The restaurant world has something of its own little dictionary. We have dozens of terms and shorthands that we use on a daily basis — but one has remained steadfast across just about every kitchen, 86. This simple number means quite a bit to those who know, but it’s quite useful in everyday life.
The Origins of the Term 86
Put simply, there are a lot of stories for how the term 86 came about. Some say that it began in the American Prohibition in a hidden bar along 86th street. When someone got particularly drunk or became a problem, bouncers were told to throw them into the street from the main door (rather than their hidden door). Over time, the legend goes, this practice became common enough in the restaurant industry that it simply caught on.
Other tales tell that it was tied to the hidden lingo of “soda jerks” in the early 1930s, while others still insist that there’s another explanation. One such explanation actually ties back to the 86 bar, stating that customers were told to 86 when a police raid was expected. They would leave from the main door marked 86, rather than through the secret entrance, and would have a better chance of escaping capture.
How 86 is Used in Restaurants Today
So what does it mean to 86 something nowadays? Today, the term 86 is used in restaurants as a catch-all for something that’s run out. Generally, this means that once you’ve run out of a menu item (let’s say salmon), it’s 86d and no longer sold by the Front of House (FOH). It can also mean that a customer is no longer allowed, and is generally used for guests that prove to be a larger problem than they’re worth.
Interestingly, 86 can be used as both a verb and a noun. One can 86 something (verb) by declaring it done, whereas someone who is 86d is not allowed in the business. This can be quite useful, as the versatility of the term has shown us over the years.
Examples of Common 86 Situations
The two most common 86 situations are that you’ve sold out (or run out) of a menu item or that you’ve encountered a problem customer. The former is easy; communicate to your FoH that you’re out of that item and move on with your day. The latter, however, tends to be a bit more difficult. Most restaurants have a specific point at which a guest is considered 86, though you’ll find that it varies from place to place.
Some restaurants will choose to remove problematic or argumentative guests, while others have a policy to stick through it for the sake of customer service. Put simply, if a guest gets 86, they’ve earned it. Generally, this is the type of situation where lots of yelling and screaming is involved, often followed by several rude comments and a bit of embarrassing acting by the guest. While that can be frustrating, it’s entirely worth it to keep the restaurant up and running and, importantly, to ensure that your staff are happy and feel safe.
Why is Term 86 Important for Restaurant Operations?
As mentioned above, the term 86 is important for several reasons. It allows clear and quick communication that is often not understood by customers. More accurately, though, it’s just an excellent catch-all.
Communication in the Kitchen and Front of House
Communication between the kitchen and FoH is incredibly important. Each side is guaranteed to have important information that needs to be communicated quickly and efficiently, and the faster that can be done, the better. When the kitchen runs through their prep for an item, the faster it’s called 86, the better. Having to chase down guests to explain that you oversold an item is never fun, and calling 86 can cut that down exponentially.
Beyond that, though, it’s a matter of safety. Guests who are 86 gain that status for a reason, and it’s important to communicate that to new and returning staff. While it’s not necessary to treat them like a criminal, mugshot and all, it’s good to communicate who is 86 and why. Some guests are simply hangry and get out of hand; others throw glasses at the staff for a slow order — they are not the same.
Managing Inventory and Customer Expectations
When we run out of something, many chefs’ first instinct is to immediately prepare more. While that’s a great instinct in a vacuum, the reality is that reality doesn’t necessarily make that realistic. Sometimes you’re too far in the weeds and simply don’t have the capacity to prepare more of an 86 menu item. When that happens, calling 86 is crucial.
As mentioned above, communication is key. By calling 86, meaning that something is out, you’re quickly and efficiently able to tell your FOH all of your most important information with a few words. In turn, your morning prep crew can take a quick look at the 86 list and know where to begin — in other words, it’s super freakin’ useful.
How to Handle 86 Situations Effectively
With that out of the way, how do we handle 86 situations well? While it’s not hard to say “86 eggplant,” that shouldn’t be the end of the story. So, where do we go from there, and how do we do it the best that we can?
Tips for Keeping Inventory Updated
The first thing that we can do is to focus on our inventory and, by extension, our KPIs and sales numbers. If you’re able to recognize that something is likely to run out before you can prep more, get a count for it ahead of time.
Beyond that, try to predict business based on sales numbers. If you know that you’ve been extra busy the past week and that you’ve sold more of a particular menu item than you might normally, consider putting out an early 86 count along with prioritizing it for prep the next day.
Both of these approaches allow you to, ideally, avoid having to 86 things mid-rush. By getting a count on your inventory, you’re able to remove the need to find a server and tell them something is rushed, ultimately praying that they communicate that fact to the rest of your servers.
Training Staff to Communicate 86 Clearly
On that note, training is crucial here. Your staff, both kitchen and FoH, should be painfully aware of what it means to 86 something. More importantly, they should both have guidelines for when and what to 86.
For example, if you have a main menu item that is relatively easy to prepare (maybe pasta, for example), your kitchen staff should know that it should never be 86. You can provide guidelines when to prep more, how, and how long your FoH can 86 it before it needs to return to service.
Similarly, your FOH should have a clear pipeline for communicating 86 items to each other. If only one server knows that salmon is gone and the others continue to ring it in, that slows things down and jams up the flow of the kitchen. Instead, most restaurants opt for a physical 86 list that’s regularly updated and passed between FoH. This allows any newcomers to the shift to be immediately caught up, allows the kitchen to double-check whether or not things should be 86, and prepares your morning prep crew with useful knowledge.
Preventing Frequent 86 Issues
The most common 86 issues all boil down to communication. Whether it’s a miscommunication leading to something being 86 that shouldn’t be, or something not being 86 that should, miscommunication will be the largest pain in your rear end by a long shot here. Because of this, training is crucial (as shown above).
Beyond training, it’s best to establish a clear “86 pipeline” for staff to follow. Most go something like this. “Is it out? Yes? Can we prep it before the end of the shift? If not, 86 it. If so, prep it.” While they can be more complicated, certainly, often it’s best to keep things simple. This allows everyone involved to act quickly and effectively rather than in a panic.
FAQs About 86 in Restaurants
What Does 86 Mean in Other Contexts?
The term 86 can be used in a variety of contexts, but its meaning generally remains the same. No matter the context of the use, it will almost always mean to remove something from use or to bar a person from interaction. This can be used in any context from dating to flying, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t incredibly handy.
How Can Restaurants Avoid 86 Situations?
As mentioned above, restaurants can avoid 86 situations through two simple concepts: preparation and communication. By ensuring that communication remains open between the kitchen and FoH, we cut out the risk of miscommunication or misunderstandings that lead to an 86. By preparing, we guarantee that we can’t run out of anything without selling a lot; beyond that, though, we’re able to more easily understand what sells well and what doesn’t.
Does 86 Only Apply to Food and Drinks?
Of course not! People can get mean in this line of work, especially when alcohol is involved, and if they get out of hand, they can get an 86. While it’s never fun to ban customers, sometimes it’s for the best. Maybe they learn from the experience, maybe they don’t — but at least now your staff doesn’t have to deal with them and the hectic remainder of their shift.
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