Restaurant ordering and service terms, in plain words

Thirty-seven terms you meet when you compare table-ordering tools or talk to a vendor, from AI waiter and QR table ordering to KDS, modifier, 86'd, cover and service charge. Each has a short definition and, where it matters, a note on how WaiterPilot handles it, with a link to the page that explains more.

Updated 2026-10-15

Ordering at the table

The kinds of ordering a restaurant can offer, and what each term usually means.

AI waiter. Software that lets guests ask about the menu and place an order in a conversation, usually by chat or voice. It is not a robot: people still cook and serve. WaiterPilot is a chat-based AI waiter opened from the table's QR code. See what an AI waiter is.
QR table ordering. Guests scan a QR code on their table, see the menu on their phone and send an order to staff. With WaiterPilot the menu opens in the browser, with no app and no sign-up. See QR table ordering.
QR menu. A QR code that opens a menu to read, often a PDF or web page. Guests can't order through it; a server still takes the order.
Digital menu. Any menu on a screen: a QR menu, a tablet, or a menu board above a counter. The term alone doesn't say whether guests can order from it.
Order and pay. Ordering and paying on the guest's phone in one flow, usually part of a POS or payments product. WaiterPilot takes orders but no payment.
Pay at table. Guests pay the bill from their phone or a handheld terminal at the table, without going to the counter. Often offered by payment companies, with or without ordering.
Tableside ordering. Usually a server taking orders on a handheld device at the table, so the order goes straight to the kitchen. Sometimes used for guest self-ordering too.
Self-ordering kiosk. A touch screen where guests order, and usually pay, before sitting down or collecting. Common in quick service; it is hardware the restaurant buys or rents.
Dine-in. Guests eat at the restaurant's tables, as opposed to takeaway or delivery. WaiterPilot is built for dine-in tables.
Multilingual ordering. Letting guests order in their own language. In WaiterPilot the chat replies in the guest's language (tested in English, Arabic and Spanish), while buttons are English or Arabic. See multilingual ordering.

Kitchen and floor

How an order travels from the guest to the plate, and the words staff use on the way.

Ticket (order ticket, chit). The kitchen's copy of an order: table, dishes, options and notes. It used to be paper; now it is often on a screen.
KDS (kitchen display system). A screen in the kitchen that shows tickets instead of printing them. WaiterPilot has its own kitchen screen showing quantities, dishes, options and notes without prices, on a phone or tablet; it doesn't send tickets to another KDS or printer.
Modifier. An option that changes a menu item: size, side, cooking level, extra shot, "no onions". Modifiers are where most order mistakes happen.
Required choice (forced modifier). A modifier the guest must pick before the item can be ordered, such as a side or a size. In WaiterPilot, required choices must be picked before the order can be confirmed.
86'd (eighty-sixed). Kitchen slang for an item that has run out or been taken off for the night. In WaiterPilot, an owner or manager marks a dish sold out and the chat stops offering it right away; a dish already ordered can be marked Out of stock and comes off the bill.
The pass and the expo. The pass is where finished plates leave the kitchen; the expo (expediter) checks each plate against the ticket before a server takes it.
Fire. To tell the kitchen to start cooking an order or a course, as in "fire table 12's mains".
Front of house and back of house. Front of house is everyone guests meet: hosts, servers, bartenders. Back of house is the kitchen, dish station and storage.
Waiter call. A way for a guest to ask for a server without catching their eye: a buzzer, a button, or a tap on the phone. In WaiterPilot the call appears on the staff floor screen within seconds. See how it works.
Staff confirmation. A person checking an order before the kitchen cooks it. In WaiterPilot the first order at each table waits as Awaiting staff until someone confirms or rejects it; later orders from that table go straight to the kitchen.

Tables, turns and checks

The numbers restaurant owners use to talk about a service.

Cover. One guest served. A table of four is four covers; "we did 120 covers tonight" means 120 guests.
Table turn. One party sitting down, eating and leaving, so the table can be reset for the next party.
Table turnover rate. How many parties a table, or the whole room, serves in a period, such as a lunch service. Shorter waits to order, reorder and pay are what move it.
Average check. Total sales divided by the number of checks (or by covers, for a per-guest figure). Published research on tabletop ordering found about a 1% change in checks and meals about 10% shorter; see the check-size research.
Upsell (add-on). Suggesting something extra or bigger: a side, a dessert, a larger size. WaiterPilot may ask once, after a guest adds a dish, whether they'd like anything with it. We don't claim it raises checks.
Section. The group of tables one server looks after during a shift.

Bills, payments and pricing

Where the money goes, and how software for restaurants is usually priced.

Check (bill). What the table owes. In WaiterPilot every phone at the table sees a live bill that updates through the meal; payment happens with staff.
Split the bill. Dividing one check between guests, evenly or by what each person had. WaiterPilot shows the split evenly or each phone's own share.
Service charge. A fixed percentage or amount the restaurant adds to the bill. Rules on how it must be shown and shared vary by country. In WaiterPilot the owner sets it and it appears on the live bill.
Gratuity (tip). Money a guest gives for service; some restaurants add an automatic gratuity, for example for large groups. WaiterPilot shows only the charges the restaurant sets; guests don't add a tip in it.
POS (point of sale). The till system where sales are rung up, paid and reported, often with kitchen printers attached. WaiterPilot has no POS or printer connection; it runs alongside your POS. See works with your POS.
Commission (per-order fee). A percentage of each order a platform keeps. WaiterPilot charges 0% commission. Compare a flat fee with a commission in the cost calculator.
Flat fee per location. A fixed monthly price for each restaurant site, whatever its sales. WaiterPilot is $200 per location per month after 30 days free. See pricing.

Menus, allergens and diets

Terms where a wrong answer can hurt a guest, so the definitions are careful.

Major food allergens. The allergens food law names. The US lists nine (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame); the EU and UK list fourteen. See allergies and dietary questions.
Cross-contact. When an allergen gets into a dish that doesn't contain it, through a shared fryer, board, utensil or hands. Only the kitchen can answer cross-contact questions.
Allergen matrix. A table listing which allergens are in each dish, kept by the restaurant and shown to guests on request. WaiterPilot doesn't produce one; its chat answers only from what your menu says.
Dietary label. A tag such as vegetarian, vegan, halal or gluten-free on a dish. A label is a promise, so only use it where your kitchen can stand behind it. In WaiterPilot, the chat repeats what your menu says and asks guests with allergies to confirm with staff.