Restaurant Tech Glossary
Restaurant Technology & Operations Glossary
Direct Summary: A comprehensive reference guide explaining essential restaurant industry terminology, point-of-sale concepts, kitchen management systems, and hospitality accounting for food business operators in India.
Essential Terms Explained
- POS (Point of Sale)
- The hardware and software system used by restaurants to process guest orders, record payment transactions, and print customer bills.
- KOT (Kitchen Order Ticket)
- A printed or digital docket sent to kitchen cooking stations detailing ordered items, quantities, table numbers, and cooking modifications.
- KDS (Kitchen Display System)
- A digital screen in the kitchen displaying incoming orders with real-time timers replacing physical paper slips.
- ESC/POS
- A standardized command language created by Epson used by thermal receipt printers worldwide to print text, barcodes, and logos.
- Table Turnover Rate
- The frequency at which dining tables are occupied, served, settled, and vacated by guests during a specific business period.
- BOM (Bill of Materials)
- A recipe ingredient breakdown specifying exact raw material quantities (e.g., 200g paneer, 50g butter) required to make a menu dish.
- QSR (Quick Service Restaurant)
- A food outlet focused on fast food service at a counter without formal table dining (e.g., burger joints, chai cafes).
- Cloud Kitchen / Ghost Kitchen
- A commercial kitchen that prepares food exclusively for online delivery without a physical customer dining room.
- Multi-Tender Payment
- Settling a single customer bill using two or more payment forms (e.g., ₹500 via cash and ₹300 via UPI QR).
- GST Invoice (Goods & Services Tax)
- A tax-compliant invoice detailing CGST, SGST, IGST, and FSSAI license numbers required for Indian restaurants.