Glossary
Hospo words: B
74 terms you'll hear on shift.
- Bacillus cereus
- A bacterium associated with reheated rice, whose toxins survive reheating.
- Back bar
- Shelves of bottles behind the bar.
- Back office
- The administrative software side of a business: accounts, reporting and HR.
- Backflush
- Cleaning the group head by running water and detergent through a blind basket, done daily.
- Bain-marie
- A hot water bath for keeping food warm.
- Baker's percentage
- Expressing each ingredient as a percentage of the total flour weight, which makes recipes easy to scale.
- Banneton
- A cane or wicker proving basket that supports shaped dough and leaves a spiral pattern of flour.
- Banning
- Barring a person from a venue. Pubwatch schemes can extend bans across all member venues in an area.
- Banquet captain
- The supervisor who leads a team of banqueting waiters, cueing them to serve and clear each course in unison.
- Banquet rounds
- Round tables usually seating eight to twelve, the standard for dinners and weddings.
- Banqueting
- Large events catering.
- BAR
- Best Available Rate, the lowest unrestricted rate on offer for a given night.
- Bar spoon
- A long, thin, twisted spoon used to stir drinks smoothly and to layer liqueurs.
- Bar tab (events)
- A set amount the host puts behind the bar for guests, after which it switches to cash.
- Barback
- Support role for bartenders, restocking and cleaning.
- Bard
- Wrapping lean meat in a sheet of fat, often back fat or pancetta, to protect it while roasting.
- Batch
- A pre-made cocktail mix.
- Batch brew
- Filter coffee brewed in quantity and held hot, letting cafés serve good black coffee quickly.
- Bâtonnet
- A stick cut around 6mm square and 6cm long, the starting point for dice and the shape of a classic chip.
- Béarnaise
- A derivative of hollandaise flavoured with a tarragon, shallot and vinegar reduction. The classic partner to steak frites.
- Behind
- Called when walking behind someone in a kitchen or bar to avoid collisions.
- Behind you, hot
- The combined warning that someone is passing behind carrying something hot.
- Bell
- Bell rung for last orders.
- BEO
- Banquet Event Order, the document detailing every element of an event for all departments: timings, menus, room set, equipment and billing.
- Best before
- Date relating to quality rather than safety.
- Beurre blanc
- A warm emulsified butter sauce built on a reduction of white wine, vinegar and shallots, with cold butter whisked in off the heat. It splits if it gets too hot or too cold.
- Beurre manié
- Soft butter kneaded with flour and whisked into a simmering sauce as a quick thickener. Useful for rescuing a thin braise at the last minute.
- Beurre noisette
- Butter cooked until the milk solids turn hazelnut brown and smell nutty. Finished with lemon it becomes the classic sauce for skate or sole meunière.
- Bill presenter
- The folder or tray the bill is delivered on. Many restaurants now take payment at the table on a card terminal.
- Bin end
- The last few bottles of a wine on a list, often sold at a discount to clear space.
- Bin number
- A short reference given to each wine on a list so staff and guests can order without struggling with names.
- Bitter
- The classic English cask ale: amber, moderately hopped and often low in strength.
- Bitters
- Concentrated infusions of botanicals in spirit, used in dashes to season cocktails. Angostura and orange bitters are the staples.
- Bittersweet apples
- Cider apple varieties high in tannin and low in acid, giving body and structure to West Country cider.
- Blanc de blancs
- White sparkling wine made only from white grapes, usually Chardonnay.
- Blanc de noirs
- White sparkling wine made from black grapes, such as Pinot Noir and Meunier.
- Blanch
- Plunging an ingredient briefly into boiling water, then often into iced water, to set colour, loosen skins or part-cook ahead of service.
- Blanco
- Unaged or very lightly rested tequila, showing the pure flavour of agave.
- Blast chiller
- Equipment for cooling food rapidly.
- Blended Scotch
- A blend of malt and grain whiskies from several distilleries, the bulk of Scotch sold worldwide.
- Blind bake
- Baking a pastry case before filling it, weighted with baking beans so the base stays flat and crisp.
- Board
- Tickets currently in play.
- Boardroom style
- A single large table with seating around it for small meetings.
- Body
- The sense of weight and fullness of a wine in the mouth, from light to full, driven mainly by alcohol and extract.
- Body-worn camera
- A camera worn by door staff to record incidents, deterring aggression and providing evidence.
- BOH
- Back of house: the kitchen, stores, cellar and dish pit.
- Bolster
- The thick band of steel between blade and handle on a forged knife, adding balance and protecting the hand.
- Boning knife
- A narrow, often flexible blade used to separate meat from bone with minimal waste.
- Booking engine
- The software on the hotel's own website that takes direct bookings, avoiding commission paid to agencies.
- Boston shaker
- A two-part shaker of a metal tin and a mixing glass or smaller tin. Fast and the bar professional's standard.
- Botanicals
- Plants, spices and fruits used to flavour gin. Juniper must dominate for a spirit to be called gin.
- Bottle service
- Selling whole bottles of spirits or Champagne to a table, often with sparklers and mixers.
- Bottomless brunch
- A brunch with unlimited drinks for a fixed period. Licensing rules on irresponsible promotions apply.
- Bouquet garni
- A bundle of herbs, usually thyme, bay and parsley stalks, tied with string or wrapped in leek so it can be lifted out of a stock or stew.
- Bowl food
- Small portions served in bowls at standing receptions, more substantial than canapés.
- Braise
- Browning then slowly cooking an ingredient part-covered in liquid in a closed pot, turning tough cuts tender as collagen breaks down.
- Bratt pan
- A large tilting pan that can braise, boil, fry and stew in volume.
- Break clause
- An option to end a lease early.
- Break-even
- When revenue covers costs.
- Break-even covers
- The number of covers needed in a period to cover all fixed and variable costs.
- Brett
- Brettanomyces, a yeast that gives wine farmyard, plaster or medicinal aromas. A fault to some, character to others.
- Brew ratio
- The ratio of dry coffee to liquid espresso, such as 1:2. Baristas dial in by ratio, time and taste.
- Brigade
- The kitchen team structure.
- Brunoise
- Very fine dice.
- Brut
- Dry sparkling wine, with low sugar; the most common Champagne style.
- BS EN 1276
- The standard showing a disinfectant kills bacteria effectively, often referenced in UK kitchens.
- Build
- Making a drink directly in the glass it is served in, such as a highball or a Negroni on the rocks.
- Bulk ferment
- The first rise of a whole dough after mixing, when most flavour and structure develops.
- Business rates
- A UK property tax on commercial premises, based on rateable value. Hospitality has received varying levels of relief.
- Busser
- Staff member who clears tables, more common in American usage.
- Butler service
- Platters offered to guests who serve themselves, also used for passed canapés at receptions.
- Butterfly
- Splitting a piece of meat or fish almost through and opening it out like a book for even, fast cooking.
- By the glass
- The list of wines poured in measures rather than sold by the bottle. In UK licensed premises, wine by the glass must be offered in 125ml as well as larger measures.
- BYOB
- Bring your own bottle.
Hospodality