Kitchen Lingo
Response out of respect to acknowledge an order, a command, or direction from the Chef.
Heard
Expo
(Expeditor): The crucial link between the kitchen and dining room. The expeditor stands at the pass, reads incoming order tickets (chits), organizes the plates, and hands them to the servers.
Two dots and a dash
Two fried eggs and a strip of bacon.
A hamburger cooked well-done.
Hockey puck
How much ice cream we go through a month?
44 gallons
Said to let others know you are carrying something Sharp.
Sharp
Mise (or Mise en Place)
Short for the French culinary phrase meaning "everything in its place". It refers to a cook's fully prepped setup—chopped herbs, measured sauces, and organized tools—before service begins.
Heart attack on a rack
Biscuits and gravy
Cow paste / Axle grease
Butter
How much fruit is cleaned and cut a week?
15 gallons
Shorthand found on chits meaning Sauce on the Side or On the Side
SOS or OTS
GBD
An acronym standing for Golden, Brown, and Delicious. It is the universal standard for perfectly fried or roasted food.
Adam and Eve on a raft and wreck 'em
Two scrambled eggs on toast
Yellow blanket on a dead cow
Cheeseburger
How many head of romaine lettuce do we use a month
576 Heads
A call issued by the expeditor or a cook when food is plated, ready, and requires immediate pickup by a server or runner to go to a table.
Hands!
Sous Chef
Number 2 in command
Stack of Jayne Mansfields
A tall stack of pancakes (named after the voluptuous 1950s actress)
Hemorrhage
Ketchup.
How much bacon do we go through? (week or month)
75 lb per week
300 lbs per month
Said to the line before service to promote a positive night. Cooks will click their tongs in response.
Click it
Shoemaker
The ultimate insult for a kitchen worker. It describes a sloppy, incompetent cook who cuts corners and ruins dishes.
Cackleberries
Eggs
Burn one, drag it through the garden
Throw a hamburger patty on the grill ("burn one") and top it with lettuce, tomato, and onion ("the garden").
Like your coffee, how many gallons do we drink a week?
56 gallons or 224 gallons a month