I ordered a cod dish at a restaurant the other day. Minutes later, a service staff came with a menu, apologetically, he said, “Sorry, the cod is eighty-six. Would you like to order something else?” I was surprised, not because the restaurant didn’t have cod on that night, but the restaurant term “86” just slipped out from the mouth of a service staff.

For most people who are not working in F&B industry or who are not familiar with American slang, “86” is just a figure. In restaurants, “86” means that an item has run out or not available. The origin of this expression is a puzzle, simply google on the net, you can find at least three different sources. “86” is used frequently not only as an adjective but also as a verb meaning “to ignore” or “to kick out”. You can start practicing this multi-purpose code in your daily life: “Hun, toilet rolls 86” “86 the salesperson at the door”.

There are certainly a lot of useful restaurant terms. In a fast pace kitchen, time is gold. Words are or given different meaning to speed up the flow of a restaurant service. “Fire” or simply a gesture of firing a gun is another common expression to indicate “start to cook now!” So, in your next dining out session, when you have finished your main course and ready for the dessert, try speaking to your service staff “Dessert fire, please.” He/she will probably respond with a delightful smile and your dessert will be ready before you know it.

If you aspire to become a foodie, speak the restaurant language. Perhaps, watching Hell’s Kitchen helps.