The Most Up-to-date Food Service Industry Glossary
Welcome to the most complete and up-to-date glossary about the food service industry. In this complete glossary, you'll find everything you need to know from A to Z on the terminology we use daily.
Learn how to speak the same language as your colleagues—or competitors.
Let's start with some basic definitions:
A
Aggregator
Also known as a “Food Aggregator,” “Delivery channel,” or “Third-party delivery platform,” An Aggregator is the middleman between a customer and a restaurant/dark kitchen/business. It uses technology as the bridge to connect people with your company. It gives you access to a broader audience through a website or app. Does , Deliveroo, , or ring a bell? Well, they are Aggregators.
Application Programming Interface (API)
An API connects computers, programs, or services that need to interact for a specific purpose. It allows applications to talk to each other, facilitating a process.
Here is an example in our language:
Situation: You’re in a restaurant with a menu with multiple options.
In this process, the kitchen is the part of the “system” that will prepare your order. However, we’re missing a critical link: the communication between what you want and the kitchen. That’s where “the waiter” or API comes in.
In this case, the waiter is the API that takes your request (or order) and tells the kitchen (the system) what to do. Then the waiter delivers the response to you; in this case, the food.
B
Back of house (BOH)
The back of the house is all the restaurant action customers do not see. We’re talking of everything behind the scenes, like everything that happens in the kitchen, breakrooms, and offices, but also everyone in those spaces: cooks and stewards, for example.
Bump it
Removing an order from the cook’s kitchen display system screen once it’s made or sizzling in the oven. You can use “Bumping an order” to describe the same action.
Brick-and-Mortar
"Brick and mortar" refers to the traditional business operating in a building and having a physical location to serve customers.
C
Customer Experience
It is a term that describes the whole perception of your customers throughout the complete interaction with your restaurant, dark kitchen, or (virtual) brand. It takes into account all interactions with the customer from beginning to end. One of your top priorities should be tot.
Contactless Dining
A means of serving guests without interpersonal contact that utilizes tech like smartphones, SMS texting, and QR codes for ordering and updates.
Is this something you’re interested in?
Check out here.
Cloud Kitchen
A different way to name the dark kitchen model.
Dark kitchens (or cloud kitchens) revolve around selling meals exclusively through delivery. Thus, they are kitchens optimized for food delivery and fully equipped with everything the staff needs to produce food. Typically, these kitchens are located where there is high demand for food delivery but no dine-in area.
Check out our complete Guide to Dark Kitchens for a more extended dive into Dark Kitchens.
Commercial Kitchen
Commercial Kitchens are spaces where chefs can go to cook without investing in the equipment, as these kitchens are already fully equipped and functional. Chefs only need to focus on what they know and love: outstanding food!
Curbside Delivery
Like takeout service, curbside is a “contactless” pickup meal delivered to a customer's vehicle. It was brought to life during the challenging times of COVID-19 and is often offered at restaurants without drive-through services.
D
Dark kitchen
The concept of dark kitchens revolves around selling meals exclusively through delivery. Thus, they are kitchens optimized for food delivery and are fully equipped with everything the staff needs to produce food. Typically, these kitchens are located where there is high demand for food delivery but don’t provide dine-in services.
Note that there are other forms to call this business model: cloud kitchens, ghost kitchens, or virtual kitchens, all referring to the same.
Do you want to explore Dark Kitchens, their pros and cons, and the best ways to start one? We have you covered! Check out our complete Guide to Dark Kitchens: Everything You Need to Know here.
Deliverect
Deliverect is a fast-growing SAAS scale-up that connects third-party delivery platforms and food businesses around the globe. It is neither a delivery provider nor a POS system - Deliverect bridges the gap between them by integrating third-party food ordering platforms into the restaurant’s point-of-sale system. Deliverect turns rekeying orders and costly errors into operational efficiency, saving restaurants time and money and ramping up customer satisfaction.
Deliverect Dispatch
Deliverect's Dispatch empowers restaurants to scale their delivery operations effortlessly while providing customers a great experience. It connects any order, whether from a large channel (ex., Uber Eats, GrubHub) or a direct online ordering channel, and matches the best delivery option by comparing offers from several providers to select one for an order. Deliverect Dispatch reduces the manual work needed to communicate with third-party delivery providers, allowing restaurants or dark kitchens to grow their delivery footprint while reducing their effort.
Does your business need Deliverect Dispatch?Find everything you need to know about it right here.
Deliverect Kitchen Display
allows restaurants to quickly view and manage all online orders on a screen in the kitchen. Acting as a single source of truth eliminates miscommunication and errors and ensures food is ready for pick up when the drivers arrive.