Academy

Restaurant Glossary

Essential restaurant industry terms, from covers to RevPASH. Learn the language of hospitality.

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Quick Reference

Term Definition
86 (Eighty-Six) Restaurant slang meaning an item is sold out or no longer available.
All Day Kitchen term for the total count of a specific item needed across all current orders.
Availability Management The process of controlling which time slots, tables, and dates are open for reservations.
Average Check Size The average revenue generated per guest during a single visit.
Average Dining Time The typical amount of time a guest spends at the table from seating to departure.
BOH (Back of House) The kitchen and non-customer-facing areas of a restaurant including prep areas, dish room, and storage.
Booking Confirmation A message sent to guests to verify their restaurant reservation details.
Booking Lead Time The number of days or hours between when a guest makes a reservation and when they plan to dine.
Booking Widget An embeddable reservation form that lets guests book a table directly from a restaurant's website.
Cancellation Policy A set of rules defining how and when guests can cancel a restaurant reservation without penalty.
Cancellation Rate The percentage of confirmed reservations that are cancelled before the dining date.
Comp Short for complimentary, referring to food or drinks given free to guests, usually to address complaints or reward regulars.
Cover A single guest or diner at a restaurant, used as a unit of measurement for capacity and revenue.
Cover Fee A charge some reservation platforms impose on restaurants for each guest (cover) booked through their system.
Covers Per Hour The number of guests served per hour, measuring a restaurant's service throughput and capacity utilization.
Customer Database A system for storing guest contact information, visit history, and preferences to personalize service and drive repeat business.
Double Shift Working two consecutive shifts in the same day, typically lunch and dinner service.
Email Marketing Using email campaigns to engage past guests and drive repeat reservations.
Event Booking Taking and managing reservations for private events, large parties, and special occasions at a restaurant.
FIFO (First In, First Out) First In, First Out - an inventory management method where oldest stock is used first.
Fire (Kitchen Command) A kitchen command meaning to start cooking a dish immediately.
Floor Plan Optimization The practice of arranging tables, aisles, and service stations to maximize seating capacity and operational flow.
FOH (Front of House) The customer-facing areas of a restaurant including the dining room, bar, and host stand.
Google Business Profile A free Google listing that displays a restaurant's details in search results and Google Maps.
Guest Management The overall approach to tracking, understanding, and serving restaurant guests across every touchpoint from booking to follow-up.
Guest Notes Staff observations and details recorded about individual guests to personalize future visits.
Guest Preferences Dietary needs, seating choices, and special requests that guests have, stored in their profile for personalized service.
Hospitality CRM Customer relationship management software designed specifically for restaurants and hospitality businesses to track guest interactions and drive loyalty.
Host Stand Management The coordination of guest arrivals, seating assignments, and waitlist flow from the restaurant entrance.
In the Weeds Restaurant slang for being overwhelmed with work, typically when staff cannot keep up with orders or tables.
Large Party Booking A restaurant reservation for a group of 6 or more guests, requiring special planning for seating, service, and kitchen workflow.
Loyalty Program A structured system for rewarding repeat restaurant guests with perks, discounts, or exclusive access to encourage continued patronage.
No-Show A guest who makes a reservation but fails to arrive without canceling.
No-Show Fee A charge applied to guests who fail to show up for their restaurant reservation without canceling.
Online Booking The process of making a restaurant reservation through a website, app, or digital platform rather than by phone.
Overbooking Accepting more reservations than available tables to compensate for expected no-shows and cancellations.
Party Size The number of guests in a single reservation or dining group.
Peak Hours The busiest time periods during a restaurant's service when demand for tables is highest.
POS (Point of Sale) The system where transactions are completed, combining hardware and software for order processing and payment.
POS Integration Connecting a restaurant's reservation system with its point of sale to share guest data, spending history, and operational insights.
Prime Cost The sum of food costs and labor costs, typically the largest expenses for a restaurant.
Repeat Guest Rate The percentage of guests who have dined at your restaurant more than once within a given period.
Reservation Confirmation A verification message that a restaurant reservation has been received, accepted, and secured.
Reservation Conversion Rate The percentage of booking attempts that result in a confirmed reservation.
Reservation Deposit A payment collected in advance to secure a restaurant reservation and reduce no-shows.
Reservation System Software that manages restaurant reservations, table assignments, and guest communication in one platform.
Review Management The process of monitoring, responding to, and improving online reviews across platforms like Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor.
RevPASH Revenue Per Available Seat Hour - a metric measuring how efficiently a restaurant generates revenue from its seating capacity.
Seating Capacity The maximum number of guests a restaurant can seat and serve at one time.
Seating Time The total duration a party occupies a table, from being seated to departing.
SMS Reminders Automated text messages sent to guests before their reservation to confirm attendance and reduce no-shows.
Special Occasions Reservations for birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations that typically generate higher per-cover spending.
Table Management The process of tracking table status, assigning parties to tables, and coordinating seating flow during service.
Table Turnover Rate The number of times a table is occupied by different parties during a service period.
Ticket Time The time from when an order is placed until the food is served to the guest.
Time Slot Management The process of configuring when reservations can be made, how they are spaced, and how many are allowed per interval.
VIP Guest Management The practice of identifying, flagging, and providing elevated service to a restaurant's most valuable and loyal guests.
Waitlist A queue system for managing guests waiting for available tables when a restaurant is at capacity.
Walk-in A guest who arrives at a restaurant without a reservation.
Walkout When a guest leaves a restaurant without paying their bill.

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