Unit 9 Vocabulary: Fine Dining

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Noun (thing)
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Amuse bouche
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an adopted french term for a savory mouthful of food, which is sometimes served before a fancy meal
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"I thought that the amuse bouche was delicious, even though I don't usually like prawns."
Noun (thing)
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Buffet
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a meal or a section of the restaurant, where guests can serve themselves and take as much as they like
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"The buffet consisted of 3 hot and 6 cold dishes."
Noun (thing)
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Chit
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a small piece of paper on which orders are written
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"The waiters writing was so bad that the chef couldn't read the chit."
Verb (infinitive)
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Comp
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to give something away free of charge, often as a promotion or as the result of a complaint
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"The restaurant manager decided to comp all drinks for the evening to make up for the power cut."
Adjective
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Complimentary
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free of charge, without payment
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"Complimentary tea and coffee is being served in the lounge now."
Noun (person)
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Covers
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the total number of guests at a given service in a restaurant
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"The restaurant usually does about 50 covers per night but that number can rise to over 100 in the busy season."
Verb (infinitive)
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Crumb down
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to remove crumbs and left-overs from a tablecloth using a small brush
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"The waiter crumbed down the table before he served the coffee."
Noun (thing)
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Cutlery
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any utensils used for eating or serving food such as knives, forks, and spoons
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"All of the hotel's cutlery is made from silver."
Noun (thing)
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Dietary requests
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any information regarding a diner's allergies, intolerances or preferences when it comes to food
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"When you take a booking, you should ask if the diner has any special dietary requests."
Noun (thing)
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F&B
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an abbreviation for food and beverage
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"The F&B department has over 200 employees."
Noun (person)
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Floater
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a worker who moves from task to task without any fixed duties
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"The restaurant team is made up of 6 waiters who work the different sections, 2 floaters and a supervisor."
Adjective
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Intrusive
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causing disruption, in an annoying way
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"I thought the waiter was a bit too intrusive. There was no need to ask us five times if everything was ok."
Verb (infinitive)
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Lay the table
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to put all glasses, cutlery, and napkins in their correct place on the table, for the guests
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"After she had laid the tables, her supervisor checked them and found that she had missed two small wine glasses."
Noun (thing)
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Napkin
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a square piece of paper or cloth used at meal times to protect clothing and wipe one's fingers or mouth
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"In some restaurants, waiters unfold the napkin for you and place it in your lap."
Verb (infinitive)
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Pace
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to control the speed of an activity, often to keep things sustainable for a long duration
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"It is important to pace orders so that the kitchen can cope and diners do not have to wait too long for their meal after ordering."
Verb (infinitive)
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Pair
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to match someone, or something, to a suitable partner
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"He paired the salmon dish to a delicate white wine."
Noun (place)
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Pass
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an area of the kitchen where finished dishes are organized and then picked up by servers for delivery to diners
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"The head chef is usually stationed at the pass to control the quality of dishes leaving the kitchen."
Proper noun (person)
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Sommelier
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a specially-trained waitperson, who has extensive knowledge of wine and appropriate food-pairings
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"The sommelier recommended a Rioja to go with the lamb."
Verb (infinitive)
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Walk somebody through
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to slowly and carefully explain something
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"The restaurant manager walked the staff through the menu, making sure that everyone knew what the dishes contained."
Noun (person)
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Walk-in
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a customer or guest who arrives without a proper reservation or booking
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"The restaurant served 32 in-house guests and 8 walk-ins last night."
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