Glossary
86 (eighty-six)
To 86 an item is restaurant shorthand for declaring it unavailable, because it has sold out or been pulled from service.
How 86 is used on the line
When the kitchen runs out of a dish or an ingredient, the expediter calls it 86, and servers stop offering it immediately. The term can also apply to a guest who is refused further service. Either way it means the item or person is off the floor.
A fast 86 process protects the guest experience: nothing frustrates a table more than ordering a dish the kitchen cannot make.
Example
Halfway through a busy Saturday the kitchen sells the last portion of branzino and calls 86 branzino. On a hosted digital menu, the item is hidden in seconds so no one orders what the kitchen cannot serve.
See also
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