Glossary

86'd (eighty-sixed)

What does 86'd mean in a restaurant?

To 86 something is to declare it unavailable: "86 the halibut" means the kitchen is out and servers must stop selling it. The origin is disputed (soda-fountain codes and Prohibition stories both circulate) but the usage is universal American kitchen and floor slang. The 86 list lives where every server sees it (the pass, the POS, a whiteboard) and keeping it current is basic service hygiene, because a table sold a dish that comes back 86'd starts its night with an apology. By extension a disruptive guest can be 86'd from the building. At the host stand the concept extends to tables and slots: a broken booth or a buyout section is 86'd from tonight's floor plan.