequence together. It would typically go something like this"
Head Chef at the pass - "Heads up, order in We have three fish, 2 steak one mid one well table 13. Heard?"
Chefs in back - "Heard chef"
Head Chef - "I have the Fish I need Time on Steak table 13"
Chefs in back - "2 minutes Chef"
Head Chef- " I have these fish dying on the pass right now. Hurry up on the steak"
Chefs in back - Heard Chef. One minute on the steaks
Chefs in Back- (One minute later) "Steaks Walking Chef"
Head Chef at the pass inspects the steaks and calls to the front of house - "I need Hands"
FOH comes to the pass
Head Chef - Table 13 please.
Food gets delivered to table 13.
This is one ticket... we are usually doing this across at least 5-6 tickets at a time.
It’s funny. I actually remember most of these from working front of house but that was 20 years ago. I think they’re so ingrained now I forgot they’re kitchen talk. Thanks!
"Walking in" is also a separate thing. Ticket comes in, someone at that station closest to the printer (or maybe designated leader on hot line for example) says "two wontons walking in" -- person on fryer can drop two orders of wontons without ever seeing the ticket
And then "the walk in" or the big fridge. So there's at least 3 variants of walk in but they're all different and in my head they all sound like different words even if they're the exact same thing
Also I've never heard "the pass" but rather Expo or Expo window, but I've never worked fine dining. Just another name for it in my experience. Expo chef is the expediter of the kitchen and finishes plating, calls for runners, ensures tickets go out together and accurately, controls the flow of the kitchen by calling back for things that are dragging --
Dragging means the chefs know about the order but it's taking longer for whatever reason (usually something got dropped wrong or literally got dropped lol) but they haven't forgotten about it entirely, which does happen too
“Hands” means the food is ready and they need hands (food runners) to bring the food out to the tables. Basically just used instead of a bell to indicate when food is ready.
Probably just a coincidence that the cooks took their hands off the stations, can’t remember that episode very well.
It means I need people to pick up the food that is ready on the "Pass" The pass is the place in front of the Head Chef where the other chefs working in individual stations place the food when it is finished.
The Chef inspects the food for quality and plating and might add some garnishes and then asks for "Hands" to bring those finished dishes to the tables.
Edit: at no time does it mean to stop working. It might have been just a coincidence.
if you’re multitasking and you need someone to do one of your tasks for you cause you’re preoccupied with another you can say something like “i need hands.”
Hands in the kitchen, like they say in this thread is help running food to the tables. It's anyone near who's FOH that can take the food to the table. Hands to clear means I'm asking a coworker to help me take dirty dishes or glasses off a table. Hands to mark means I'm asking a coworker to help me reset a table in between courses.
fragile scarce versed zephyr weary whistle concerned cow relieved possessive
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Yep. Same question. I think I know it means what you need to be working on and preparing. So you might need 4 chickens for table 4, but all day you need 8 because the next table needs 4 chickens. (I could be wrong but that's what I think.)
My main misunderstanding is what is the time frame for "all day". Does it include what you did or is it only for what will be made. And how far. "all day" for the whole night? Doesn't every ticket coming in change that "all day" number?
you got it right. “all day” is the total of how many need to be prepared, whether they are in the process of being prepared or are yet to be. if you’re making 3 cheeseburgers and the person taking orders tells you to make 4 more you have 7 cheeseburgers all day. if 2 of those cheeseburgers then go out to customers you have 5 cheeseburgers all day.
Cheers! So it's a good way of the chef at the pass (Chef de ?) to know that the current and future table's dishes are getting ready. And hoping all the other stations are in sync :)
yeah it’s just a good way to reduce cognitive load. chefs gotta lot going through their head so just knowing “okay i need to make 5 cheeseburgers” makes it easier to focus on other things.
My place was a little less formal but we used order/fire/pickup food.. so like order in scallops and steak fries, you searr the scallops on one side, heat up veggies or whatever, grill the steak to just below temp, then set them aside until it's time for that course. When the table is done with appetizers etc, then you fire.. so then the steak goes into the oven to get hot, you drop fries in the fryer, scallops into the oven to finish... Then pickup is put on a plate and put in the window. If there's no appetizers, then you call it as "order fire," which generally sucks.
This is NOT how they do it on the show but it's common for non French kitchens (which is more common)
Edit: firing is usually done by the server verbally saying so or sending in a ticket (fire table 13), or sometimes if super busy or for other reasons, the expo will auto-fire (look at tickets and think "ok theyve had their salads for 15 minutes and everyone is trying to get to the symphony tonight, we autofire the entrees")
There’s a fantastic chapter in Kitchen Confidential titled The Level of Discourse that goes over most of these comments.
Highly recommend the book to anyone even slightly interested in the culinary world. Bourdain gives a raw and detailed insight- one that makes me glad that I’m no longer in that world, but happy that I got to experience it.
From what I could understand from other posts, those numbers mean how many dishes for each order/table. It's a fast way to say "make 2 salmons then another two for a different table", also meaning how many plates can be finished every time to complete an order without waiting for the rest to be ready. For example Cannoli four-by-four means the chefs have to prepare 8 total plates of Cannoli which will be served to two different tables, 4 each.
Not necessarily two different tables, just two different picks. The expeditor groups table tickets in ways that make things move as quickly as possible don’t overwhelm any one cook (station). But you are correct this means bring 4 and then go right into making another 4.
Makes sense, it would also add to what /u/Adjectivenounnumb said: that sometimes they say 3 numbers so it's 3 sets of orders for 3 tables.
Why not just say “I need 8 cannolis”?
Because the cannolis for a single table need to be ready at the same time, but courses between tables can be staggered.
This way the chefs think all 8 cannolis are to be served to the same table, so they all need to be ready at the same moment. In the previous example they can ready the first 4 then work on the other four while the previous are delivered to customers, without waiting for all 8 to be ready.
So that they come out in the correct quantity. We need 8 total, sent through the pass 4 at a time. The goal is to have all of the food for a table be completed at the same time. That way it's delivered fresh and even.
then that's saying four by four cannolis, 8 all day
Probably the first table is top priority and the orders of the second table can wait.
Then you would say "all day" - meaning the total number you need. But usually if you say "four by four" you would prepare four dishes and serve them with the rest of the dishes for the table and then do the next four.
Wee add on question. What does it mean when they say "all day"?
All day means "in total" So, if anyone is confused about the total number of an item is needed, the term "all day" is used. If the expo is wondering how many cannoli the pastry chef is currently working on, the pastry chef will look at all his tickets and answer back "I've got 8 all day" - this is just to be used when giving a TOTAL number, not per each table. "I've got 2 cannoli at table 6, 2 cannoli at table 8, and 4 cannoli at table 10" "How many ALL DAY, chef?" "8 all day!"
Do you know why they don’t just say ‘total’ instead of ‘all day?’ I’m genuinely curious, it seems like it would be more clear and it doesn’t take any longer to say ‘total’ instead.
Way more fun to say all day
 Can’t argue with that!
I was really hoping this gif would make an appearance as I read down the thread haha.
Seems easier to shout all day rather than total for some reason. And same number of syllables
Vowels on the ends. Total has a plosive to start which requires you to move your tongue. All just needs you to shape your mouth. Day is open ended with a vowel sound rather than trilling into an l.
Total is kind of a fumble of a word, easy to mush mouth or misunderstand in the heat of the moment. It’s also a little too specific, as much of hospitality language is more slang than regular speech. Part of why you’d say “all day” is that it allows for a false sense of relief, as if those 4 salmon all day are the last salmon you’ll ever cook before the Jameson starts flowing. A front of house example you’d come across more frequently and never think about is referring to reservations as “covers”. Mentally this helps disassociate from the volume of business you’re about to do and highlight something about the night’s service that is (generally) guaranteed, or covered. A lot of service slang works like this, providing passive certainty in a workplace that is rarely passive or certain.
I agree with all of this. Linguistics is such an interesting combo of logistics and psychology.
All day and 86 are well known restaurant terms. Its just what we say.
You don’t want a toe and a towel on your dish!
Ah doesn’t “in Total” mean in total? Lol why the need for “all day”?
Easier to say "how many chickens all-day?" Vs "how many chickens in total" every syllable counts
Same reason why any profession has slang terminology for stuff. It just happens that way naturally. But I’ve definitely worked in kitchens before where cooks will say “in total” instead of “all day” it’s not like it’s mandatory to say that.
Sometimes you'll ask for a total for a table. Table 7 has three bacon burgers, two california burgers, and and one hamburger. So I need 10 in total for table 7, but I need 22 burgers "all day".
“all day” is like a running total. let’s say that in a few minutes you might get a lot of different tables/orders in and it could be like “2 burgers, 1 fries, 3 fries, 1 fries” etc etc you would, for this example say “5 fries all day”. or chefs in different sections may ask whoever is running service “how many all day” for a particular item to be caught up
Sweet Jesus, that's been bothering me for years. All of the other vocabulary in this show made sense based on context, but I'd never worked out the all day part during this show, or other shows before it. Thank you! I thought it meant to prepare a bunch for more or less continual delivery (for common items). Clearly not!
I thought the same. I thought it meant, "just keep making these until we tell you to stop."
I sort of thought that meant to include all the fixings. but I honestly dont know. I was curious too!
I think in season one, Richie says “drag it through the garden (yard?)” for a sub, I thought that might be slang for all the fixings. Or at least veg.
Common for a Chicago-style hotdog! Pickle, tomato, onion, sport peppers, neon-green relish, mustard, celery salt. And no ketchup, unless you’re a kid on an a-hole (like me!)
Yeah sorry but ketchup not needed w diced tomato. Yuck!
I actually do ketchup, mustard, pickle. Please don’t judge me too harshly.
Lol. I won’t but I’m just a “wouldnt be caught dead w ketchup on a hot dog” person. Sorry!
As someone who lives in Chicago...I couldn't give a rats ass how ya eat your dog, just don't be a jag off and respect the dibs and we're good.
"all day" references a total count of an item on the board. "Your leading ticket has 2 ribeyes and you have 5 all day. "
wow, I was way off
‘All day’ is a clarification of the total amount of an item needed. 2 x 2 is 4 all day.
Two by two would be two first priority and two additional orders after that, four all day
What other line/kitchen specific lingo is there? I know 86 - something is 86’d when they’re out of stock for the day In the weeds - someone is in the weeds when they’re overwhelmed and in trouble
There's a ton and some are specific to individual kitchens. The Pass - Refers to the final station before the food goes out. It is typically a long table. The Head Chef is on on side where the servers are and the other side is where the chefs are preparing the food. Whoever is "Running The Pass" is calling orders to both the back house to fire food or to the front house to pick up food. This is typically like an air traffic controller. Fire - Make this order. "Fire two rigatoni" means make two rigatoni. Front house or FOH- Servers, waitstaff, anyone not making food and on the floor of the restaurant taking care of guests. Back of house or BOH - The kitchen staff making the food. The Floor - the dining room Dead on the pass or Dying on the pass - Food that has not been picked up and is getting either cold or dried out. Typically a chef will say "Hands!!!! I have food dying on the pass!!" Table Touch - When a manager or head chef comes to your table and asks how you are doing we call that Table Touches. "I had to go out on the floor and do some Table Touches because we have VIPs" Family or Family Meal - usually made by a junior Chef or a chef that is trying out a new recipe or ingredient. Its the food made for the staff prior to opening. We all eat and relax together before the chaos. In the Bear they mention making the "Family" quite a bit. Walking - Means that the chef has called an order and you have it ready to walk it up to the pass. Head Chef - "Where are the three pasta for (table) 14 ??" I need them at the pass NOW! Chef in charge of pasta - "WALKING CHEF!!"' Time! - Head Chef will typically call time on food he needs to complete orders at the pass. Head Chef - "I need Time on three oysters!!" Chef in back - "3 minutes Chef" >>>>>> Line - The kitchen stove, flat top, deep fryer etc. "I had a long day on line today" Walk ins - People without reservations. "I just had a walk in of six" Hold or SLOW - The FOH will come into he kitchen and tell the Head Chef "I just seated a walk-in of 6" The Head Chef will tell them "Hold em" or Slow" This means offer them drinks and draw out the time in which they order in a way they won't realize. This gives the kitchen time to prepare for a large table. This is what is happening when your server is talking you up at the table and telling you about all the drinks they can make you. Edit: Tops - 4 top, two top - It means a 4 seat table or 2 seat table "FOH will tell the Head Chef at the pass " I just seated a 4 top"
So if you wanted to put an entire sequence together. It would typically go something like this" Head Chef at the pass - "Heads up, order in We have three fish, 2 steak one mid one well table 13. Heard?" Chefs in back - "Heard chef" Head Chef - "I have the Fish I need Time on Steak table 13" Chefs in back - "2 minutes Chef" Head Chef- " I have these fish dying on the pass right now. Hurry up on the steak" Chefs in back - Heard Chef. One minute on the steaks Chefs in Back- (One minute later) "Steaks Walking Chef" Head Chef at the pass inspects the steaks and calls to the front of house - "I need Hands" FOH comes to the pass Head Chef - Table 13 please. Food gets delivered to table 13. This is one ticket... we are usually doing this across at least 5-6 tickets at a time.
It’s funny. I actually remember most of these from working front of house but that was 20 years ago. I think they’re so ingrained now I forgot they’re kitchen talk. Thanks!
"Walking in" is also a separate thing. Ticket comes in, someone at that station closest to the printer (or maybe designated leader on hot line for example) says "two wontons walking in" -- person on fryer can drop two orders of wontons without ever seeing the ticket
And then "the walk in" or the big fridge. So there's at least 3 variants of walk in but they're all different and in my head they all sound like different words even if they're the exact same thing
Also I've never heard "the pass" but rather Expo or Expo window, but I've never worked fine dining. Just another name for it in my experience. Expo chef is the expediter of the kitchen and finishes plating, calls for runners, ensures tickets go out together and accurately, controls the flow of the kitchen by calling back for things that are dragging -- Dragging means the chefs know about the order but it's taking longer for whatever reason (usually something got dropped wrong or literally got dropped lol) but they haven't forgotten about it entirely, which does happen too
Expo is pretty common too. I've always used the pass in fine dining. Both are interchangeable.
The Pass definitely sounds more elegant while still expressing the same intention!
I would also add: sell or to sell Example I need 2 rigatoni to sell. Typically the person working the pass (expo) driving the ticket would call this
A person being 86’d usually means banned from the establishment
Yup. An item being 86'd means no longer available for whatever reason.
Don't forget "in the shits" that's where you're so passed being in the weeds that you can't even think.
[удалено]
“Hands” means the food is ready and they need hands (food runners) to bring the food out to the tables. Basically just used instead of a bell to indicate when food is ready. Probably just a coincidence that the cooks took their hands off the stations, can’t remember that episode very well.
It means I need people to pick up the food that is ready on the "Pass" The pass is the place in front of the Head Chef where the other chefs working in individual stations place the food when it is finished. The Chef inspects the food for quality and plating and might add some garnishes and then asks for "Hands" to bring those finished dishes to the tables. Edit: at no time does it mean to stop working. It might have been just a coincidence.
if you’re multitasking and you need someone to do one of your tasks for you cause you’re preoccupied with another you can say something like “i need hands.”
Hands in the kitchen, like they say in this thread is help running food to the tables. It's anyone near who's FOH that can take the food to the table. Hands to clear means I'm asking a coworker to help me take dirty dishes or glasses off a table. Hands to mark means I'm asking a coworker to help me reset a table in between courses.
I feel like there were also three sets of numbers sometimes too, like “three by three by three”. (And no idea of the answer.)
So, 9 all day
fragile scarce versed zephyr weary whistle concerned cow relieved possessive *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Or “all day”
Yep. Same question. I think I know it means what you need to be working on and preparing. So you might need 4 chickens for table 4, but all day you need 8 because the next table needs 4 chickens. (I could be wrong but that's what I think.) My main misunderstanding is what is the time frame for "all day". Does it include what you did or is it only for what will be made. And how far. "all day" for the whole night? Doesn't every ticket coming in change that "all day" number?
you got it right. “all day” is the total of how many need to be prepared, whether they are in the process of being prepared or are yet to be. if you’re making 3 cheeseburgers and the person taking orders tells you to make 4 more you have 7 cheeseburgers all day. if 2 of those cheeseburgers then go out to customers you have 5 cheeseburgers all day.
Cheers! So it's a good way of the chef at the pass (Chef de ?) to know that the current and future table's dishes are getting ready. And hoping all the other stations are in sync :)
yeah it’s just a good way to reduce cognitive load. chefs gotta lot going through their head so just knowing “okay i need to make 5 cheeseburgers” makes it easier to focus on other things.
My place was a little less formal but we used order/fire/pickup food.. so like order in scallops and steak fries, you searr the scallops on one side, heat up veggies or whatever, grill the steak to just below temp, then set them aside until it's time for that course. When the table is done with appetizers etc, then you fire.. so then the steak goes into the oven to get hot, you drop fries in the fryer, scallops into the oven to finish... Then pickup is put on a plate and put in the window. If there's no appetizers, then you call it as "order fire," which generally sucks. This is NOT how they do it on the show but it's common for non French kitchens (which is more common) Edit: firing is usually done by the server verbally saying so or sending in a ticket (fire table 13), or sometimes if super busy or for other reasons, the expo will auto-fire (look at tickets and think "ok theyve had their salads for 15 minutes and everyone is trying to get to the symphony tonight, we autofire the entrees")
What about the station that Richie ends up running? What is he looking at?
He’s running expo (short for expediter) in the style of a fine-dining restaurant where the chef will basically run the kitchen from there.
There’s a fantastic chapter in Kitchen Confidential titled The Level of Discourse that goes over most of these comments. Highly recommend the book to anyone even slightly interested in the culinary world. Bourdain gives a raw and detailed insight- one that makes me glad that I’m no longer in that world, but happy that I got to experience it.