Glossary
Hospo words: O
24 terms you'll hear on shift.
- Occupancy
- Percentage of rooms sold.
- Occupancy costs
- Rent, business rates, service charges and insurance on a premises, often grouped together for comparison.
- Oleo saccharum
- An oil-rich syrup made by muddling citrus peels with sugar and leaving them to draw out the oils; a base for punch.
- Omakase
- A Japanese format in which the chef decides what is served, typically at a sushi counter.
- On hold
- A dish or table paused until the kitchen is told to fire it.
- On the fly
- Needed immediately, usually to fix a mistake.
- On the rocks
- Served over ice.
- Online ordering
- A system for customers to order for collection or delivery, ideally integrated with POS.
- Online reputation
- How a venue is perceived across review and social platforms.
- Open
- A warning call that a door is being opened, such as an oven or walk-in.
- Open bar
- A bar where the host pays for drinks, either on consumption or at a fixed package price.
- Operating schedule
- Part of a licence application setting out how objectives will be promoted.
- Optic
- A dispenser that measures spirits.
- Orange wine
- White wine made with extended skin contact like a red, giving amber colour, tannin and grip.
- Order at table
- Guests order and pay from their phone by scanning a QR code at the table.
- Ordering
- The call from the pass reading out a new ticket to the brigade.
- Orgeat
- An almond syrup scented with orange flower water, key to the Mai Tai.
- OTA
- Online travel agent, such as booking platforms that sell hotel rooms for commission.
- Out of order
- A room unavailable to sell because of maintenance; it is removed from inventory.
- Out of service
- A room temporarily unavailable for minor reasons but still counted in inventory.
- Overbooking
- Selling more rooms or tables than available.
- Overproof
- Spirit bottled well above standard strength, such as rums at 60 percent ABV or more.
- Overtourism
- Too many visitors in a place, causing strain on locals and infrastructure.
- Oxidised
- A wine damaged by too much air exposure, tasting flat, nutty or bruised, and browner in colour. Deliberate in some styles such as sherry.
Hospodality